Activities for Teens: Ottawa Redblacks Game

Our teen blogger is back and sharing about his experience heading to an Ottawa Redblacks game!

With school back, I like to make the most of my Friday nights. Lansdowne Park has me covered. I recently went to TD Place on the last day of summer to watch the Ottawa Redblacks play against the Saskatchewan Roughriders to finish off my week.

As soon as we arrived at Lansdowne Park, we could feel the atmosphere of excitement. Redblacks fans were swarming through the pedestrian streets around the Aberdeen Pavilion. Music from the stadium and a clothing color scheme matching the team’s namesake made it feel like a true football night. 

After getting in, we found our seats that gave us an amazing close up view of the touchdown line; a place the Redblacks would make frequent visits. Shortly after sitting down, the Redblacks came storming out of the locker rooms as the countdown to kickoff began. We got some refreshments, stood for the anthem, watched the coin toss and cheered with the release of the football. 

Saskatchewan scored the first touchdown, but Ottawa’s chainsaw was running just before the first quarter ended. We gained the advantage in the second quarter, with a touchdown, two point conversion and field goal within the final 25 seconds. By halftime, the score had the Redblacks leading 19-13. 

During the break, I bought some pizza before going back to my seat. Ottawa advanced its lead by another 2 points in the third quarter, before a fierce battle near the end of the game. The Redblacks scored two touchdowns at the start of the last quarter, and while Saskatchewan was able to match Ottawa, it simply was not enough. Fans cheered as the game ended with a heap of log slices and overheated flare guns.

We left the stadium thrilled with a victorious 36-28 score following an action-packed game and an excuse to sleep in through Saturday.

To have a great time in Ottawa, check out a football game at TD Place before the season closes this year. For more information, click here.

David is a fifteen-year-old aspiring adventure and travel writer living in Ottawa.  Skydiving is on his bucket list. He received a complimentary rental for this post, but all views are his own.

A family night out with the Ottawa Fury

KITC would like to welcome back, guest blogger, Stephen Johnson. Stephen Johnson is an Ottawa writer who loves to write about family travel.  During the summer, you will most likely find him and his family at a local fair or festival.  During the winter, a beach in Mexico is a likely bet.  

Certain summer nights are almost perfect.  We experienced one of those moments at a recent Ottawa Fury FC match.  

The first element was the weather.  As all Ottawans know, our spring has been less than stellar. The night we attended the Fury game, there was not a cloud in the sky and the temperature was a perfect twenty-two degrees celsius.   

The second factor was the game day experience.  Our son, David, had been picked to be part of the pre-game ceremonies. We arrived at TD Place  stadium and met up with someone from the Fury staff. We were soon down on field level. David had the opportunity to watch the players practicing. He enthusiastically gave them high-fives at the end of their practice.

David was given instructions for what would come next.  He was given a Fury flag along with a number of other children. I must admit to feeling chills as the players walked out accompanied by the booming voice of the stadium announcer. David got an up-close view as the players passed through the tunnel of Fury flags.

Soon enough, both national anthems were complete and it was time to make our way back to our seats. The Fury were playing against the Charlotte Independence. Both teams were evenly matched and the soccer was high quality. I liked the fact Fury fans represented all different ages and demographics. There were families enjoying an evening out along with more hardcore supporters who probably knew the history of each player.   

After forty-five minutes of action, the score was 0-0. It was the perfect time to stretch our legs so we made a beeline to the family fun zone. This area features a variety of activities including inflatables, face-painting and Jenga blocks. Basically, it is the ideal place to take your younger Fury fan if they want a break from the game. David took a few shots on net and scored a goal. David was craving a hotdog so we headed to the concessions area where he ate almost all the dog leaving me a small bite-sized portion to enjoy!

It was time for the second half to begin. The major excitement for us was when the Fury promo team threw  t-shirts into the crowd. A shirt landed close to our seats but was just out of reach.  An older fan grabbed the child-sized t-shirt and did the kind thing giving it to David.

Unfortunately for the Fury, even though they carried much of the play, Charlotte scored a late goal marking a 1-0 victory. To be honest, the score did not really matter to us. We had a great night out and plan to attend at least another game this summer.  

There is something of a Canadian invasion going on with the Fury lately as many of the starting players are from Canada. There are even several home-grown players from Ottawa that you can cheer. For more information about the Fury schedule and tickets, visit, www.ottawafuryfc.com

Special thanks to the Ottawa Fury for providing David with tickets for the purpose of this article; all views are his own.