An unbeatable sideline perspective of BC Place
Written by Victor Gouchee
When attending sporting events, do you ever wonder how the show is put on for the fans? Well if you have, here’s a look into what the BC Lions do in order to produce their home games. Our Game Operations team is still hard at work planning for the season we will be having, so we decided to ask them to explain their sequence of events in hopes to scratch the itch for any fans missing game day.
This time last year our team was getting assembled with free agency and the CFL draft, allowing every team to find those missing pieces. This year is no different, except for the fact we aren’t sure when the team will be able to come together. With the Lions usual FanFest in Kamloops not happening this year, our Game Operations staff have had more time to plan exciting bells and whistles for our home games at BC Place this upcoming season.
The BC Lions Manager of Game Operations, Sarah Hale, has been the brains behind the exciting in-stadium aspects of each and every Lions home game over the last two seasons. As talented as she is, she cannot do it alone. There are two other individuals who work with Hale directly to make sure there are no discrepancies between the club and BC Place.
In addition to the Game Operations crew, the rest of the front office staff are brought together for every home game in order to create the best experience for all of our fans. In Hale’s opinion, seeing the joy on the faces of fans and being part of something bigger than herself are what makes the job so worthwhile, and what she is missing the most currently.
Members of the BC Lions game day crew embrace following game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on October 18th, 2019.
“It all begins as soon as the season before ends. We start with what went well in the season prior, what didn’t, and work on making the necessary changes. Then the next season’s schedule comes out and from there we begin to plan each game. Factors such as day of the week, kick off time and opponent are all things we need to take into consideration before planning certain game themes, said Hale on how much planning goes into the season.
Once all ten home games have been planned out, it’s then time to stay organized until game week. According to Sarah this is what a typical week looks like as her and her staff work tirelessly towards the special day.
“For a Saturday game, Monday is a day of reaching out to other game day staff such as Don Andrews (the PA announcer) or our in-game host, among others. Tuesday is for script writing, which also means collaborating with the sponsorship department to fulfill all activations.
On Wednesday, most of the script is done, then we have an all-staff meeting to make sure everyone is on the same page for game-day. Thursday is load-in day at the stadium, where everything that goes onto the big screen or around the LED are uploaded to the stadiums drive. Friday, we arrive at the stadium and begin setting up the décor.”
Of course, this normal routine isn’t taking place right now because we don’t know when the season will be able to kick off, ultimately leaving Sarah frustrated and unsettled.
“Not knowing our game dates, opponents or times is really frustrating because we had so many plans and now don’t know which ones are still going to happen.”
Everything that fans see on game day does not just happen, there are several members of our events crew that make the club look so good. One of these members that most people won’t know is Randy Friesen, who has been working behind the scenes for the club for 34 years.
This man brings his own team of volunteers who help put up the beautiful orange pageantry around the field and in the end zones, which is something he claims that creates the ambiance. “I think part of what our game-day crew does that is possibly under appreciated is how much the banners, signage and promotions add to the game experience. Many fans don’t see the stadium when it isn’t decked out in Lions colours.”
You may ask why he has been around for so long, but Friesen has a simple answer to that question:
“My favourite part of the Lions games is being right there at field level, so close to the action. It is a vantage point only a few people other than players and coaches get to enjoy on a regular basis. The energy when the crowd is big and loud is wonderful and hard to describe, but you feel it through your entire body.”
If things were normal right now, communication with the stadium would be on-going, and peak at least 2 weeks in advance of game day. Beginning with food orders, roof requests and walking through the expectations of the halftime show. The roof, for example, is something that is often a hot issue with our fans, whether it is open or not. This is challenging for the Club and the Stadium.
Both try to make it as clear as possible but somehow there is still confusion. For anyone wondering, the protocol is as follows: BC Lions request to open/close the roof but BC Place makes the final call on game day.
As we continue to be in this weird time of not knowing when the season will get started and how many games we will get in, we hope this little dive into our lives has satisfied your football cravings, even if it is just a bit.