The Grey Cup is coming to North Battleford.
No, we're not talking about the Grey Cup game. We mean the actual trophy.
You can circle Jan. 6 as the date when you can expect the famous mug to make its way to North Battleford, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders players bring the cup to the community as part of its victory tour of the province.
The plan is for a number of Riders players to come to the community and visit some area schools with the cup. They plan to visit some other sites as well.
The Battlefords is among seven locations announced as the opening dates for a celebratory Grey Cup tour of the province.
The tour begins Jan. 4 in Saskatoon. The Riders plan to spend the day there and it will culminate at the WHL game that night between the Saskatoon Blades and Lethbridge Hurricanes, where the Riders will sign autographs. Fans can also have their picture taken with the Grey Cup.
The tour then heads to Lloydminster Jan. 5 before heading to North Battleford Jan. 6. It then moves on to Prince Albert Jan. 7 for a day that will culminate with another appearance at a WHL game, this time between the Prince Albert Raiders and the Calgary Hitmen. Once again players will be signing autographs and fans can have their picture taken with the Cup.
The tour then goes to Macklin Jan. 11, Kindersley Jan. 12, and Rosetown Jan. 13. The stop in Kindersley will include an appearance at the game between the SJHL's Klippers and the Yorkton Terriers.
More tour dates are expected to be announced later for other parts of the province.
More specifics on the Riders' North Battleford tour are expected to come as well. The team is urging fans to check out riderville.com and stay tuned to local media outlets for more of those details.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders won their fourth Grey Cup title Nov. 24 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a 45-23 score - a special game for fans as the title was won at home at Mosaic Stadium.
In a statement, Roughriders club president Jim Hopson outlined the importance of sharing their victory with those who make up Rider Nation around the province.
"After a storybook season, we want to share this victory with many Rider fans in Saskatchewan. This team means a lot to the fabric of all of Saskatchewan and the players are excited to meet and greet as many Rider fans as possible."
