Sea Bears to Expand Seating for Final Regular-Season Home Game After Three Straight Sellouts

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday that, due to incredible demand by fans, the team will open the full lower bowl of Canada Life Centre for its final regular-season home game on Saturday, July 29 against the Edmonton Stingers.

Capacity for the game will now exceed 7,300 fans. The announcement comes after consecutive sellout crowds in Winnipeg’s three most recent home games.

In the team’s inaugural season, the Sea Bears have been privileged with an unprecedented level of support from the Winnipeg community. The club’s first-ever game set the CEBL attendance record with 7,328 fans after adding nearly 2,000 seats to its original configuration. The Sea Bears have since sold out four more home games, and now own the five most-attended games in league history.

“We are truly humbled by the support we have received from the community throughout this season,” said Sea Bears owner and chairman David Asper. “I can’t think of a better way to send our players off into the playoffs than with the roar of a huge Sea Bears crowd on July 29.”

With the Edmonton Stingers’ July 15 victory over the Saskatchewan Rattlers, the Sea Bears became the second team in the CEBL to clinch a 2023 postseason berth. The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Eastern Conference secured their spot one day earlier with their win over the Scarborough Shooting Stars. Winnipeg can ensure a home playoff matchup with a defeat of the Calgary Surge in their next game, a road matchup Thursday night at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed live on TSN+ and CEBL+ powered by BetVictor.

If Winnipeg finishes with the best record in the Western Conference, they will host the winner of the conference’s play-in game for the chance to advance to the Championship Weekend semifinals against the host Vancouver Bandits. A second-place finish would place the Sea Bears as host of the play-in game. As the host team, the Bandits receive an automatic bye to the Championship Weekend semifinals.

The Sea Bears look forward to welcoming Sea Bears Nation to Canada Life Centre on July 29 to celebrate a truly special inaugural season. For tickets, visit seabears.ca/tickets.

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About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow @CEBLeague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.

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