The Saskatchewan Rattlers today announced their 2021 season schedule.
The Canadian Elite Basketball League led the NHL, NBA and later the CPL in returning to play in Canada after the coronavirus shut down the sports world in March of 2020. The CEBL Summer Series put professional basketball on the televisions and digital screens of millions of viewers across Canada and around the world, establishing the CEBL as the top Canadian-based global team sports brand. The 2021 season will build on that momentum with an expanded viewing audience around the world, and locally through an innovative approach to addressing the uncertainties due to the pandemic around having fans in arenas across the league.
The CEBL and the Saskatchewan Rattlers announced the 2021 regular season schedule Thursday, a 14-game slate reduced from the standard 20 games and pushed back from a mid-May start to June 5 to accommodate the possibility of fans being able to attend games in person this summer. The league cannot push its season beyond a late-August playoff finish because most of its players must report to their international pro teams by September.
“The health and safety of fans, players, officials, and staff is our top priority, and we want to maximize the odds of having fans in the stands for as many games as possible this summer,” said Brad Kraft, Vice President of the Saskatchewan Rattlers. “It is our hope that by summer our province will be better positioned in the fight against Covid-19 and restrictions around public gatherings and events may allow for some number of fans to attend games - even if they must be socially distanced within our arena. We know how much the people of Saskatchewan love their sports teams and live events and we cannot wait to have fans back inside the SaskTel Centre. 2021 promises to be another strong year for the CEBL as the talent and entertainment in our league keeps growing at an exponential rate.”
With uncertainty around government regulations of people attending events, and in recognition that some people may not feel comfortable attending events in 2021, an innovative approach has been created to protect the investment of those who have purchased tickets to Rattlers games.
All season tickets, season ticket deposits and flex packs that have been purchased for 2021 are automatically being moved forward into 2022 and applied toward next season’s ticket packages. If fans will be allowed into SaskTel Centre, those ticketholders may choose to draw tickets from their 2022 package to use for any games they wish to attend in 2021. There will be no obligation to use any tickets in 2021. All unused tickets will remain on account and applied toward the same ticket packages in 2022.
Fans who had purchased tickets for the 2020 season and left their tickets on account for 2021 received retention benefits that included a 20 percent credit toward additional tickets and a 25 percent discount on team merchandise. Those benefits will be extended to all ticketholders through August of 2022.
“We are focused on keeping our fans first and foremost, so we are ensuring the full protection of any investment in our tickets through a plan that provides the ultimate in flexibility and makes sure that no one will feel pressured to have to use their tickets this season if they’re not comfortable attending games”, said Kraft. “This flexibility will ensure fans are comfortable and happy when they choose to return to our games.”
Additional ticketing details will be announced closer to the start of the season when it is expected there will be more clarity from government and health officials around public gatherings.
The Rattlers open the 2021 season at home versus the Edmonton Stingers on Monday, June 7 at 7 p.m. The Rattlers will take on both the Stingers and Bandits twice at home. They will also receive visits from the Hamilton Honey Badgers, Niagara River Lions and Guelph Nighthawks.
Saskatchewan’s road schedule includes single trips to Niagara, Guelph and Ottawa, and two games at Fraser Valley and Edmonton. The CEBL will announce its plans for the post-season at a later date.
CBC is the premier media partner of the CEBL and will broadcast nationally televised games on seven consecutive Saturdays beginning June 5. The Rattlers will appear on national television when they take on the Stingers on July 10. All regular season games will also be live streamed on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, and on a new OTT streaming platform the CEBL will unveil this spring.
The CEBL is preparing for its third season in 2021 following the success of this past year's CEBL Summer Series in St. Catharines, Ont., which saw millions of viewers across Canada and around the world tune in starting July 25 to watch 26 games played over 15 days in a single-site league competition. The CEBL became the first professional sports league in Canada to return to play after the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in mid-March shut down sports across the country.
