It'll be historic and exciting, but the guys who have the biggest stake in the first-ever CFL game at wonderful new TD Place, with the Ottawa RedBlacks hosting the Toronto Argos July 18, aren't celebrating yet.

Just two days later, Ottawa's professional soccer team, Fury FC, will play its first game on home turf, against the New York Cosmos.

While the RedBlacks have sold out their opener, you can still get in on history and grab seats for the soccer game.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," said Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group president of sports Jeff Hunt.

"There have been some sleepless nights. It's not just me, there's a whole team of people working extremely hard to deliver on opening day. The stakes are high. We want to have a great opening day. I don't think for a second that there won't be some hiccups and growing pains.

"While we've enjoyed seeing this all come together, and it's going to be great seeing the building full, we're probably not going to really enjoy it until it's over. It's like you're hosting a wedding. Until all the guests leave, until you know it all went well, you probably can't fully enjoy it.

"There have been a few times when I've had a chance to enjoy the moment. When you're at someone else's park and you're not hosting the party yourself -- that's been easy. Seeing Game 1 in Winnipeg was probably the greatest moment. There have been other moments, things like the first practice. You get to enjoy all the firsts for the duration of the event. But as soon as the event is over, your mind goes back to July 18."

There are so many little things, little details. Will people leave their car at home? Will they use the free transportation that comes with a ticket to the game? Will they get there early enough to soak up the atmosphere and the terrific cuisine? OK, so while the team owners are still sweating it a bit; the fans can get a little pumped, maybe even giddy.

It's going to be much more than a football contest, much more than the RedBlacks' third regular-season game of the year. It's going to be an event.

And there'll be some nice surprises outside of what happens on the field.

Coming off an awesome event where the RedBlacks and Fury FC hosted season-ticket holders for a grand introduction (and where hot dogs were offered at a buck and 16-ounce cans of beer were being sold for $4.50), you'll be able to buy draft beer starting at $5.50 and what Hunt calls the classic Forum hot dog will be available for $4 at games.

The ever-growing Labatt brand is front and centre at the stadium, with Beau's also being offered as a craft beer. That will mean plenty of selection of some pretty awesome beer.

"I think people will be pleasantly surprised by the prices, in particular the beer," said Hunt.

"The word I heard from people is they didn't want to be gouged. Beer is one of those things at sporting events that comes under a lot of scrutiny as far as the prices go."

It's hard to imagine opening day is so close, especially all that the city and the OSEG partners went through to get here. It's been seven years in the making.

"It seems like so long ago," said Hunt. "The past couple of years have been so dominated by getting this together. We had our battles. That's over. Now, it's all looking forward. Every day, another piece of this comes together. Every time I go to the site, I see something new. And I'm more and more amazed at what's been created. It's exceeded my expectations.

"I think fans are going to be blown away, especially if they think back to the last game here, if they sat out there and remember what it looked like. This is going to change the perception of Ottawa. This is more than just a stadium."

There are 18 acres of parkland, retail stores, condos and a stadium that's one of the best in the league. Yep, take a look around on Friday and breathe it in. And it will just keep getting better. The urban park will begin to take shape in a month or so. The retail stores will start to open up in October in November.

"Every time fans go to Lansdowne in the next six months, they're going to see something different," said Hunt.

"There will always be another little surprise."

tim.baines@sunmedia.ca