Capacity crowd expected at 2021 Saskatchewan Roughriders home opener | Globalnews.ca

The first regular-season game for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2021 CFL season is sold out.

The franchise announced on Friday that its home opener on Aug. 6 will be in front of a capacity crowd at Mosaic Stadium — which holds roughly 33,350 people — in Regina against the B.C. Lions.

“I know I speak for our entire team across the business office and football operations when I say, ‘Thank You, Rider Nation.’ We can’t wait to see you on your feet cheering when we ‘Bring Em Out,’” Riders president and CEO Craig Reynolds said in a press release.

“The commitment our fans have to their Saskatchewan Roughriders never ceases to amaze me.”

The last home game was the Western final on Nov. 17, 2019, in which the Riders lost 20-13 against the defending champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

After confirming in June that the 2021 season will go ahead, the CFL released its 14-game schedule to return from a hiatus forced by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The upcoming season will be played without exhibition games.

The Roughriders said they are experiencing “strong” demand for all remaining games, adding that the Labour Day Classic on Sept. 5 is fast approaching a sellout.

1:41Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Paul McRoberts is ready to take the next step