BBC Lions is a professional Canadian football team and a member of the Canadian Football League's Western Division . The team is based in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada . The Lions were founded in 1954 and initially performed at the Empire Stadium, and since 1982 have been holding their home matches at the BC Place . At the end of the 2010 season and the beginning of 2011, due to the installation of a sliding roof at BBC Place, the club held games on Empire Field.
| BBC Lyons BC Lions | |
 | |
| Division | Western division |
| Created in | 1954 |
| Home stadium | BC Place Stadium |
| City | Vancouver , British Columbia |
| Team colors | |
| League | Canadian Football League |
| Trainer | Wally Buono |
| CEO | Wally Buono |
| Gray cup | 6 wins: 52nd Gray Cup (1964), 73rd Gray Cup (1985), 82nd Gray Cup (1994) 88th Gray Cup (2000), 94th Gray Cup (2006), 99th Gray Cup (2011) |
| Mascot | Leo the lion |
| Website | BCLions.com |
BBC Lyons is the youngest club in the CFL and the oldest active sports club in the city. The team reached the final of the championship ten times, winning six Gray Cups , the last of which the club won in 2011. Lions are the only team in Western Canada to win the Gray Cup at their home stadium. Lyons also owns the fourth-largest series in the CFL history in a row in the playoffs - 15 times.
The club is owned by Canadian entrepreneur David Braley, who bought it in 1997.
History
In 1951, a group led by Ken Stauffer and Tini Redar launched a campaign to create a football club in Vancouver (before that, in 1941, the Vancouver Grizzlies team played in the Western Interprovincial Football Union). In the offseason, the group made WIFU its proposal and promised to pay a fee of $ 25,000 next year. Despite a good offer, WIFU refused to create a new club for Vancouver, as the two teams Winnipeg and Regina voted against the creation of the fifth club. In 1953, the group repeated its attempt, promising to build a stadium with a capacity of 15,000 people and an average attendance of matches of at least 6,500 people, and also promised to pay for the transportation costs of the guest teams. Vancouver was also the venue for the 1954 Commonwealth Games , and a new Empire Stadium was built. The first manager of public relations, general manager and head coach of the new club was Annis Stakus.