Rider Nation will invade Nova Scotia when the Saskatchewan Roughriders face the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday, July 25 in the first-ever regular season game played in Halifax.

The game, which is being billed as Touchdown Atlantic,  will be preceded by a three-day “mini Grey Cup festival” featuring music, parties and tons of family-friendly fun.

It is something Riders president and CEO Craig Reynolds says he has been lobbying for.

“It’s exciting.” Reynolds said on the Sportscage. “We wanted to be a part of this for a number of years, but it is a special year for us with it being our 110th anniversary and our organization hosting the Grey Cup.  We know we will have a lot of our fans come out and if today is any indication, there were a lot of Rider fans in the crowd when we announced this.  Our fans are super-passionate about our team and the league so this will be a tremendous opportunity to take our team to a place we have never been before and expand our brand.”

For Nova Scotia native Brett Lauther, it is a dream come true to play a game in Halifax on the same field where he played University football for St. Mary’s University.  He has no doubt Huskies Stadium will have a green tinge to it on July 25.

“The schedule says we have nine home games and nine road games, but in reality we have ten home games.” Lauther said while appearing on the Sportscage. “This is a great city and if you’re a Riders fan who has never been to the Maritimes, this is a great chance to see the team and the city in what will be a great environment.

CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie also took time out of his busy day in Halifax to step into the Sportscage.  He says Touchdown Atlantic will have a mini Grey Cup feel to it and that the passion of football fans in Atlantic Canada will come to the forefront.

Tickets will go on-sale at the end of February and a full list of prices will be announced soon.  Ambrosie stressed that the game will be affordable with an average ticket price of approximately $50.