Wednesday marked the 8th anniversary of Craig Reynolds as the President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. There have been plenty of highlights during his time with the team, including the opening of Mosaic Stadium and hosting the 2022 Grey Cup. There have been some low points as well, the cancellation of the 2020 season and the Roughriders missing the playoffs last year.
Reynolds joined Michael Ball on the SportsCage on Wednesday.
Looking back he said it’s hard to believe that it has already been eight years since his first day on the job.
“It’s been a thrill of a lifetime and the years just fly by.”
Being the President and CEO is a role that Reynolds enjoys, but there can be a lot of stress with the position created by the amount of attention the Roughriders garner in the province throughout the entire year. Reynolds says that he likes discussing the situation with the team’s fanbase.
“The criticism is coming from a place of passion where they want it to be better, so a lot of these conservations I really enjoy. I’ve talked to a lot of season ticket holders during the off-season and you get a lot of good information, you learn a lot from them, I think listening is a key part part of it.”
Outside the organization, there has been chatter about the doom of the Roughriders following a difficult 2022. Head Coach Craig Dickenson dismissed the claims on Monday when he appeared on the SportsCage and Reynolds agreed with his head coach.
“I just don’t know where that’s coming from to be completely honest with you. I think a lot people like to revel in doom and gloom. There’s no doubt we had a rough year last year, we’re all disappointed, extremely disappointed.”
Reynolds said that everyone with the team has returned with refocused energy to reverse their fortune from last year. He felt that free agency showed that Saskatchewan is still a desirable location for players.
“I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of these players during or after, they all want to be here because of the atmosphere and frankly because of our fanbase and the passion that’s here.”
The biggest obstacle that Reynolds has encountered during his tenure was the COVID-19 pandemic that wiped out the 2020 season and led to a shortened 2021 campaign. The Foam Lake native said for an organization like the Roughriders, not being able to immerse themselves with the rest of the province was difficult.
“To be out like a year and a half almost two years where you just could not interact, we couldn’t get too small towns in Saskatchewan, we couldn’t just travel. ”
Last year, the Roughriders were able to celebrate the Grey Cup with several communities and this year the team is excited about sending the players throughout the province to interact with the fans.
The 2022 Grey Cup was the culmination of four years of work put in by the organization. Saskatchewan was originally awarded the 2020 Grey Cup, but due to the season’s cancellation, Mosaic Stadium hosted its first-ever Grey Cup in 2022. As exciting as the Grey Cup was for the football club, Reynolds says they are looking forward to focusing on the team after spending so much time on the big game last November.
“To have removed and just to focus on the core business and interacting with our fans, it’s awesome. So yeah, it’s a bit of relief and we’re excited to have a year just focused on football and engaging with our fans.”
