This year is the 99th Grey Cup in Canada and the Grey cup is the second oldest professional sports trophy in North America,
The Grey Cup is the championship of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and it’s Canada’s largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian TV viewing audience of about 4 million. The historic ‘Grey Cup’ was donated by the then Governor General of Canada, Earl Grey In 1909. He might not have been pleased to hear the eventful history of his world-class trophy, it has been left behind in hotel rooms after post-game parties, almost destroyed by fire, stolen and held for ransom, broken in 1987 when an Edmonton Eskimo sat on it, and torn in half during an on field celebration when the B.C. Lions won it in 2006
If you’ve never been to a Grey Cup it is a lot of fun. Sure the game is always entertaining especially if your team is in it. But if your team isn’t in the game there is still plenty to do. Grey Cup week is often referred to as the Grand National Drunk, you can be sure all the pubs and bars will be busy with fans from across the country and all the teams host hospitality suites with live music and dancing.
Quite often the best times are had just sitting around the hotel room partying and sharing a drink with friends while playing poker and talking about who’s going to win the big game and how your team will do next year.
So if you have never been to the Grey Cup then maybe this is the year you should come! It will be hosted in Vancouver in the newly renovated BC Place Stadium which now features a retractable roof.
Bring on the Party!