Football fans from across Canada in Vancouver for Grey Cup celebrate ‘glory and beauty of the CFL’

When Winnipeggers Barbara and Sylvia Main travelled to Vancouver for their first Grey Cup in 1990, there was no zip line.

But being back on the West Coast for this weekend’s Grey Cup match brings a sense of nostalgia for the mother-daughter duo.

“It is where we first started — first mother-daughter Grey Cup … so it is kind of sentimental for us to be back here again together enjoying the Grey Cup,” daughter Sylvia said on Friday. “We’re ready for the Bombers to bring [another] one home.”

The Mains are among the football fans from across the country who have converged on Vancouver, eager to build relationships and strengthen their camaraderie with like-minded fans who are passionate about the Canadian Football League.

Winnipeggers Sylvia Main, left, and her mother Barbara Main are back in Vancouver ahead of Sunday’s Grey Cup match between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts. They were also in Vancouver for the 1990 Grey Cup, which Winnipeg won 50-11 over Edmonton. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts are vying to win the 111th Grey Cup on Sunday. Winnipeg and Toronto fans, along with those representing the league’s other seven teams, have taken in activities at the Grey Cup Festival, including concerts, parties, a drone show and a zip line that runs down the harbour.

B.C.’s tourism ministry says it expects the festivities to bring in 30,000 out-of-province fans and drive an economic boost of $125 million.

People zip line from scaffolding during the Grey Cup festival prior to the 111th Grey Cup in Vancouver on Thursday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

The Mains, who have been Bombers season-ticket holders since 1987, have been in the stands together at an estimated 20 Grey Cup games over the past 35 years, including each of Winnipeg’s last three triumphs.

In that 1990 game they saw, Winnipeg, led by the CFL’s top defence, crushed Edmonton 50-11 for the Bombers’ 10th Grey Cup title. But Bombers fans had to wait until 2019 for Winnipeg to lay claim to the CFL’s holy grail again, before earning a repeat championship victory in 2021 after the pandemic cancelled the 2020 season.

Over the decades of games, the Mains say they’ve forged many friendships — a big reason they’ve attended so many Grey Cups.

“We’ve met so many amazing fans across the league. This is our time to get together with fans again just to celebrate the CFL and our friendship, and hopefully cheer on our team when they’re in the Grey Cup,” Sylvia said.

Fans line the streets of Vancouver on Thursday. B.C.’s tourism ministry says it expects Grey Cup festivities to bring 30,000 out-of-province fans to the city. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

They’ve already invited some friends to come to their tailgate party at next year’s Grey Cup, which will be played at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.

40th Grey Cup for Winnipegger

Hans Stasiuk won’t have to travel to next year’s game either, but this year’s edition is a milestone for the Winnipegger — Sunday will be his 40th Grey Cup game.

“When my dad started taking me back in 1980 I enjoyed it, but I never thought I would get to this stage of 40 Grey Cups,” he told CBC News on Friday, calling it “a wonderful feeling.”

Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan Hans Stasiuk will be attending his 40th Grey Cup on Sunday. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

Stasiuk said he loves getting the opportunity to reconnect with the same people year after year, including CFL Hall of Famer Wally Buono.

“Every Grey Cup I bump into Wally Buono, and I saw him [Friday] and I said, ‘You know Wally, it’s not the same if I don’t see you at a Grey Cup,'” Stasiuk said.

“People are just so friendly. I’ve never really met one person in 40 years at Grey Cups that wasn’t nice.”

Montreal Alouettes fan Dino Mazzone will be rooting for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday. He’s already looking forward to being in Manitoba for the CFL’s championship game in 2025. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

Like Stasiuk and the Mains, Montreal’s Dino Mazzone plans to be in Winnipeg for the 2025 Grey Cup.

He’s been to six Grey Cups, dating back to the late 1970s, when he went with his dad.

He was so convinced his beloved Alouettes were going to defend the title they won last year against the Bombers that he booked his hotel room for this year’s Grey Cup one week after the last game.

“It was a little disappointing, but we’re proud CFL fans, and I’ll still go to a CFL game every year,” Mazzone said. “The Grey Cup for me is a part of my life now.”

Diane Wensel rides Tuffy the horse into the lobby of a hotel in downtown Vancouver on Thursday. The Grey Cup tradition of riding a horse into a local hotel by the Calgary Grey Cup Committee is carried out as part of the festivities leading up to the CFL’s championship game. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Without the Alouettes in the game, after the team’s loss in the East final to the Argos, he’ll be rooting hard for the Bombers on Sunday.

“I’m a big fan of [Bombers running back] Brady Oliveira — the most outstanding Canadian and the most outstanding player,” he said. “I think they are going to definitely beat Toronto this year.”

Regardless of who’s playing, Mazzone wishes more Canadians would come out and experience Grey Cup week.

“The people have been amazing, and all these Canadians from across the country just really being nice with each other, enjoying our culture and our camaraderie and our love for this game,” he said.

“It’s been a beautiful thing, and I think that’s the glory and beauty of the CFL.”

Toronto fans confident

Toronto fans in Vancouver this week, meanwhile, say they’re confident in their team.

The Argonauts lost starting quarterback and 2023 CFL most outstanding player Chad Kelly to a leg injury in the East final, but fan David Brown said he has faith in backup Nick Arbuckle.

“[I’m] very optimistic, feeling very strong about it. Arbuckle’s got this,” Brown said.

“We have a very strong team right through and through. I mean, the loss with Kelly is a big, big, big loss for this team, but they’re going to do this for Chad.”

Toronto Argonauts fan David Brown thinks quarterback Nick Arbuckle will have a big role to play before the 111th Grey Cup is awarded on Sunday. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

Fan Glenn Stevenson understands why Winnipeg is considered the favourite to win, but cautions against underestimating Arbuckle and the underdog Argos.

“I think it’s going to be much closer than people expect. I think Arbuckle’s ready. He’s got a good strong arm. He knows the offence. He’s going to do extremely well,” Stevenson said.

Toronto was also the underdog in 2022, when the team earned a 24-23 Grey Cup victory over the Bombers on a last-minute blocked field goal, preventing a Winnipeg three-peat.

Regardless of Sunday’s result, Stevenson is savouring his 14th Grey Cup week with CFL fans from across Canada.

“It’s great because even though fans are coming from across the country — cheering for different teams — it’s always very friendly,” he said. “It’s a great time, great atmosphere.”