{"id":285800,"date":"2025-11-16T01:11:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T01:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/285800\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T01:11:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T01:11:15","slug":"fans-arrive-in-winnipeg-ahead-of-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/285800\/","title":{"rendered":"Fans arrive in Winnipeg ahead of games"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a weekend circled on every Canadian football fans calendar. <\/p>\n

The Grey Cup held in Winnipeg features a matchup between the Montreal Alouettes and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. <\/p>\n

Longtime Roughriders season ticket holder Trevor Doroshenko has been a CFL fan his whole life. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad took me to my first game on October 1, 1983,\u201d he said. \u201cI was 10 years old. Riders took a 21-3 lead in the half and lost 24-23, but I was hooked at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Grey Cup CFL fans gather in Winnipeg for 112th Grey Cup. <\/p>\n

He has been to several Grey Cups since becoming a superfan over four decades ago, but this is his first time attending the championship game in Winnipeg. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter where Grey Cups are, it feels like home,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a community and that\u2019s what makes it good to be here.\u201d <\/p>\n

But for others, like Montrealers Christian Ruel and Phillippe Tremblay, it\u2019s their first Grey Cup game. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an awesome party,\u201d said Tremblay, who has been a longtime Alouette fan. \u201cIt\u2019s a bucket list thing for us. I wouldn\u2019t change a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to be live for a Grey Cup.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"Grey Cup CFL fans gather in Winnipeg for 112th Grey Cup. <\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t just Alouettes and Roughriders fans in Winnipeg for the Grey Cup. Football fans from coast to coast, have also descended on the Manitoba capital, not only to witness the championship game, but also to celebrate a longstanding Canadian tradition. <\/p>\n

John Lamacchia and his friends make the Grey Cup an annual tradition, attending 17 straight games. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good chance to get together with everyone,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what team you\u2019re on; everyone is having a good time out here in Winnipeg.\u201d <\/p>\n

The big game doesn\u2019t just bring a classic Canadian football match; it brings a series of concerts, parties and other fun events, including interactive activities for all football fans.<\/p>\n

\"\"Grey Cup CFL fans gather in Winnipeg for 112th Grey Cup. <\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just fans who are enjoying the festivities, so are local businesses, who are seeing an influx of traffic. <\/p>\n

Grey Cup economic impact over $90 million for Winnipeg<\/p>\n

Natalie Thiesen, with Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism, told CTV News the economic impact is huge for hotels, restaurants and retailers.<\/p>\n

Dwight Benson, the general manager of Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant in downtown Winnipeg, says the foot traffic has been incredible.<\/p>\n

\"\"Grey Cup CFL fans gather in Winnipeg for 112th Grey Cup. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the busiest day we probably had in six years,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been crazy. It\u2019s been busy, lineups all day long, all weekend long. We are expecting the same thing. It\u2019s been great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all hands-on deck,\u201d Benson said. \u201cWe had to get a couple more servers and bartenders, but everyone is excited, and the vibe is great around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last CFL game before new rule changes<\/p>\n

On Sept. 22, CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston announced sweeping new rule changes to the game, which will be implemented over the next two seasons.<\/p>\n

\"\"Grey Cup CFL fans gather in Winnipeg for 112th Grey Cup. <\/p>\n

This includes:<\/p>\n

A shortened field from 110 yards to 100.The end zones will be shortened from 20 yards to 15.The goalposts will be moved from the goal line to the back of the end zone.The single point awarded for a missed field goal that goes through the end of the end zone will no longer be awarded.A new 35-second play clock will start after each play, replacing the current manual system.<\/p>\n

Johnston defended his decision on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree downs, 12 players, unlimited motion, 65-yard-wide field and huge end zones: these rules are not going anywhere,\u201d he said. \u201cThe new rules embrace innovation and perpetual improvement while protecting what makes Canadian football special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Grey Cup CFL fans gather in Winnipeg for 112th Grey Cup. <\/p>\n

TSN CFL Insider Dave Naylor said most of the substantial rule changes are occurring in 2027 but noted that Sunday\u2019s Grey Cup will be the last time the championship game could end on a single point on a missed field goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has always been a fear of a lot of CFL fans, that what if a Grey Cup was won on a missed field goal?\u201d he said. \u201cTomorrow is the last time that can happen. That is the major change for next season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a league that is very tied to tradition,\u201d Naylor said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a league that accommodates its existing fan base probably more than the fan base beyond. It\u2019s very loyal to its core fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Grey Cup between the Montreal Alouettes and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will kick off at 5 p.m. CT at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a weekend circled on every Canadian football fans calendar. The Grey Cup held in Winnipeg features a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285801,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[712,49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-285800","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-apple-news","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-canadian-football-league","12":"tag-canadianfootballleague","13":"tag-cfl","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}