OTTAWA (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport officials hope to attract a record crowd this fall in Vancouver for the 47th Vanier Cup and the countdown toward that exciting objective is about to get under way.

The BC Lions Football Club, host of the 2011 Grey Cup, announced today that when tickets for Canada’s largest sporting event go on sale to the public Tuesday, June 21st at 1 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. PT), all buyers will also receive a ticket to the Vanier Cup game for a limited time.

As well, BC Lions season ticket holders who purchased Grey Cup tickets and all fans who purchased Grey Cup tickets during an exclusive 72-hour pre-sale following the 2010 CFL final will be contacted by the Lions and given the option to secure their Vanier Cup tickets.

Single-game Vanier Cup tickets will be available for purchase later in the summer. 

As announced last November, the CIS football final will be held jointly with the Grey Cup at the newly renovated BC Place in 2011 thanks to a partnership between CIS, the Canadian Football League, MRX and Associates, and the 2011 Grey Cup Festival.

The 47th Vanier Cup will be played on Friday, November 25, followed by the 99th Grey Cup on Sunday, November 27. It will mark the first time in history the CIS title match is held in the province of British Columbia.

As part of the partnership, CIS is also proud to introduce a new logo for the Vanier Cup championship (to see the new logo: www.vaniercup.com). The development of a new brand ensures the Vanier Cup and other CIS football celebrations such as the All-Canadian awards are fully integrated into the Grey Cup festivities.

“CIS is very pleased to be partnering to host the Vanier Cup in Vancouver in 2011during the Grey Cup Festival, the biggest weekend in Canadian football every year,” said CIS past president Clint Hamilton. “The exposure will help to promote our brand and broaden the reach of awareness for Canada’s university football championship. Hosting the Vanier Cup in B.C. for the first time is also quite exciting and the entire weekend promises to be memorable for fans of Canadian football.”

“This will be a grand celebration of excellence and tradition in Canadian football,” said Mark Cohon, commissioner of the CFL. “And I know our fans will embrace this opportunity to experience the Grey Cup and Vanier Cup together in a great city and a magnificent venue. It's going to be tremendous.”

The Vanier Cup and Grey Cup were organized jointly with great success in 2007 in Toronto when 26,787 fans - the largest Vanier Cup crowd since 1995 - turned up at Rogers Centre to watch the University of Manitoba Bisons and Saint Mary’s University Huskies battle for CIS supremacy.

Prior to 2007, the Vanier and Grey Cups had been held in the same city on the same weekend on only one occasion, back in 1973, also in Toronto.

The Vanier Cup attendance record of 32,847 was set back in 1989, the first year the game was played at Rogers Centre (then SkyDome). The 30,000 plateau was again reached in 1991 (30,191), also at Rogers Centre.

For all the info on the 2011 Vanier Cup and to view the new Vanier Cup brand, please visit www.vaniercup.com or www.2011GreyCupFestival.ca. 

About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-two universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca.

About the 2011 Grey Cup Festival
Hosted by the BC Lions Football Club, the 2011 Grey Cup Festival is a four-day festival that will take place throughout downtown Vancouver from November 24 through 27, 2011. With events ranging from free family oriented entertainment to ticketed concerts, the more than 25 events of the 2011 Grey Cup Festival aim to welcome Canadians to Vancouver in celebration of Canada’s largest sporting event.

Follow the 2011 Grey Cup Festival on Twitter (@2011GreyCup) and Facebook (Facebook.com/2011GreyCup). For more information on the Festival, please visit 2011GreyCupFestival.ca.