Grey Cup fever already spreading in Regina for 2013
CBC News
Posted: Nov 24, 2012 1:18 PM CST
Last Updated: Nov 24, 2012 4:31 PM CST
With one day to the Grey Cup game in Toronto, Grey Cup fever is already taking hold in Regina as the city starts preparing to host next year's championship.
Neil Donnelly, who has been named the executive director for Grey Cup in 2013, is in Toronto looking for ideas he can use in Saskatchewan.
He said there will be some challenges with the facilities in Regina and the amount of people they can hold.
"Converting the stadium is one example," said Donnelly. "Their [Toronto] stadium is fairly turn-key, covered and has the appropriate amount of seats — we're going to have to work on our seating for an entire year to build out the infrastructure to accommodate the additional 11 or 12 thousand people we're going to want to put in it."
While the planning committee worries about how they're going to fit the extra thousands in the stadium, CFL fans wasted little time in booking rooms for next year's festival.
CBC News could not find a single hotel in Regina that had a room available for next year's Grey Cup.
In two previous Regina-hosted Grey Cups, many homeowners billeted guests and many rural hotels offered rooms.
The town of Southey, Sask. had a green bus that transported guests into Regina, about an hour away.
Rural hotels and a billeting program my have to happen again, said John Hopkins, CEO of Regina's Chamber of Commerce
"There was a program back in 1995 where people would billet with people they didn't even know and worked out fine," he said.
Meanwhile, Connie Young, general manager of the Executive Royal Hotel Regina, said even though she's sold out for the 2013 Grey Cup, CFL fans are persistent, offering up to $100 more than the regular room rate.
"And I'm sure they'll go even higher as we get closer to the day," said Young. "I'm already booked, but I put them on a waiting list and if someone cancels I'll call them."
Share Tools
Latest Saskatchewan News Headlines
- New Regina south bypass route approved
- The province has approved a route for the Trans-Canada Highway bypass that will be built around Regina. more »
- Credit union members use iPhones to cash cheques
- Some credit union members can now use their iPhones to cash cheques, without visiting a branch. more »
- Attack of the elm seeds
- Regina residents are battling a blizzard of elm seeds. Listen to what an expert has to say about the problem. more »
- Violent serial attacker sent to prison indefinitely
- A dangerous offender found guilty of violent assaults in Alberta and Saskatchewan over the last two decades will go to prison indefinitely. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Most groups don't want return of Trudeau speaking fees
- Most of the 17 charitable and other organizations that have paid speaking fees to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau during his time as an MP say they aren't interested in having their fees returned, despite Trudeau's offer on the weekend to reimburse any organization unhappy with his services. more »
- G8 leaders agree to 7-point plan on Syria as summit wraps
- Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the other G8 leaders reach a seven-point plan aimed at stopping the conflict in Syria, wrapping up a two-day summit in Northern Ireland following talks on trade, tax evasion, poverty and terrorism. more »
- Are e-cigarettes safe to puff?
- As electronic or e-cigarettes grow in popularity, some health advocates want them to be regulated. more »
- In Bangladesh's garment trade, empowerment comes at $20 a week
- The pay is laughable by Western standards, and the shantytowns of Dhaka offer a difficult life. But the surge of mostly young women into the country's increasingly important clothing industry is having a profound change on this largely Islamic society, Margaret Evans writes. more »
- Sick Regina boy who made waves around the world dies
- New Regina south bypass route approved
- Violent serial attacker sent to prison indefinitely
- Taxpayers on the hook for tow fees in drunk-driver cases
- Charges laid over case of Grey Cup ring
- Has the lost bell of Batoche been found in Manitoba?
- Manitoba RCMP dog killed in Saskatchewan crash
- Accused killers of Saskatoon mother to stand trial
- James Smith reserve moving 39 people out due to water-ruined roads

