Ottawa Redblacks Tickets

The Ottawa Redblacks have risen as a serious threat to other CFL teams. In a very short space of time, they have made a huge impact on the Canadian football landscape and now is their chance to consolidate their status as an elite team. They will be out to prove their mettle once again and you can watch them do that by booking your Ottawa Redblacks tickets.

Ottawa?s football history

The city of Ottawa has a long association with football that dates back to the late 1800s. The city had teams like the Ottawa Football Club that existed from 1876 till 1897. Then there were the Ottawa Rough Riders that played between 1898 and 1924. Last but definitely not the least, there were the Ottawa Senators between 1925 and 1930.

In the year 1931, the Senators began to play as the Ottawa Rough Riders. They were very successful but ceased to play after the 1996 season ended. Their place was then taken up by the Ottawa Renegades in the year 2002 as members of the CFL. The Renegades however did not last for too long and stopped playing in the year 2006. That move left the city of Ottawa without its own CFL team. The void left by the Renegades however did not last long as efforts began to be made to get the city a new CFL franchise.

Groundwork begins

The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, also known as OSEG was incepted. The purpose was to bring professional football back to the city. The partners responsible for the formation of the OSEG were Bill Shenkman, John Ruddy, John Pugh and Roger Greenberg. All four of them were responsible for providing local support to the cause. That was in stark contrast to the Renegades and the Rough Riders ownership models. Those two sides were run by long distance ownerships and that model did not work out.

The hard work paid dividends and in 2008, the CFL made an announcement that the league had given Ottawa a new franchise under certain conditions.

The stadium

The new team wasn?t to start playing immediately though. The plans to award Ottawa a CFL team also involved redevelopment of the Lansdowne Park, the stadium where the previous football sides had played. OSEG had a $300 million redevelopment plan but it had to be approved by the Ottawa City Council. The approval was given in 2012 and the new place was called the TD Place Stadium. The capacity of the ground was 24,656.

The Redblacks start playing

The Ottawa Redblacks management brought Marcel Desjardins on board as the General Manager. Rick Campbell was given the responsibilities of head coach. It did not take them too long to sign Henry Burris as the QB.

They played their first ever game on July 3, 2014 against the Blue Bombers in the city of Winnipeg. They lost the game 36-28. Their next game was against the formidable Toronto Argonauts on home turf on July 18. The game was a complete sell-out and after a pulsating game, the Redblacks emerged victorious 18-17. They only won one more game throughout the season and ended their inaugural campaign with a 2-16 record.

The Redblacks make their mark

The Ottawa Redblacks bounced back in 2015 and racked up with twelve wins. They amassed 464 points through the season and in the process ended up finishing at the top of the East Division. They took on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Division playoff final and won the encounter 35-28 to clinch their first CFL East Division Championship. The Redblacks then took the Eskimos in the Grey Cup on November 29, 2016 but came up short by a score of 26-20.

The Redblacks reach the top

The Ottawa Redblacks had the bite between their teeth in 2016 and won three of their first four games. The other one was a tie. The rest of the season was a bit of a rollercoaster but they still ended up winning nine game, which put them atop the East Division. They beat the Eskimos in the East Division playoff game 35-23 and proceeded to headline their second Grey Cup in as many years. They were the underdogs against the Calgary Stampeders. The Redblacks upset the odds and clinched a thrilling 39-33 win in overtime.

Will they reach those heights this season too? It will not be easy but this is a team on the up. Book your Ottawa Redblacks tickets and see where they go this season.