Grey Cup week worth $80 million

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This article was published 21/03/2016 (3481 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It appears football fans were pulling out their wallets in record numbers during Grey Cup week last November.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers released figures Monday that show an economic impact of $80 million from the game — a 26-20 victory by the Edmonton Eskimos over the Ottawa Red Blacks — and the week-long festival that preceded it.

Bombers CEO Wade Miller said had his team or the Saskatchewan Roughriders — or both — qualified for the big game, the figure would have been higher.

“I think it worked out as well as it could have without the Bombers in it,” he said.

It was a banner year for Investors Group Field as it also hosted seven games for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in June, featuring the popular American squad, and two concerts, AC/DC and One Direction. The economic impact from all of the non-Bombers activity last year is believed to be in the $125-million range.

Chantal Sturk-Nadeau, senior vice-president at Tourism Winnipeg, said 2015 will be a tough act to follow for IGF.

“It was a spectacular year on the sports side,” she said, noting FIFA was the previous high-water event with an economic impact of $35.9 million.

The IGF is set to host the Heritage Classic in October, featuring one game between the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers and a second featuring the alumni of both teams, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2017 Canada Summer Games.

The more success Winnipeg has in hosting major events, the more opportunities arise, Sturk-Nadeau said.

“A lot of investment has happened in our city. People are becoming prouder of what we have,” she said.

Miller said the Bombers will continue to look for other events to host at IGF and will hope to build on its relationship with True North’s Kevin Donnelly, who books concerts and other shows into the MTS Centre and the Burton Cummings Theatre and brought in both AC/DC and One Direction to IGF.

Miller said despite construction issues at IGF, he has heard nothing but positive comments from his counterparts in the CFL.

“It’s the envy of the country,” he said.

Meantime, the city will host Centralia and the federal Liberal party’s convention in May and a meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in June.

“These 5,000 to 6,000 visitors will be bringing a lot of money, and they’ll leave lot of money here,” Sturk-Nadeau said.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca