It will be ‘Dome sweet home for the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s (CEBL) Calgary Surge, as they’ll open their 2024 season at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Calgary’s professional basketball team made the announcement at a community event where they hosted a crowd for a documentary viewing on the team’s inaugural season in Calgary.
Last year, their first in the CEBL, was a Cinderella story, with the team battling throughout the year to land in the league finals against the Scarborough Shooting Stars. They ended up losing that game 82-70.
Still, Calgary Surge Chairman Usman Tahir Jutt said in August, just before the final game, that despite that outcome, the team took an exceptional leap forward in its first year.
“Look at where we are today. Like an incredible, incredible blessing for me to be able to lead a team—the one that we’ve kind of put together not just on the court, but off the court,” Jutt said at the time.
Now look at where they’ll start the 2024 season.
While a final date has yet to be set, the team will play that game sometime in May 2024.
“We have been blown away by how Calgarians have rallied behind our basketball team, and are thrilled to bring the energy and excitement of the Calgary Surge to the heart of our city at the Scotiabank Saddledome,” said Jutt.
“This venue holds a special place in the hearts of Calgary sports fans, and we are eager to create a memorable moment for our supporters to start off the 2024 season.”
Fans can sign up at surge2thedome.ca to get notified for priority access to tickets when the date and time are announced, the club said Thursday. The CEBL season goes from May through August.
No better way to start 2024: Ribeiro
Jason Ribeiro, vice-chairman and president of the Calgary Surge, said there was no better way to tip off the 2024 season.
“There is definitely a sense of pride in bringing hometown basketball back to the ‘Dome,” said Ribeiro.
“We are incredibly excited to take all the best elements from our inaugural season and reintroduce ourselves to the city-at-large through a one-night-only, premier sports and entertainment event.”
News of the Saddledome appearance comes as the team released its State of the Surge Impact Report. The report highlights community endeavours undertaken by the team; it includes everything from creating an inclusive environment, the different community programs they spearheaded, and infrastructure they supported, like the 3×3 basketball courts at Century Gardens.
“When we launched Calgary’s newest professional sports team in the fall of 2022, we made a promise to Calgarians: the Surge would be about more than just basketball,” a message from Jutt and Ribeiro reads in the report.
“We set out to form a team that would allow kids across this city to experience the power of sport, art and culture, and inclusivity – to see firsthand how these elements can bring people together and build community. As the sons of immigrants, and fathers of young children, this was our guiding principle.”
StateOfTheSurge ImpactReport 2023 Web by Darren Krause on Scribd
