YORKTON - If you are a football fan in Yorkton and area there is some exciting news.
Efforts are currently under way in Yorkton to bring a Prairie Football Conference team to the city.
“It’s been in the works for the last few years,” explained Jason Boyda, one of those spearheading the effort.
Boyda said a letter-of-intent was sent to the league in November 2023, informing them they would be making a formal bid for a team.
Since then the effort has been on finalizing details of the application, said Boyda, including having conversations with the league commissioner and various team officials to gain insights into just what they need to do to be successful.
“We want to make sure we get it right,” he said.
So far the response from those involved with the PFC “has been very, very supportive,” said Boyda adding they obviously “want to make sure the process is done right.”
A key element of that is the league wants to be confident the team would not exist one or two seasons and then fail.
“They want to make sure it’s sustainable long term,” said Boyda.
The next step is the formal presentation to the league.
“We’re kind of hoping for a meeting sometime this month,” said Boyda.
If the Yorkton franchise is approved Boyda said they would hope to begin play in 2025, but added the league may want to give extra time to prepare so it could be 2026.
The preparation will include working with an annual budget of $300,000.
“That’s what we kind of figure,” said Boyda.
The core of that funding will be ticket sales, with Boyda said they are budgeting on 1,000 fans per game.
Other revenue sources include player fees, merchandise sales and game day sales such as 50/50 draws.
In their first season the team would look to establish a roster of 65 players, growing that to 75 by year three.
Boyda said he would expect 20-25 players to be from Yorkton or the immediate area.
“A good portion of our players will be from here and around Yorkton. . . Yorkton Minor Football has done a good job of developing football,” he said, adding every year five, or six players from here head to junior or university programs.
But there are still players here that can play from places such as Foam Lake and Melville and Esterhazy, said Boyda.
“They’re good players. Really good players,” he said.
Players can spend five seasons in junior football, ages 18-22.
For those unfamiliar with the league the PFC consists of six teams, Winnipeg, Calgary, two Edmonton-based team, the Saskatoon Hilltops and the Regina Thunder.
Teams head to training camp in mid-July, and then play an eight-game schedule at present, with four teams making the playoffs, and the league winner advancing toward a national championship set for mid-November.
