The BC Lions’ 70th regular season promises to offer up no shortage of exciting moments. And with the calendar set to turn to 2024 (seriously, how did that happen?), it is a fun time for true fans of football. The NFL playoff races are intensifying and college Bowl Game season is upon us. Closer to home, it may be a quiet period in CFL circles, but that doesn’t mean fans don’t have anything to be cheery about. Perhaps some of them got new team jerseys or a season ticket package under their Christmas tree. For Lions fans unwrapping those special gifts, it’s all the more reason to get jacked up for more entertaining football nights in downtown Vancouver. Following the release last week of the 2024 schedule, we thought we would get you in the spirit by presenting five intriguing home games on the upcoming season slate.
Week 2 vs. Calgary: Saturday, June 15
The franchise’s 70th home opener serves as a rematch of the previous two Western Semi-Final playoff matchups. The Stampeders will no doubt be motivated to set an early tone in the season series as this division battle promises to be another intense affair. And what shall we expect in terms of some ore-game entertainment? The third annual Concert Kickoff should be one heck of an event, which we will be revealed closer to the campaign. This marks the first of three regular season meetings between these two rivals with a clash in Calgary in week seven and a rubber match here in Vancouver in week 18 in early October.
Photo Credit: Paul Yates, BC Lions.
Week 6 vs. Saskatchewan: Saturday, July 13
Is there another Watermelon Smash in the offing? We shall see when our 2024 home game themes are unveiled in a few months. A visit from the Roughriders is always a fun event both on and off the field and the team in green should enter the coming season with high expectations with a healthy Trevor Harris at quarterback and Port Moody’s Corey Mace as their new sideline boss. The Lions and Riders only meet twice in 2024 with a return matchup in Regina set for mid-October. This will no doubt serve as one of the early season’s most important matchups.
Week 11 vs. Winnipeg: Sunday, August 18
Mark this one down. Following a pair of early meetings in Manitoba on week three and week nine, the Lions and Blue Bombers will meet for the third and final time before August comes to a close. Without disrespecting the other rivals in this division, the Bombers will enter 2024 as the biggest measuring stick of them all. We all remember how high the stakes were for Winnipeg’s only 2023 visit this past October. The winner of this contest will likely have the inside track to that elusive top spot and home-field advantage for the Western Final on Saturday, November 9.
Week 13 Touchdown Pacific vs. Ottawa: Saturday, August 31
The CFL’s Labour Day weekend menu is highlighted by a trip to Victoria as the league’s ‘Touchdown’ series moves all the way West. A re-configured Royal Athletic Park serves as the backdrop for our first-ever neutral site clash at home. The game itself will be the main event following a two or three-day festival in our provincial capital. On the field, it serves as the second meeting of a back-t0-back with the Lions visiting Ottawa one week prior. Who can forget the craziness last season’s lone matchup provided? It was Terry Williams’ missed field goal return serving as the catalyst for a crazy comeback and 41-37 victory for the Leos.
Week 20 vs. Montreal: Saturday, October 19
The club’s final regular season contest before a week 21 bye sees the reigning Grey Cup champions visit the West Coast. Might this be an opportunity for Vernon Adams Jr. and company to lock down first place in the West against his old squad? Could it be a preview of another meeting in the same venue four weeks later? Any way you slice it, the chance to see Tyson Philpot, Cody Fajardo, Shawn Lemon and a few other familiar faces will be a solid way to cap things off before the real season begins.
Don’t Miss Out
Become a BC Lions season ticket holder today and secure your seats for the 111th Grey Cup at BC Place on Sunday, November 17. More info HERE.