Grey Cup at BC Place facing empty seats

This year's Grey Cup may not be a full house at BC Place, after the weekend saw both the hometown BC Lions and the ever-popular Saskatchewan Roughriders knocked out of the running.

Organizers now face the challenge of selling thousands of tickets to the CFL marquee event — with most of the available seats costing $288 each.

Jamie Pitblado — co-chair of the 102nd annual Grey Cup committee — says there are more than six thousand tickets still available for the championship game.

"There is always pressure to do well, and the objective is to sell the game out," he said.

That pressure was pushed up a notch when the two largest draws for the game — the Lions and the Roughriders — were both eliminated from the playoffs.

 "It wasn't the exact scenario we wanted to play out, but it did and we move on," Pitblado said.

Nevertheless, Pitblado says he is optimistic the game will still be a sellout, even with most remaining tickets priced at $288.

"Now that we are down to four teams, we focus our attention on those markets and speak with the fans of those teams both in B.C. and right across the country and get them engaged," he said.

When Vancouver last hosted the Grey Cup — in 2011 — the game sold out in July, and the Lions went on to win.

Pitblado notes demand was higher then, as the game hadn't been in Vancouver for six years, and it was the first major event at a renovated BC Place.