Soccer fans gather as Euro Cup brings much-needed boost for Calgary restaurants
The UEFA European Football Championship could not have come at a better time for Calgary restaurant and bar owners in need of a spike in sales.
The tournament is welcome news for the Italian Cultural Centre's executive director Rafela Grossi.
Friday afternoon’s match between Italy and Turkey allowed for a crowd of 50 Calgarians to enjoy lunch and watch the game indoors.
“Our business is down about 98 per cent, all of our weddings, corporate events and cultural events and our restaurant has been closed for the last 16 months,” Grossi said.
“It’s not only (good for) the business, but (also for) the morale of the members and not just our Italian community but the entire Calgary community.”
The social gathering was especially meaningful for soccer fans like Renato Angelozzi, who has been cheering for Italy since the team won the 1982 World Cup.
“I just take it to the next level," Angelozzi said. "It’s not a tournament that happens every day so when the time comes, you want to celebrate and really enjoy and embrace the sport.”
Meanwhile, other fans like Krista Harvey are just happy to finally be able to gather again with loved ones at bars and restaurants.
“There’s nothing like being with family and this is family again, being able to celebrate again and being together,” she said.
“It’s the sharing of those moments and seeing faces you haven’t seen in months because when was the last time you saw someone smile at you and be part of that together?”
The Euro 2020 soccer tournament runs from June 11 to July 11.
Some bars like Ship & Anchor and Jameson's Pub on 17 Avenue will be opening early at 6 a.m. for fans to watch games in person.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.