In spite of a complex bid procedure and a $3 million dollar promissory note, Saskatchewan Roughriders were unsuccessful in their bid to be the hub city for the abridged CFL season. Winnipeg came out with top marks and is likely set to host the series of games this September. 

Premier Scott Moe stated he was optimistic about the city’s chances prior to the announcement. Regina mayor Micheal Fougere and the City Council were fully on board recognizing that, even without fans, the hub city draw of CFL players would have injected millions of dollars into the provincial economy. 

“We are trying to recover the economy in Saskatchewan,” Premier Moe defended when asked about the potential expenditure for the bid. “This is one opportunity we have with the application that would most certainly fill a number of hotels and create economic activity.”

Moe recognized before the final announcement that the bid would have its challenges, particularly when it came to airline transportation. Regina sees relatively few international flights compared to other centres. However, when it came to creating the required “bubble” to allow for teams to train and play, Moe offered Evraz Place and the International Trade Centre as having sufficient capacity. Other facilities within or near Regina would have provided the balance of the space and equipment needs, said Moe.

Hearing the result during the July 21 afternoon press briefing, Moe was both disappointed and philosophical about the outcome.

“I’m disappointed,” confided the premier. “We wanted to host this here in Regina not only because we love our football team and we love the CFL but we most certainly felt there was an economic impact the city of Regina would view.”

Despite a snap of the fingers expression of disappointment, the premier remained supportive of the CFL’s decision. He just noted that it would take the Riders a trip to Winnipeg in order to bring home this year’s Grey Cup.