Grey Cup organizers working with police to avoid riot repeat
Posted September 7, 2011 8:29 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Vancouver Police and the BC Lions club aren’t taking any chances getting ready for November’s sold out Grey Cup game at BC Place, but say like the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this game will have fan sites.
Grey Cup General Manager Scott Ackles has organized the CFL’s biggest annual event three times before, and says Sunday, November 27 will be a family friendly event that is safe for everyone.
“Our event is completely different than a Stanley Cup Playoff,” he says.
During the Stanley Cup playoffs, outdoor fan zones were in close proximity to bars, where many fans began drinking early in the day, fueling violence and rioting the night of June 15.
“None of our outdoor fan areas have any liquor license attached to them, so if you did want to participate in that type of activity, you’d have to go to a licensed area.”
That said, there was also a riot after the 1966 Grey Cup final in Vancouver. Ackles says they won’t be announcing the locations of the fan sites until they’re finished their plan with the VPD:
“We’ve got a lot more planning to do,” he says, “however, we’re very close to the event, with 78 days to go. Certainly we’ll be working very closely together to make sure it is the safest Grey Cup Festival and Championship possible.”
He adds that along with police, Grey Cup organizers will have their own security on site.
