City council has given the Okanagan Sun a $10,000 grant to help cover travel costs for their upcoming appearance in the Canadian Bowl, the national championship for the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL).
“We are supporting the Sun football team and what they’ve done for our community, and that they are now playing on the national stage,” said Mayor Tom Dyas.
Dyas said the team had sent a letter asking if the city would be able to help.
“The letter stated that their costs to get to the tournament, including chartering a plane and everything, were slightly under $60,000.”
The mayor emphasized that the grant, which came from council’s contingency fund, is not a regular practice.
“To help cover some of their expenses and to get them there, in the spirit of looking forward to a successful championship once again,” Dyas said.
Council voted unanimously to provide the grant at its morning meeting on Monday (Nov. 4).
This year, the Okanagan Sun will play the St. Clair Saints in Ontario after beating the Regina Thunder 28-14 in the CJFL semi-final in Regina on Oct. 27.
This is the Sun’s second appearance in the Canadian Bowl since 2022, when they defeated the Thunder 21-19 to claim the national title. The Sun also beat the Saints in the semi-final that year. The Sun and Saints previously met in the 1999 national title, with St. Clair winning 32-29.
Kickoff for the 115th Canadian Bowl is on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m. at Acumen Stadium on the campus of St. Clair College in Windsor.
The game can be viewed on CJFL TV for a fee.
