Lions win, 38-12, in first ever CFL game on Vancouver Island

Update: The BC Lions defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 38-12 Saturday night, with Victoria-born quarterback Nathan Rourke securing his first win since returning to the Lions. 

The capital region has been riding the orange wave all week leading up to the biggest football event ever to be hosted on Vancouver Island.

Over the Labour Day weekend, all 14,000 seats at Royal Athletic Park were sold out for the first Canadian Football League game to be played in Victoria.

Kick off for the BC Lions versus Ottawa Redblacks game was set for 4 p.m. Saturday, which had Island CFL fans excited.

With a sold-out, excited house, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie didn’t rule out the possibility of it happening again when asked by a CHEK News reporter Saturday.

“We’ve already started a casual conversation, which will intensify in the days to follow. You know, is this something that the Lions want to do again?” said Ambrosie.

“They’ll have to have some conversations with the province, with the city, and have all of those discussion and eventually it ends up on my desk,” he said.

Watch the full story below:

With the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup coming to Vancouver, the BC Lions could be displaced during that time, opening up the doors to retuning to Victoria again.

For business in the Capital Regional District, the possibility is welcomed news.

“These are people that are in town, many of them staying in hotels. They are eating in restaurants, maybe doing a little shopping some place, so that’s the economic boom that comes with [it], plus just kind of the energy and the excitement that it adds to the region,” said Bruce Williams, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.

The first CFL game ever to be hosted on Vancouver Island starts at 4 p.m., with gates opening at 2 p.m.

READ MORE: Where to park as record crowd coming to Royal Athletic Park for CFL game

(CHEK)

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