Managers of the Olympic Stadium in Montreal say they are interested in hosting National Football League games.
Updated March 31, 2021
Olympic Park, which manages the stadium for the Quebec government, said the organization is always open to the idea of hosting sporting events at the stadium.
On Tuesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league has targeted Canada to play games as part of expanding its regular schedule from 16 to 17 games.
Beginning in 2022, every NFL club will play a game away from the United States at least once every eight years. The NFL said it plans to focus on hosting games in Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Europe and South America first.
Most of the best crowds in Canadian Football League history have been recorded at Olympic Stadium. In 1977, the Montreal Alouettes played a game in front of 69,093 spectators, the CFL record.
The Alouettes now play their home games at Stade Percival-Molson, an outdoor stadium that can accommodate approximately 25,000 spectators.
“We have a rich history in North American football, notably with the CFL, the Gray Cup and the Montreal Alouettes,” said Alain Larochelle, Vice President Operations and Business Development, Olympic Park, in a statement sent. at The Canadian Press.
North American football also has the record for the largest sports crowd at the Olympic Stadium to date, confirming our interest and that of Quebecers in this sport. We would be very interested in hosting an NFL game, and are very excited about the idea of making our upcoming investments and the multiple possibilities of the Olympic Stadium known to promoters here and abroad.
Alain Larochelle, Vice President Operations and Business Development, Olympic Park
Managers at BC Place in Vancouver issued a similar statement later Wednesday.
“The NFL International Calendar Project is an exciting and interesting development for sports fans in Canada. »
Over the years, the NFL has hosted several games from its pre-season schedule in Canada, including two at Olympic Stadium.
On August 18, 1988, in front of 39,112 spectators, the New York Jets defeated the Cleveland Browns 11-7. On August 9, 1990, the Pittsburgh Steelers outscored the New England Patriots 30-14, in front of 26,869 fans.
However, the Buffalo Bills are the only NFL team to have played regular season games north of the Canada-US border. Between 2008 and 2013, they held a game every year at the Rogers Center in Toronto.
With the exception of last season, the NFL has played at least one game in London every year since 2007. In recent seasons, the league has also played games in Mexico.
Montrealer Benjamin St-Juste admitted he’s excited about playing an NFL regular season game in his hometown.
The six-foot-four, 200-pound cornerback, who played for the University of Minnesota, could be picked in the third or fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
“That would be fantastic,” St-Juste said in a videoconference on Wednesday. It would be a great representation for Canadian football and Canadian players. The whole family, friends could come see (a match). It would be a wonderful opportunity for me. »
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