The Canadian Football League’s (CFL) top prize, the Grey Cup, touched down in Vancouver on Sunday afternoon ahead of the championship game between Toronto and Winnipeg on Nov. 17.
Crowds watched as a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter descended upon Coal Harbour, delivering the iconic Grey Cup trophy. Escorted by the Canadian Armed Forces, it was transported by flotilla to the Vancouver Convention Centre, marking the official kickoff of Grey Cup week leading up to the 111th championship at B.C. Place.
Col. Christopher Shapka, Commander of 19 Wing Comox and a CFL official, was part of the crew accompanying the cup. He said the Royal Canadian Air Force and the CFL share a deep historical connection.
“In 1942 during the height of World War II, with the war in Europe raging and thousands of young Canadians serving overseas, both the football unions and Canada suspended play and disbanded their teams,” Shapka said at the cup’s arrival ceremony on Sunday.
Flotilla bearing the Grey Cup docks Sunday in Vancouver. (CBC)
The war threatened the continuous competition for the Grey Cup, he said, but the armed forces proposed holding the 30th Grey Cup with military teams, in a bid “to lift national morale.”
That year, according to CFL.ca, the Toronto RCAF Hurricanes defeated the Winnipeg RCAF Bombers 8-5 in the finals to become the first non-civilian team to ever win a Grey Cup.
“The Grey Cup is more than a trophy, it is a symbol of our resilience, our pride, and our commitment to each other,” Shapka said.
City gears up for Grey Cup festivities
From zip lines to replica mini CFL fields, a slate of sponsored events have been planned for the 2024 Grey Cup.
“We are incredibly proud to be hosting this year’s Grey Cup,” Mayor Ken Sim said during the ceremony.
Mayor Ken Sim said the Grey Cup is expected to bring $100 million of economic activity to the city, with fans from across the league expected to attend. (CBC)
Sim said the final and pre-game events are expected to bring $100 million in economic activity and attract about 30,000 visitors.
The CFL announced in November 2022 that the B.C. Lions would host the 2024 Grey Cup in Vancouver.
“It’s a big deal for all our local businesses,” he added. “They’re going to be enjoying our restaurants and everything Vancouver has to offer and we can put on a really good show here.”
The pre-game festivities will run several days leading to the CFL championship, with an official fan zone in downtown Vancouver along with fan areas set up at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
A zip line will run over the water between the two convention centre buildings on Vancouver harbour.
According to Destination Vancouver, the festival will also feature Canada’s “largest-ever” drone show on Nov. 13 between 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Canada PIace Way.
The city of Vancouver says various road closures will be in effect throughout the week until Nov. 18 with disruptions anticipated for those travelling in and out of downtown Vancouver.
Vancouver has hosted the league’s championship game 16 times in the past, most recently in 2014 when the Calgary Stampeders downed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20-16.