We acknowledge that Edmonton is located within Treaty 6 Territory and the Métis homeland.

We honour the diverse Indigenous Peoples whose ancestors' footsteps have marked this territory for centuries, including the nêhiyaw (Cree), Dene, Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Nakota Isga (Nakota Sioux) and Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) peoples. We also recognize Edmonton as home to one of the largest communities of Inuit south of the 60th parallel.

The Edmonton Elks are honoured to call Edmonton home. As we put forward our proposal to welcome the CFL, its teams, fans and communities from across Canada for the 115th Grey Cup, we do so with respect for the Indigenous Peoples, histories and traditions that have shaped Edmonton and continue to shape our city today.

The Grey Cup has never been just a championship game. It is one of Canada's great sporting traditions, a week that brings fans together, fills a host city with energy and gives Canadian football its biggest national stage.

Edmonton knows that week well. Commonwealth Stadium has welcomed five Grey Cups, and for decades the city has played host to major sporting, cultural and entertainment events for people from Edmonton, from across Canada and from around the world. Along the way, we learned how to host big events. More importantly, we learned how to make them feel like Edmonton.

That is why this bid is not about hosting another Grey Cup. It is about taking everything we have learned and building a Grey Cup that is distinctly Edmonton.

The stage is ready for its next one. Commonwealth Stadium, with more than 55,000 seats, direct LRT access and continued investment in the venue, has the scale to host a Grey Cup that feels like a national event. The support is there too. The Province of Alberta, the City of Edmonton and Explore Edmonton have committed $7,000,000 to support the 115th Grey Cup, while Edmonton's business community continues to invest more in the Edmonton Elks, with partnership revenue growing in each of the last two seasons.

The Edmonton Elks Football Club has answered that commitment with one of its own: a $5,800,000 Host Club Net Profit Guarantee to the CFL, the largest in League history.

The Edmonton Elks are a different football club today than they were when the Thompson family took ownership in 2024. The focus was clear from the start: rebuild the business, reconnect the Club with Edmonton and create a stronger foundation for the future.

That work is already showing up where it matters. Partnership revenue is growing, more people are coming through the gates, fans are spending more once they get there and Edmonton businesses are investing in the Club. The numbers tell the story, and it is a story that matters to the Grey Cup. Edmonton is not asking the CFL to believe in a turnaround that might happen. The turnaround is already underway, and we are building from a stronger Club, a stronger market and a city that is showing up.

Where the Club stands. Edmonton is coming back to this football club, in the stands and in the boardroom alike. Measured against the same five home games a year earlier, every part of the Club's game-day business has grown by double digits, and most of it by more than forty percent.

A chance to introduce the Elks and Canadian football to new audiences.

The goal is simple: more people in Edmonton choosing the Elks. That means more season seat members, more families in the stands, more young fans growing up with the Club and more people who see the Elks as part of what makes Edmonton, Edmonton. The Club is building that audience for the long term by strengthening the season seat base, growing attendance and creating more ways for people to connect with the team throughout the year.

The Grey Cup gives us a much bigger stage, and we intend to use it. It is a chance to introduce the Elks and Canadian football to new audiences, bring more people through Commonwealth Stadium and turn first-time visitors into long-term fans. The goal is not to fill Commonwealth Stadium once. It is to leave 2028 with more people who want to come back.

Amateur Football Engagement and Development

Football in Edmonton does not start at Commonwealth Stadium. The Edmonton Elks are invested in developing the game from the grassroots up, giving young athletes opportunities to learn, compete and take the next step. That work reaches across Edmonton and Northern Alberta through programs for minor and high school athletes, elite development opportunities and outreach into communities beyond Edmonton.

The Club also invests in the people who make football possible: the coaches, volunteers and officials. In March 2026, more than 60 amateur football coaches attended the Elks Coaches Clinic, and throughout the year the Club's camps, academies, flag football and development programs reached hundreds of young athletes. The Elks are not starting a football development strategy for the Grey Cup. This work is already happening.

Youth and Community Outreach

The Elks show up. From January 1 through August 31, 2026, Edmonton Elks players, coaches and staff made 927 appearances through 164 events across Edmonton and the region, from school visits and amateur football events to community events, hospital visits and Elks events. The Club's youth outreach reaches thousands of young people through TELUS End Bullying presentations, mental health presentations and Elks Power of Reading, which brings the Club into more than 30 schools each October. And before every home game, the Elks visit children at the Stollery Children's Hospital.

These are the everyday ways the Elks stay connected to Edmonton, in schools, hospitals, football fields and community spaces across the region. The numbers show the scale. The relationships show why it matters.

Charitable and Social Impact

Being Edmonton's football club means being part of Edmonton. The Elks support charitable organizations and community causes across the region through fundraising, partnerships, player and staff involvement and the Club's charitable work. That commitment is already part of how the Club operates, and it does not begin with the Grey Cup.

What the Grey Cup offers is a bigger stage: an opportunity to bring more attention, more people and more resources to the organizations and causes that matter to Edmonton and the region.

We're all in. Edmonton knows how to throw a party, and when it comes to the Grey Cup, we're ready to go big.

No matter the season, our city has something going on. Festivals fill the streets, concerts fill the venues, restaurants and breweries bring people together and the river valley runs through the heart of it all. It is one of the reasons Edmonton has earned its reputation as Canada's Festival City. From major sporting events and international competitions to some of the country's largest festivals, concerts and cultural celebrations, Edmonton knows how to create experiences that bring the whole city to life.

Visitors can explore the North Saskatchewan River Valley, catch a show in the Arts District, experience history and culture at Fort Edmonton Park, take in the Muttart Conservatory or spend an afternoon at West Edmonton Mall. Downtown offers restaurants, breweries, nightlife and entertainment, while the city's neighbourhoods each bring a character of their own.

And when something big happens in Edmonton, the city shows up. People fill the streets, bring their friends and make the most of it, and that energy is exactly what makes Edmonton such a great place to host the Grey Cup.

In 2028, Commonwealth Stadium will be rocking, the Edmonton EXPO Centre will be buzzing and downtown will be alive, with the entire city ready to welcome Canada. Lifelong CFL fans will find the traditions they love, and new fans will find a reason to join them.

Because in Edmonton, we don't wait for a big moment to have a good time. We make it a big moment. And in 2028, we're inviting all of Canada to the party.

Commonwealth Stadium has never stood still. Through ongoing investment in the facility, it has continued to evolve, with improvements focused on the spectator experience, accessibility, security, technology, hospitality and day-to-day operations.

Much of that work came together in 2023, when significant improvements were completed across the building. Hosting and hospitality spaces were enhanced, the Jackie Parker Lounge was refreshed and washrooms and concessions were renovated. Video production capabilities were expanded, Wi-Fi and cellular service were improved and new point-of-sale equipment was installed. Fans also gained new family spaces, a refreshed Legends Club and enhanced in-suite hospitality service.

That investment continues today. The stadium has an established program of repairs and ongoing maintenance that is currently approved, and a broader modernization program has been identified to address additional long-term infrastructure and spectator experience improvements. Subject to future capital funding approval, this work can advance through design and construction as part of the stadium's longer-term upgrade path.

Taken together, these investments show Edmonton's ongoing commitment to maintaining Commonwealth Stadium and responding to the needs of athletes, fans and major events. With continued maintenance, completed upgrades and future investment, Commonwealth Stadium will keep evolving while remaining ready for major national and international events, including the 2028 Grey Cup.

In 2028, Commonwealth Stadium will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Built for the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the stadium has spent five decades at the centre of some of Edmonton's biggest sporting moments. It has hosted five Grey Cups, international championships and major concerts, and along the way it has given generations of Edmontonians countless memories of their own.

The 2028 Grey Cup is a chance to recognize that history and celebrate what Commonwealth Stadium has meant to Edmonton and to Canadian sport. Throughout Grey Cup Week, the Host Committee will work with the CFL, the City of Edmonton, the Edmonton Elks and the Commonwealth Stadium community to mark the anniversary, celebrating the athletes, teams, events and people who have made Commonwealth part of Canadian sporting history. That story will carry into the fan experience and onto Grey Cup game day through commemorative elements and storytelling.

Fifty years after it first opened its gates, Commonwealth Stadium will host its sixth Grey Cup.