CFL confirms Riders-Argos matchup in Touchdown Atlantic

The Green and White and the Double Blue are set to mingle with Bluenosers.

The CFL has confirmed reports that the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Toronto Argonauts are to play in Halifax on July 25. It’s the first time a CFL regular-season game will be played in the Nova Scotia capital.

Touchdown Atlantic will feature the game as well as what the league called a three-day “mini Grey Cup festival” featuring music, parties and family events. One of the parties will be at Riderville and will be similar to the bash the Roughriders throw annually during Grey Cup week.

“Our league belongs to Canadians from coast to coast to coast — and for one fabulous weekend this July, the east coast will be its capital,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a media release.

“We are bringing the football and the fun. We’re inviting everyone in Atlantic Canada to join the party, and everyone in the rest of the country to come for the game and stay for a vacation!”

The contest — an Argos home game — is to be played at Huskies Stadium on the campus of Saint Mary’s University. Approximately 6,000 temporary seats will be installed, bringing the stadium’s capacity to 10,000 seats.

Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther, a product of Truro, N.S., who played collegiately at Saint Mary’s, said the opportunity to play a game at his alma mater was special.

“I’ve known the thrill of kicking the winning points on our home field in Regina, but to do that here, in my own backyard, would be just incredible,” Lauther said in the release.

Roughriders president and CEO Craig Reynolds expects a big turnout in Halifax.

“There is no doubt that our fans are passionate about our team, but they are just as passionate about the CFL and the way football can bring our country together,” Reynolds said in the release.

“No matter where we are, our fans are there to greet us, and we think the allure of the Green and White alongside the beauty of Halifax in summer will be an irresistible combination.”

The CFL is eager to put a 10th franchise in Atlantic Canada. The Atlantic Schooners have presented Halifax city council with a plan to build a stadium in the city, but there hasn’t been a final decision.

Having the Roughriders — one of the CFL’s top draws — come to town may help speed up the process.

“This is our way of saying the CFL belongs in Atlantic Canada and that Atlantic Canada belongs in the CFL,” Ambrosie said.

Tickets are to go on sale at the end of February and a full list of prices will be announced soon.

The 2020 edition of Touchdown Atlantic will be the first CFL game to be played in Nova Scotia since 2005, when the Argos and Hamilton Tiger-Cats played a pre-season game in Halifax.

Moncton was the site of Touchdown Atlantic games in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2019.