The HarbourCats and Harvey will have some new fowl to feast upon in 2021, as the Edmonton Riverhawks, now the FIFTH Canadian team, will be joining the West Coast League in 2021!

For Immediate Release

September 16, 2020

EDMONTON, AB – Baseball Edmonton is proud to announce the arrival of the Edmonton Riverhawks! The new baseball team is the 15th franchise in the West Coast League, the premier collegiate summer league in Canada. The Riverhawks will begin play at RE/MAX Field in June of 2021.

“We are very excited to bring one of the best summer collegiate leagues in all of North America to Edmonton,” says Baseball Edmonton’s Managing Director Randy Gregg. “In the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft, 90 West Coast League players were picked, including the number one and number three selections. Local sports fans will be able to see future major league stars while they are playing in Edmonton during their college careers.”
The Riverhawks will play 27 games at RE/MAX Field and another 27 on the road. They become the first WCL team outside of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. “Adding a city like Edmonton to the West Coast League is a real coup for us,” says Commissioner Rob Neyer. “Toss in the outstanding ownership group and a tremendous stadium and it’s easy to see why we’re so thrilled to welcome the Riverhawks to what’s already the premier collegiate summer baseball league west of the Rockies.”

Gregg, the medical doctor who won five Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, is part of a group of people who formed Baseball Edmonton with an interest to build upon the tradition of exciting, entertaining summer baseball in the iconic stadium in the city’s river valley. The founders group also includes Dale Wishewan, the owner of Booster Juice, D’Arcy Durand, an orthopaedic surgeon, and Gary Gregg, who oversees Gregg Distributors. In addition, there are another 24 shareholders from a wide variety of backgrounds working together with the founders for the greater good of the community.

Baseball Edmonton is about to finalize a 10-year lease for RE/MAX Field from the City of Edmonton, enabling the group to expand the use of the facility in many ways. “We are committed to welcoming amateur sports, arts, culture and music groups down to the ballpark to create a real sense of community,” adds Gregg. “We want to be inclusive and all those events are important parts of our plan to attract more people to one of the most impressive outdoor stadiums in Canada.”

Baseball Edmonton plans to upgrade the ballpark with new artificial field turf, a new scoreboard and new stadium lighting. “We are excited to welcome the Edmonton Riverhawks to Alberta’s capital city,” says the man who has championed the cause at City Hall, Councillor Michael Walters. “Baseball Edmonton has a great vision for not only bringing top amateur baseball to Edmonton, but also for RE/MAX Field and for bringing people down to the river valley to experience a beautiful part of our city.”

The people of Rossdale also play a critical role in realizing that vision. Gregg has met with the leaders of the community league to explain the plans of Baseball Edmonton and assure them they can look forward to a great relationship with their new neighbour.

The Edmonton Riverhawks are not even in the ballpark yet but they are already creating a great deal of excitement all across the city!

HarbourCats fans will need to wait until the 2021 West Coast League schedule is released later in the fall to learn when the first opportunity to see the Riverhawks in action will be and to “welcome” them to Wilson’s Group Stadium.

Fans wanting to lock in their seats now to enjoy this rivalry can do so by taking advantage of the HarbourCats “101 for 2021” Season Ticket offer that is on now.  10-game flex packs are also for sale, while individual game tickets will go on sale once the 2021 schedule is released.

How to Support the HarbourCats in 2020/2021:

If you are able, or if you know friends and colleagues who are able, please consider any of the following:

2021 Season tickets — the best way to help, one that guarantees you seats to all our games (usually 35 per year or so) plus other season ticket holder perks. Contact chris@harbourcats.com for details.

10-Game Flex Packs / Vouchers — Don’t want to commit, or can’t commit to season tickets? Consider 10-game flex packs – anytime vouchers that can be used in any combination…10 tickets at one game, 1 ticket at 10 games or anything in between. Season ticket voucher equivalents are also available.  Flex Packs can be purchased at the office and are also available on-line at:  https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/products/10-game-flex-pack-general-admission

Corporate Partnerships – Want to put your company name or brand in front of our 100,000 fans every season?  Or know someone who does?  Consider joining us as a partner.  From a simple program ad, to the most complex of game day sponsorship, complete with signage and tickets, we will customize any campaign to suit your needs and budget.  And with our new HCATS.TV platform and our ownership group’s expansion of a new team in Nanaimo in 2021, the opportunities are now Island wide! Contact john@harbourcats.com for details.

Fundraising / 50-50 – Have an organization that needs to raise funds now?  A $1000 investment buys you 100 anytime 2021 game vouchers for our Premium Reserved seats that you can then turn around and sell for $20 each, earning you your investment back, plus another $1000 in return. We will then hold a 50-50 date for you in 2021 and you can bring your group to the park to sell that game, taking home 50% of the proceeds. Contact chris@harbourcats.com for details.

Merchandise – Consider a HarbourCats merchandise purchase from our store at 1814 Vancouver Street, or from our on-line store, The Cat Shop, at https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/ New items, including 2020 game caps and player’s gear are arriving weekly and we need to clear them out!

OFFICE HOURS 

For August and September, we are officially open Monday through Friday 10 am to 5 pm.  We are often in and out of office during off-season, so best to call 778-265-0327 before venturing over to make sure. Closed Saturdays and Sundays.