FC Edmonton returns home, welcomes fans to the stands
Edmonton’s professional soccer team opened its gates to fans Saturday evening for the first time in nearly two years.
The pandemic forced FC Edmonton to play its 2020 season in a bubble in Prince Edward Island. This season started in a bubble in Winnipeg, but as restrictions have lifted and the country looks toward reopening, the team is now back at home and ready to hear the roar from fans.
“It gives us that extra energy,” head coach Alan Koch told CTV News Edmonton.
“You can feel that positive vibe. Now that we are standing here it is incredibly exciting.”
Eric Newendorp, president and general manager, said he was excited to be back at Clarke Stadium.
“We couldn’t be happier to be back here,” he shared.
“It’s going to be emotional to see fans and supporters here,” Koch added.
“Being in a bubble is an absolute grind. I had never been in a true bubble like that before.
“You are essentially cut off from the free world because you are stranded in a hotel the entire time.”
Frontline health care workers were honoured at the game for their contributions during the pandemic. Health care workers were eligible to receive two complimentary tickets to enjoy FC Edmonton action.
“It’s the least we can do,” Newendorp said.
FC Edmonton comes home with a 2-4-2 record and hopes having their own soccer pitch back will give them a fresh start.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.