Edmonton Elks draw massive crowds as playoff hopes surge with winning season

The Edmonton Elks, atop the CFL West Division with an 8–3 record, are pursuing their first potential playoff appearance since 2019 and drawing record crowds in the process.

With 22,000 tickets already sold as of Saturday for the Labour Day rematch against the Calgary Stampeders on Sept. 12 at Commonwealth Stadium, Elks president and CEO Chris Morris said the team is ahead of pace compared to the Saskatchewan Roughriders game in early August, which drew 31,757 fans. Morris is targeting 35,000–36,000 fans for the Sept. 12 matchup.

"We're doing pretty well. We're at 22 thousand tickets sold now. We're ahead of where we were with the Saskatchewan game, with as much time to go. We need people to fill this place and give us that advantage over these guys," Morris told reporters Saturday.

The attendance target carries symbolic weight. This year's Grey Cup at Calgary McMahon Stadium has a capacity of 35,400, making it the largest CFL crowd expected this season. The highest CFL attendance to date was Saskatchewan's 33,350 fans against Toronto on Aug. 29. If the Elks reach 36,000, they would exceed the Grey Cup.

"Getting to 35 thousand tickets sold would be awesome. The biggest crowd this year in the CFL is supposed to be the Grey Cup at 35 thousand. So, if we had 36 thousand here, that means we have more than the actual Grey Cup game. I think that'd be really cool," Morris said.

The turnaround reflects a dramatic reversal in attendance trends. Through six home games this year, the Elks have drawn 127,727 fans, compared to 111,764 through the same six games last season. A downward attendance spiral has reversed as the team's on-field performance improved. The Elks drew crowds exceeding 22,000 at each of their last two home games. Last year's Labour Day game against Calgary drew 28,365 fans.

The upper bowl at Commonwealth Stadium may need to open to accommodate demand for the Sept. 12 game.