Can Blue host and hoist Cup?

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This article was published 06/12/2014 (4120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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The new Grey Cup logo is “You Belong Here.” Will the Blue Bombers read and heed?

While it’s been 24 long years since Winnipeg won the Cup, this city now has a Grey Cup logo and slogan. The 103rd Grey Cup is coming to Winnipeg in 2015, nine years after it was last held here.

The official unveiling of a logo and the slogan was held Friday at Winnipeg Square, with speeches by Mayor Brian Bowman and Premier Greg Selinger.

“What you may not know is that I’m also an avid Winnipeg Blue Bomber fan. So is my wife, Tracy,” Bowman said, while donning a Bombers jersey on the stage. He said when he was planning to return to Winnipeg after going to law school in Toronto, Tracy (then his girlfriend) was hesitant.

“After a protracted negotiation … she placed one condition,” Bowman said.

“It was the best tickets that we can afford to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, forever, as long as we live in Winnipeg. And that is something that will always remain with us as a family and something we’re sharing now with our sons.”

The meaning of the slogan was explained by Jason Smith, president of the Grey Cup Festival.

“We wanted the slogan to be something inclusive… ” he said. “So we thought that ‘You Belong Here’ had a double meaning, in that ‘you belong to Winnipeg’ and ‘you also belong to one of our Grey Cup Festival families.'”

Blue Bombers quarterback Drew Willy and wide receiver Clarence Denmark were on hand for the inauguration of the Grey Cup merchandise store, near centre court in Winnipeg Square. They also signed autographs.

Wade Miller, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, was asked by reporters about whether Investors Group Field was ready for winter. He said $3 million had been spent on winterization, and the stadium is ready for the “cold cold.”

Miller said an insurance claim for the flooding that happened in April is ongoing. He said work has been done to prevent flooding in the future, and they would do the best they can to prevent it.

Winnipeg hosted the Grey Cup in 1991, 1998, and 2006. Smith is optimistic about the benefits of the championship to the city.

“We’re estimating that there will be 10,000 people that will come in from outside of Manitoba,” Smith said.

Of course, the big question for Bomber fans is whether the hometown team will play in the big game.

“I know if the Bombers can make the final it would be even more special for Winnipeg,” Bowman said. “So let’s all get behind this team for next year.”

inayat.singh@freepress.mb.ca