The Edmonton Eskimos have donated $610,000 to support the growth and development of amateur football in Northern Alberta.
“Our organization and our fans who participate in 50/50 at our home game are now the acknowledged leaders in Canada for support towards minor football,” says Eskimos President and CEO Len Rhodes. “The 50/50 draw at our games has become an integral part of attending an Eskimos game and more importantly, the ability to put the net proceeds to work to further develop minor football in our community is something we are very proud of.”
With all funds generated through the Eskimos 50/50 game day raffle program, presented by belairdirect, the Eskimos distributed:
$200,000 to the Edmonton Huskies Junior Football Club
$200,000 to the Edmonton Wildcats Junior Football Club
$87,500 to the University of Alberta Golden Bears
$87,500 to Football Alberta (Northern Alberta programs)
$35,000 to the Edmonton Eskimo Alumni Association’s amateur football initiatives
The donation to Golden Bears Football includes an annual $50,000 donation to support athletic scholarships — part of $250,000 five-year commitment announced in 2015.
Through the Eskimos 50/50 program, presented by belairdirect, fans buy raffle tickets to support amateur football at every Eskimos home game. During the fourth quarter, a winning ticket is randomly drawn and one lucky fan takes home 50 per cent of proceeds from the game’s ticket sales. Last season there were 10 lucky winners with the highest single-game take home jackpot being $151,152.
In addition to financial contributions, the Edmonton Eskimos support minor football by hosting an annual amateur football summit led by Eskimos Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Ed Hervey, and an annual amateur spring football camp. The Green and Gold also support the Eskimo Novice Flag Football League in conjunction with Football Alberta and players guest coach throughout the year in the community.
To further support the development of the game at all levels, the Eskimos collaborated with the Edmonton Public School Board, Football Alberta and the City of Edmonton to introduce flag football into the junior high physical education curriculum. The milestone was celebrated with a Green Squad vs. Gold Squad flag game last month, coached by Eskimos players and officiated by Hervey. The 20 participating schools and over 450 students were hosted at Commonwealth Stadium to learn the fundamentals of the game from Eskimos players and participate in anti-bullying presentations.
