CFL.ca Staff
VANCOUVER — Tickets for the 47th Vanier Cup go on sale to the general public this Saturday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (10 a.m. Pacific) and football fans from across the nation can join in on one of the showpieces of the 2011 Grey Cup Festival for as little as $20.
The CIS football final will be played in the province of British Columbia for the first time in history on Friday, Nov. 25, and will have the distinction of being the first championship held at the new BC Place Stadium. The 99th Grey Cup will follow two nights later to wrap up an exciting week of Canadian football celebration.
With CIS responsible for more than 150 players on CFL and NFL rosters in 2011, one can be assured that football’s future will be on display under the Friday Night Lights in a world-class venue.
The Vanier Cup will be staged in Western Canada for only the second time since its debut in 1965. It was played in an expanded Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon in 2006 in front of a capacity crowd.
Forty of the first 46 CIS title matches have been played in Toronto either at Varsity Stadium, CNE Stadium or Rogers Centre. The last two championships were held in Quebec City where last year the hometown Laval Rouge et Or defeated the Calgary Dinos 29-2 on a snowy Saturday afternoon to become only the second team to capture the trophy on its home field. Hamilton also hosted the Vanier Cup in 2004, 2005 and 2008.
Regardless of the elements, three of the last five Vanier Cups have been played in front of sell-out crowds.
Laval and Western Ontario hold the record for Vanier Cup titles with six apiece. The UBC Thunderbirds, who will see the Vanier Cup played in their backyard in November, have triumphed three times, in 1982, 1986 and 1997. The last UBC championship was led by quarterback Shawn Olson, who now coaches the squad.
Football fans can purchase tickets here or can call 1-855-GREYCUP.
