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MacDonald Island, Fort McMurray make history with CFL game

In just under two years’ time, Fort McMurray will host the most northern CFL game in the league’s history with the Northern Kickoff.

On June 13, 2015, the Edmonton Eskimos will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a pre-season game to kick off the brand new SMS Stadium.

MacDonald Island COO Tim Reid says it’s all becoming real.

“This is more than a football game, and it needs to be. I think from a personal level what this means is that our Shell Place project, that mainly I was certainly out in front advocating for, is very real,” he said.

Reid also talked about how easy it was to work with the Edmonton Eskimos.

“I went to Len Rhodes the President of the Edmonton Eskimos and said ‘there’s three things we need: We need national television coverage, we need the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and we need to pick our date,'” he said.

“So we gave him a date, he got that done, he then got the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and then TSN confirmed.”

Rhodes, who was in attendance for the announcement, said he really fed off of the energy in the room.

“What we felt today from the crowd was outstanding. I had goosebumps and that came from the people, and you sense that immediately and that’s exactly why we’re here. People wanted it and we’re so happy,” he said.

Rhodes also presented a cheque for $10,000 to the city’s emergency services, in light of the recent flooding.

There will be a pre-sale for Eskimos’ season ticket holders just before tickets go on sale around the end of the month.

June 14, 2013