ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – The Newfoundland Growlers and the St. John’s Edge Basketball Club announced Wednesday that they have reached an Agreement in Principle for a 10-year lease extension with the City of St. John’s and St. John’s Sports and Entertainment Ltd. (SJSEL) for use of Mile One Centre through the 2029-2030 season.
The Growlers and Edge will remain committed to providing championship level family-friendly entertainment while SJSEL will continue to manage Mile One Centre and the St. John’s Convention Centre.
The Agreement in Principle for a ten-year term is the first of its kind for professional sports teams in this province’s history, previous agreements have been capped at a five-year term.

“All of us in the Growlers organization are pleased and excited to have reached an Agreement in Principle for a historic ten-year lease with SJSEL and the City of St. John’s,” owner Dean MacDonald said. “We are committed to providing the very best product, both on and off the ice, as we represent Newfoundland and Labrador in the ECHL. This is an exciting step in the right direction for professional sports in this province.”

With the extended lease, the Growlers and Edge will bring close to 60 nights of entertainment per year to Mile One Centre, and thousands of fans will be drawn to the downtown core for years to come.

“The Newfoundland Growlers and the St. John’s Edge have been great partners in driving vitality to downtown and enriching not only our capital city but our entire province,” said Mayor Danny Breen. “Council recognizes that further investing in our partnership with the Edge and Growlers is good for downtown business, creates civic pride, and provides activities for residents of the entire region”.

The agreement comes after a successful week-long visit from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who held their 2019-20 training camp at the Paradise Double Ice Complex as well as Mile One Centre, culminating with a sold-out preseason game versus the Ottawa Senators.

“The Toronto Maple Leafs are extremely excited to learn of the great news today regarding the agreement between the Growlers and the City of St. John’s which will see the Growlers remain at Mile One Centre for the next decade,” Said Kyle Dubas, General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “As shown last season and last week during our Training Camp in St. John’s, the Growlers play a pivotal role in the development model of the Maple Leafs. The passion of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador for the Maple Leafs is outstanding, deeply appreciated by our program, and we are thrilled to have the relationship for 10 years.”

MacDonald, who has been vocal for most of the offseason about shoddy lease negotiations, gives major credit to Breen for his efforts in bringing this deal to completion.

“Both Irwin and I wish to acknowledge the efforts of Mayor Danny Breen, he has been pivotal to the successful completion of this historic lease agreement, and we look forward to a long-term partnership with the City of St. John’s.”

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