An extra CFL playoff game good for business at Mosaic Stadium

Vendors at Mosaic Stadium could soon have one extra game to do business during the CFL postseason.

The CFL announced a few changes coming in 2027 on Tuesday to go along with the also-recently-announced upcoming changes to the field. The league will start earlier in the year, with its first week taking place Victoria Day weekend, and eight of the nine teams will make the postseason.

That means more playoff games and teams could get the chance to host two playoff games instead of one.

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Spiro Bonis is the owner and operator of the Western Pizza concession at the stadium. He said more games are good for businesses.

“You have an extra game, you have people coming into the city and they will be staying at the hotels and spending money at restaurants not just at the stadium but in the city, so I think it’s good for Regina and the economy in general,” Bonis said.

“As a football fan, I don’t know how I like this format. I haven’t read a lot about it … but as far as the possibility of having another game at Mosaic Stadium and, with the Grey Cup as well in 2027, we could have three playoff games.”

While Bonis admitted you do see an increase in business during playoff games, the biggest factor can be how successful the team has been on the field.

“It’s built up, especially towards the end of last year as they were playing better throughout the year. If the team is playing good, it puts people in a good mood and when people are in good moods, they will spend more if they have it and will have that extra beer or order a slice of pizza and whatnot. If the team is not playing well, they tend not to go to games which reflects in concessions,” Bonis explained.

“Thankfully, we have the Grey Cup champs and this year should be another great year. We have most of the players coming back and it should be exciting.”

With the season starting earlier, the hope is to avoid nasty weather later in the season. Bonis said weather does play a factor when it comes to business.

“When you have a snowy or cold day, people don’t come as early to the game and it also deters some fans from going,” Bonis said. “Mind you, with a playoff game, it’s still pretty good … It’s always a good thing to have more games throughout the summer because you have more people coming through.”

The 2026 season will need to be played first, which will present its own wrinkle for vendors to contend with.

The Riders’s home preseason game will be hosted in Saskatoon this year, meaning the first game of the season will be a full-fledged regular-season showdown.

That game will take place on June 13 against the B.C. Lions. Saskatchewan has a Week 1 bye.

“We normally have an exhibition game here, which is a bit of a softer game because the attendance isn’t as high,” Bonis said.

“That’s a good game to work out the kinks but we’re going straight into the home-opener and we will be unveiling the Grey Cup banner so I expect a full house that day so it should be good.”