Curling Grand Slam will be ‘Neil Armstrong moment’ for SEC

The countdown is officially on for Steinbach to host the Grand Slam of Curling’s Players’ Championship.

Organizers, politicians and curling stars were in attendance at the newly built Southeast Event Centre (SEC) in May 13 to promote and officially kick off the event, which will take place Jan. 6-11 in 2026.

Manitoba hasn’t hosted a Grand Slam since 2018.

The Centre’s general manager, Jeff Bannon, said the Players’ Championship will be the SEC’s chance to make a strong first impression on the national stage.

“This is our Neil Armstrong moment,” Bannon said.

“What I mean by that is this is when we’re going to put our flag in the ground and let the entire world know how great Steinbach and southeast Manitoba is. This facility was built by the community for the community and we can’t wait to share our community with the world.”

Provencher Member of Parliament Ted Falk and Steinbach mayor Earl Funk both spoke at the launch event.

“In our community, we’ve seen such a growth in curling,” Funk said, noting the community built a new curling rink in 2014 which is attached to the SEC.

“Senior curling is really taking off and we’re seeing a lot of youth in curling and that’s great. That’s the future.”

The top 12 men’s and women’s teams in the World Curling Tour’s year-to-date rankings qualify for Players’ Championship.

Now retired star curler Jennifer Jones was also at the event. Jones now works for the Grand Slam as a commentator and analyst for their Sportsnet broadcasts.

“When I walked into this building my jaw literally dropped, it’s beautiful and fabulous,” Jones said.

“I’m so grateful I’m going to be here broadcasting and be here to appreciate the event.”

Jones has won the most Players’ Championships in history.

“Without the Grand Slams my curling career would never had been where it was,” Jones said.

“The Grand Slams were the catalyst to growing women’s curling around the world and allowing us to showcase our skills on television when we never really got the opportunity before.”

Whole event packages have already gone on sale, with The Curling Group’s director of communications Jenni Cram sharing they are expecting to sell out. The SEC seats just under 2,500 for hockey games.

The Curling Group took over organizing the Grand Slam Series last year, with Jones noting the change in ownership has rejuvenated the tour.

Successfully hosting the Players’ Championship could pave the way for the Centre to host more top tier events in the future.

“A lot of pressure, but it’s a lot of fun in that way if that makes any sense,” Bannon said.

“You realize what the curling community is and how important this game is to them.”

Bannon said the building perfect to host a Grand Slam, pointing to the bowl’s design, luxury boxes, press boxes, concessions and an attached banquet space as strong attributes for hosting.

“When they sent us the bid package, we checked every single box,” he said.

“We were essentially built for the Grand Slam of Curling.”

The Curling Group even reached out to Steinbach to encourage the SEC to bid.

The push is now on to recruit volunteers for the Players’ Championship. Around 100 people will be needed to put on the event. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact the Steinbach Curling Club.

The SEC is planning a formal grand opening in August. The rest of the building outside of the rink, is set to slowly come online in the coming months, with the restaurant, walking track and indoor playground opening to the public in the coming months.

The Players’ Championship is also looking for local sponsors. Anyone interested should reach out to the SEC.

The Centre has also announced an initial concert series, booking a series of tribute acts which begin July 25. More information is available on the SEC’s social media pages.