An extended stay in Kelowna to start the regular season as the FIFA World Cup takes over B.C. Place is something they’ll need to navigate<\/p>\n
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Published May 08, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0day ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 5 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n The B.C. Lions open main camp on Sunday in Kamloops, kicking off a season like no other for the club.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Place<\/a> this summer, the Lions won\u2019t play their first game at the downtown dome until a visit from the Toronto Argonauts on July 25 \u2014 Week 8 of the CFL season.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The Lions\u2019 first regular season game in front of the faithful crowd at B.C. Place<\/a> last season came on June 7. The year before that, it fell on June 15.<\/p>\n Over the next 70-plus days, coach Buck Pierce\u2019s squad will be in Kamloops. The team will be in Langford for a preseason game on May 23 versus the Edmonton Elks, and then they\u2019ll put down stakes in Kelowna, where they will host the Calgary Stampeders on June 27 and the Elks on July 4 for the Apple Bowl.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an unique challenge, especially for a club that wants to take another step forward this season after winning seven straight games down the stretch last year before falling 24-21 on the road to the Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/a> in the West Final.<\/p>\n These are some key questions to consider\u00a0about the Lions\u2019 2026 campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n How will they handle being based in Kelowna?<\/p>\n The Lions benefit from the fact that they have folks who have been in these situations before, led by team president Duane Vienneau. He was a main organizer for the CFL\u2019s Touchdown Atlantic series, where they played one-off neutral site games in the Maritimes in a bid to drum up interest in an expansion franchise. He was also front and centre when the Lions faced the Ottawa Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park two seasons ago in the Touchdown Pacific.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n There are several players still with the club from that game, too, and you would think they could lean on that for this foray, which they have tagged as Touchdown Kelowna<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re excited to play in an environment very similar to Touchdown Pacific, which was a cool, college-like environment,\u201d said quarterback Nathan Rourke. \u201cThere was a little festival. There were people who don\u2019t normally get to see B.C. Lions games.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that Duane and the staff have been working really hard getting it all sorted. We\u2019re excited.\u201d<\/p>\n General Manager Ryan Rigmaiden also believes that it is going to \u201cgive the players a chance to bond like they never have.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be an opportunity for the guys to get together,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to bring families up. It\u2019s going to be a family atmosphere. It\u2019s something that we\u2019re going to build on.\u201d<\/p>\n How much better could Nathan Rourke be?<\/p>\n Rourke is coming off a season where he was the CFL\u2019s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canada, and he\u2019s only 27 years old. He seems more comfortable with being a face of the franchise and of the league \u2014 think about how willing he was to speak on the rule changes<\/a> \u2014 and he seems driven to improve, chasing after things like playing flag football for Canada at the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n He threw for 5,290 yards and 31 touchdowns last season. We\u2019ll see where he can take those numbers this time around. He was intercepted 16 times last year, too, and that\u2019s a stat he appears particularly focussed on.<\/p>\n \u201cI had double-digit interceptions. I\u2019m looking on that and keeping that number in single digits,\u201d Rourke said.<\/p>\n Jeremiah Masoli, 37, was B.C.\u2019s No. 2 quarterback last year, and they didn\u2019t opt to bring him back this season. The most experienced pivot on the Lions\u2019 roster is Chase Brice, 28, who has 33 pass attempts over his three seasons with the club. That will be worth keeping an eye on.<\/p>\n What does the offensive line end up looking like?<\/p>\n B.C.\u2019s most notable loss agency came when left tackle Jarell Broxton, 33, opted to ink a two-year deal with Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was both an All-CFL and West Division all-star last season, and he was named B.C.\u2019s nominee for Most Outstanding Lineman for three straight years from 2023-25.<\/p>\n Rigmaiden talked this week about returnees who could fill that spot. Kory Woodruff, 26, has played spot when Broxton has missed games with injury. The Lions also signed veteran Joshua Coker, 28, last week, who started 29 games the past two seasons for the Calgary Stampeders. Coker suffered a knee injury late last year with Calgary, and Rigmaiden couldn\u2019t say this week when Coker might be ready for action.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cWe had the same concerns when Joel Figueroa left us a few year ago and we felt confident about Jarell taking that spot. Football is a next-man-up type of business, and we\u2019ve got to move on,\u201d Rigmaiden said.<\/p>\n How will they handle the rule changes?<\/p>\n The CFL starts phasing in its new-look game this season,<\/a> with the modified rouge, 35-second game clock, and player benches located on opposite sides of the field at all stadiums. The major switches, including the field being shortened from 110 yards to 100 and the goal posts going from the front of the end zone to the back, come next year. You can bet it\u2019s all going to be a talking point in the league throughout the year, though.\u00a0<\/p>\n How much better could they be?<\/p>\n The Lions\u2019 defence got steadier and sturdier as the season wore on, and they have add two marquee playmakers to that side of the ball in middle linebacker Darnell Sankey, 31, and defensive tackle Casey Sayles, 30. Sankey was an East Division all-star the past two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. Sayles was an East Division all-star last season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, Pierce and Rigmaiden are both into their second years at the helm. You\u2019d have to think that will be help.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve done a great job of making sure that they guys we bring in are the right players \u2014 not just the best one,\u201d Rigmaiden said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to continue everything Buck\u2019s been building over the last year. I feel extremely confident with the veteran leadership that we have and the character of the young guys we\u2019re bringing in.\u201d<\/p>\n @SteveEwen<\/p>\n SEwen@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n CFL changes up playoff format for 2027, with eight of nine teams making post-season<\/p>\n![\"bc](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20251024-cfl-06_299511218.jpg\")
B.C. Lions wide receiver Seven McGee runs the ball during CFL regular season action at Mosaic Stadium in October in Regina. Photo by KAYLE NEIS \/Regina Leader-PostArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/21.1.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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