CFL Week to celebrate fans’ passion

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This article was published 21/02/2018 (2247 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Canadian Football League’s brightest stars and future pros will be in Winnipeg next month as part of the second annual CFL Week.

The Blue Bombers were awarded the chance to host the event last September, but specific details about the March 21-25 event weren’t released until Thursday, during a news conference at main sponsor Mark’s Polo Park location.

“We created CFL Week to share our best with the best fans in the world,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement.

“This is where we showcase our stars, audition our prospects, honour our legends and, most of all, deliver all sorts of fun for fans. There is no off-season for our fans’ passion and CFL Week celebrates that.”

Many of the events from last year’s inaugural run in Regina will continue — media and fan access to the league’s top 50 players, a Hall of Fame and player gala dinner, a coaches media junket, a passing showcase tournament, a fan fest and the CFL’s national combine — but this year will have a few new twists.

Christina Litz, the league’s digital and strategy officer, said one of the biggest improvements from last year will be how the fan fest, free to the public, will be set up.

“We have brought a full field-size turf into the middle of RBC Convention Centre, where the fan fest is happening, and the combine will be right there with all that activity taking place,” Litz said. “When people are there, they’ll also get the chance to try their own skills and drills at different stations.”

The event is aimed at fans of all ages, with activities for kids and adults alike. For the younger generation, there will be the JumpStart games on March 22, which will introduce 150 kids to football, as led by 10 CFL players. For those of legal drinking age, there is a beer garden open from Thursday to Sunday afternoon. It will include live entertainment and trivia nights.

Fifty of the best players in the CFL will be in attendance, five of whom will represent the Bombers: running back Andrew Harris, quarterback Matt Nichols, and receivers Darvin Adams, Adarius Bowman and Weston Dressler. The list is still being confirmed, but other notable names include Zach Collaros, Jonathon Jennings, Solomon Elimimian, Alex Singleton, Marken Michel, C.J. Gable, Willie Jefferson, Jeremiah Masoli, Simoni Lawrence, Ricky Ray, S.J. Green, Trevor Harris, Greg Ellingson, Josh Freeman and Chris Williams.

Fans will have access to all players and coaches in attendance, through autograph sessions and various Q-and-A segments throughout the week. Harris, who was in attendance Thursday, said it’s important to engage with fans throughout the off-season.

“It’s the top echelon of the league and it’s great to be a part of it — an absolute honour, to be honest,” he said. “It’s an opportunity (for fans) to see the real side of us and engage with us. There were so many fans out in Regina last year and I expect it will be much the same here in Winnipeg.”

Speaking to a crowd of about 50 people, Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller issued a bit of a challenge to Winnipeggers, urging them to outdo the bar set last year by fans in Regina.

“As we all know, when Regina or Saskatchewan does something, we will do it better,” he said, adding he began campaigning for this year’s event less than an hour after things got rolling last year. “Everybody needs to get out and enjoy it.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @jeffkhamilton