Early Vanier Cup fever (VIDEO)

Laval launches Telus Vanier Cup

TELUS JOINS XLIXTH VANIER CUP AS PRESENTING SPONSOR

Already closely involved with the Rouge et Or program, TELUS was announced Tuesday as the presenting sponsor of the XLIXth Vanier Cup final set for November 23rd, 2013 at TELUS-Université Laval Stadium in Quebec City.

“The Vanier Cup is the crown jewel of the Canadian university football season. We immediately jumped on the opportunity to join this great event, which will help enhance the rich tradition of sporting excellence that already exists in Quebec City,” said Jean-François St-Germain, Vice-President, Quebec Region and Public Markets at TELUS.

“Together with our customers, our team members and the athletes, we will cheer on the Rouge et Or towards their pursuit of excellence. I want to wish a good game to everyone involved.”

 

TELUS is already an extremely valuable partner for the Rouge et Or program,” added Gilles Lépine, Athletic Director of the Université Laval sports program. “We are really glad to see this natural association between the company and this prestigious event which, moreover, will be held at TELUS-Université Laval Stadium.”

Mr. Lépine will act as co-chair of the TELUS Vanier Cup organizing committee along with Christian Côté, financial management associate at Mallette and long-time public announcer at Laval home football games.

“I am very happy to join Gilles Lépine as co-chair of such an important event in Canadian university football and it is my pleasure to contribute to its success, as is the case each time Laval University is hosting an event of this scale,” said Côté. “In addition, whenever we are hosting the CIS football championship game, we are promoting our sport in an exceptional way, and the interest of young kids in the greater Quebec City area, Eastern Quebec and Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean is magnified.”

Experienced organizing committee

Apart from Lépine and Côté, a dozen people are part of the organizing committee, mainly staff members of the Laval Sports Service (SAS) who have participated in the previous two editions of the Vanier Cup held in Quebec City, in 2009 and 2010.

“We are very proud to present the Vanier Cup game for the third time, especially on the eve of the 50th edition of this classic, which will follow in 2014. This demonstrates the confidence of CIS decision-makers towards our organization and reflects the quality of the events held in 2009 and 2010,” Côté said. “I personally heard from head coaches from across the country who are very happy to return to Quebec City because of the exceptional way they were treated when we hosted.”

 

“We have a very solid organization. Christian, a dedicated volunteer for many years, will lead everything related to team services and the operations of numerous activities surrounding the game itself. We also have a great team here at SAS, people who are used to hosting major sporting events. It’s a pledge to great success, because these passionate people have the required expertise,” commented Lépine.

A busy week

Besides the game itself, various activities are already planned throughout the championship week. The All-Canadian Awards Banquet, honouring the best athletes in Canadian university football, will be held on Thursday, November 21st. However, the evening won’t be as extravagant as it was in 2010, when some 1,200 guests took part in the event.

“We want to bring it back to between 500 and 600 people, which should simplify the organization without compromising the prestigious side of the event,” said Côté.

On the morning of Friday, November 22nd, the Stars Challenge, featuring high school players from around Quebec City, will take place in the indoor TELUS-Université Laval Stadium. This event will be organized by the Regional Student Sport Association – Quebec and Chaudière-Appalaches (ARSEQCA).

Finally, another social event will be held on the eve of the big game, but location and time are still to be confirmed. In addition, the Hilton Quebec will host teams, officials and dignitaries of the TELUS Vanier Cup. “We already have a great relationship with the Hilton, so we are confident we have made the right choice,” assured Lépine.

Brand new facilities

Although they were very successful, the 2009 and 2010 editions of the Vanier Cup represented enormous challenges in terms of logistics. Many of these issues have been addressed with the addition, last year, of the indoor soccer/football complex on the Université Laval campus.

“This is a huge addition, obviously. It will greatly facilitate the work of everyone, including members of the media. We already experienced it last November with the CIS men’s soccer championship,” recalls Lépine.

However, according to Lépine, the organizing committee still faces numerous challenges. They include managing access to the new building, especially if weather doesn’t cooperate and fans want to take refuge inside while keeping an eye on the game. “We still feel confident, because we did it in the past,” Lépine added.

 

XLIXth TELUS Vanier Cup Organizing Committee

 

Co-Chair Gilles Lépine (SAS)

Co-Chair Christian Côté (Mallette)

Partnerships Rémi Dion (SAS)

Partnerships Yves Cinq-Mars (Tanguay)

Communications Stéphane Jobin (SAS)

Treasurer Steve Mercier (SAS)

Box Office Renée D’Amboise (Club de football Rouge et Or)

Volunteers Anne-Claire Nobili (Club de football Rouge et Or)

Installations Daniel Lessard (SAS)

Installations Sébastien Bélanger (SAS)

Security Miguel Levasseur (SSP)

Protocol Gilles D’Amboise (Club de football Rouge et Or)

Social Activities Mathieu Parent (Tanguay)

Stars Challenge Daniel Veilleux (ARSEQCA)

 

SOME TICKETS ALREADY AVAILABLE

While single tickets are not yet on sale, there are other ways to secure a seat right away for the XLIXth TELUS Vanier Cup.

Football fans can access the best seats still available by purchasing a season ticket for the 2013 season and selecting the “Vanier Cup” option in their annual fee option. Among long-time Rouge et Or supporters who were already season ticket holders, more than 97% have chosen to include the CIS championship game as part of their renewal, a statistic that speaks volume according to TELUS Vanier Cup co-chair, Gilles Lépine.

“This is a sign that Rouge et Or fans are not only passionate about their team, they are also supporters of Canadian university football and major sporting events. We learned from 2009 when, unfortunately for us, Laval did not qualify for the national final but people still packed the stadium,” said Lépine. In addition, general admission tickets are already on sale at the Rouge et Or Box Office (418-656-3668) at a cost of $31 for adults and $21 for students.

Tickets for reserved seats will go on sale in early September, when the season is underway.

For more information, fans can contact the Box Office at 418-656-3668 or visit the Rouge et Or website (www.rougeetor.ulaval.ca).

With files from Stephane Jobin, Laval Rouge et Or Sports Information