Riders CEO says changes have been made to help address affordability issues for 2023

Riders CEO on the home opener WATCH: Roughriders CEO Craig Reynolds on the home opener, his expectations for the season and what you can expect for the in-game experience

The Saskatchewan Roughriders will look to improve to 2-0 on the young Canadian Football League (CFL) season Friday night when they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for their 2023 home opener.

The theme for the night will be Dad’s Night Out as Father’s Day will be the following Sunday.

Riders president and CEO Craig Reynolds spoke with CTV Morning Live on Thursday and said they have lots of anticipation and excitement after opening the year with a win in Edmonton on Sunday.

“It’s what we do right, we put on games at Mosaic Stadium and we welcome Rider Nation there and that’s what we love to do so there’s excitement and a little bit of anxiousness as well but we’ll settle in and will have a great night Friday night,” Reynolds said.

With some major changes taking place over the offseason Reynolds feels there is a lot of optimism among Rider fans this year.

“Obviously we had a tougher season last year and a tremendous amount of change and I think that’s led to a lot of excitement, a lot of optimism and our fans are excited to see this new team.”

Reynolds also said they recognize that affordability is a real issue currently, adding some changes have been made at Mosaic Stadium.

“We've done some things around concession pricing, we’ve rescaled the stadium so there are 9,000 seats that are a lower price than they were last year. So we are trying to constantly work on those types of things and are constantly looking to improve the fan experience.”

Reynolds said they have added more this year including celebrating season ticket holders and a new camera angle that follows the field differently and provides a different experience than you would get at home.

As for the game itself, Reynolds said he is really excited to see how this year’s defense will stack up against Winnipeg.

“The defense played really well last week, our defensive line really stood out so I’m excited to see them versus Winnipeg’s offensive line, kind of in the trenches is where I’m looking on Friday and I’m excited to see how those guys perform,” Reynolds said.

Kickoff between the Riders and Winnipeg is 7 p.m. on Friday.