Five former CFL players are trading in their footballs for a bat and glove as they take on the Yukon Selects in the Celebrity Slow Pitch Challenge next month.

This is the first time the slo-pitch challenge, which takes place in Whitehorse on July 5, will be held in the territory. The event is put on by Xentel, the same company which organizes the annual NHL Oldtimers Challenge.

Media relations representative for Xentel, Fraser McDonald, said the company decided to bring the slo-pitch event to the Yukon because they've been so successful with the hockey games in the past.

'And I really think a lot of the players, the guys that are coming up, are excited for the opportunity to visit the North,' he added in an interview this morning.

Led by host, comedian and former Detroit Tiger, Jon Warden, the challenge will showcase five former CFL players, all of them former Grey Cup champions.

'This is our first time doing this event with football players,' said McDonald. 'We've done this in the past with former major league baseball players. So this is a totally different approach.'

Headlining the CFLPA Pro Players Alumni All Stars will be Terry Evanshen, who spent 14 seasons in the CFL (1965-78) as a wide receiver and split end. Evanshen played with Montreal, Calgary, Hamilton and Toronto, catching 600 passes for 9,697 yards and 80 touch downs.

He twice won the Schenley as the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian, earned All-Conference All-Star honours six times, and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1984. He won a Grey Cup with Montreal in 1970.

Also making the trip to Whitehorse are Charlie Turner, Todd Storme, Glenn Harper and Gord Elser.

Turner played 11 seasons in the CFL with Edmonton, Hamilton and Winnipeg. He won the Shenley Most Outstanding Lineman Award in 1975 and played in seven Grey Cup games, winning three.

Storme was drafted third overall by the Eskimos in 1987 and began his CFL career in 1989 with Edmonton. He played in two Grey Cup games, losing in 1990 with Edmonton and winning the championship in 1992 with Calgary.

Harper played at Washington State University before beginning his CFL career as a punter with the Calgary Stampeders in 1986. He later played with Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa. He was a Western All Star in 1987 and 1993, and won a Grey Cup with the Eskimos in 1993.

Rounding out the championship-winning roster is Elser, drafted in the second round by the Argonauts after playing at the University of Calgary. He won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 1983 and later in his career played with the Tiger Cats.

Four local softball players will join the all stars once they arrive in the territory, most likely members of the Selects team, chosen by Art Birss and Blaine Demchuk.

Birss, who also organized the Yukon Selects team for the NHL Oldtimers Challenge, was contacted by Xentel for this event as well. He brought in Demchuk to help out.

'I replied on Blaine to do that part because he's heavily involved in softball locally,' said Birss. 'Within about four days, he came back with a list of guys and said, This is who I want to start.' I said, Not a problem.''

Last November, the local team ended up beating the NHL oldtimers, so can we expect a repeat?

'Our goal is not to win, but to be competitive enough that these guys will show the fans exactly what they can do,' Birss said. 'We tried to keep it around the 40-years-old mark.

'Whitehorse has got an awful lot of slo-pitch players. We never had to ask anybody twice.'

Birss said some of the Selects players, such as Demchuk, Rob Larose and Doug Roberts, have been to nationals for softball before. And Craig Claggett played university ball in the U.S.

'We've got some guys that can hit the ball and they can play the ground pretty good too,' he said.

A full roster for the Selects was not available by press time, although Birss pointed out that the Selects softball team will work the same as the hockey team. Every year, he will change 50 per cent of the team, so that everyone in the community can have a chance to play. He said some hockey players were disappointed they didn't get a shot at the oldtimers, but this year they will.

Besides, he said, the point of both challenges is to have fun while benefiting local charities.

'Part of the proceeds are going to charities within our community,' he stated. 'So none of the players are really getting anything, other than the chance to play with these guys. That's our gem.'

Still, the Selects can't be taking the CFLPA all stars too lightly, even though baseball isn't their dominant sport.

'Obviously, these guys are big men and can hit,' said Birss. 'You ground plays, those are going to be key. If you're doing that right, you're obviously going to win. But if you just kind of boot around the ball, those mistakes are going to cost you.'

Regardless of the outcome, both Birss and Fraser are confident the Celebrity Slow Pitch Challenge will be a good time and a great experience.

The game gets underway at 7 p.m., Monday, July 5 at the Takhini Softball Complex.

Tickets are now available at the Hougen's ticket office. A portion of each one sold will be donated to the Kids Recreation Fund through Sport Yukon.