Third Time’s a Charm:
Grey Cup 101 Organizers Build on Past Hosting By Paul Sinkewicz PHOTOS courteSy of SaSkatchewan roughriderS
Obviously Neil Donnelly has been doing something right. The executive director of Grey Cup 101 in Regina is in the “catbird seat” with the Saskatchewan Roughriders exploding for their best-ever record in the first half of a season, and ramping up the Grey Cup heat in a football-crazed province always on a rolling boil. Sold out since July and hotels booked up, Grey Cup 101 promises to inject significant dollars and spirit into the local economy.
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Neil Donnelly, executive director of Grey Cup 101
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verything planned for this year’s Grey Cup Festival, which runs Nov. 20 to 24 in Regina, is predicated on lessons learned in 1995 and 2003, when the city last hosted the CFL championship. Donnelly was a volunteer at both. “Because of the experience at that 2003 game, we’ve done some things differently. Our seating structure is not as high as it was, and there’s wrapping going around the outside of the temporary stands to cut down on the wind that can penetrate from below. So, we are learning from some of the experiences we had to make the experience that much better for people this time around.” While 52,000 fans watched the 1995 game live, and almost 51,000 fans in 2003, seating for 2013 was capped at 45,000 to make sure the fan experience will be better than ever. Organizers also