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She decided to try to sell all four of Edmonton’s summer schedule professional sports teams on doing a Christmas ticket package together, with the aim of bringing the teams together into a relationship that might grow into bigger and better things, including a return of the festival.

“I was sitting the store that we set up at K-Days and I started to think about all four clubs,” she said of how the Edmonton Eskimos, FC Edmonton, Edmonton Prospects and the Stingers all contribute to the quality of life in the city.

“I was thinking how we shouldn’t be fighting against one another, we should be working with each other to help make Edmonton a better community,” she said.

“So I reached out to the Eskimos. They liked the idea. I then went to the other two teams and they said sure. I kind of got teary-eyed when it came together just like that.

“As they talked together they also talked about the idea, if this works out well working with each other, why not bring back the Festival of Champions. It’s nice to have a little dream that comes true.”

You’d wonder why the Eskimos would be interested in an association with three teams that are of a significantly secondary status in terms of history, stadium capacity, payroll, budget, number of employees, image, etc.

The Eskimos didn’t have a good season at the gate last year but still averaged an announced paid attendance average of 29,341 per game, and good crowds against Calgary and Saskatchewan of 40,000-plus would beat the total season attendance of FC Edmonton, the Prospects or the Stingers.