CFL/XFL Collaboration

[Skinny G]

Growing Football in Canada

That’s what Ambrosie says has to be done right? “"Everyone wants to see football in Canada grow and be stronger. If we can harness that energy, then this is going to be a very positive experience for us." – is what he said in this last call regarding the XFL talk.

Well, why isn’t he/the league working with Football Canada? We went in to take a look at what Football Canada has been developing and found some interesting things:

• They created a football coaching app to be shared with all amateur football coaches - https://www.footballcanadamobile.com/
• It was created in collaboration with all provincial football associations in Canada, except Quebec

The collaboration with the provincial football associations totally makes sense, but I think there is a league that’s missing here…

Looking further, we noticed that Football Canada has another partner specifically around football education… USA Football!

In addition to all this, also found out that Ontario Football worked with Players Health to provide their injury tracking app to use too! - http://ontariofootball.ca/news.php?news_id=1919221

You would think with how important it is to grow the game, the league would be involved with these associations as key partners, to be able to cross market, as well as promote the league.

For the Football Canada Coaching App, imagine if you could have CFL players doing the walk throughs? Arbuckle doing QB drills, Brescasin doing WR drills, Campbell doing OLine drills, etc. It’s all added visibility.

Also, look at all the leagues/teams Football Canada helps/supports/leads – U18, U19, Junior National, Sr Women’s, Sr. Mens, Women’s Flag Football, Men’s Flag Football (http://footballcanada.com/ ). Beyond each of these respective teams, Football Canada also manages Flag Football leagues across the country - http://cffl.footballcanada.com/find-league/

This is where the CFL needs to be! Jim Mullin and his team have basically done all the work for league… but Ambrosie is too busy being useless to see that all of this is there for the league. Plus it shouldn’t be done individually team by team. We saw in 2019 that the Argos started to get involved in supporting and being around youth and flag football (which was great to see), but it should be league driven, and it’s not going to just happen overnight.

[carlos]

Nice step in the right direction for Canadian football with Calvin McCarty being hired as a high school coach in Edmonton. I expect he will do well and won't be surprised to see a graduate of his program become a future player five years or so down the road.

[Skinny G]

Looks like the CFL has asked for a new loan from the Federal Government...they are currently in negotiations. I hope they were watching the Air Canada deal and how much transparency/accountability the Feds put on Air Canada, even getting a stake in the company. They also are forcing AC to have a sustainable business plan.

It would be great if the Government forced all of these same requests onto the CFL, and then maybe they would get their act together. Also, would like to be a fly on the wall when the Feds ask "So, about this XFL thing, how many Canadians will be impacted?"

https://www.tsn.ca/cfl-continuing-ta...n-21-1.1622252

[OV Argo]

Looks like the CFL has asked for a new loan from the Federal Government...they are currently in negotiations. I hope they were watching the Air Canada deal and how much transparency/accountability the Feds put on Air Canada, even getting a stake in the company. They also are forcing AC to have a sustainable business plan.

It would be great if the Government forced all of these same requests onto the CFL, and then maybe they would get their act together. Also, would like to be a fly on the wall when the Feds ask "So, about this XFL thing, how many Canadians will be impacted?"

https://www.tsn.ca/cfl-continuing-ta...n-21-1.1622252

It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall there.

Some Fed / MP might want to ask the CFL "leadership" some tough questions: "so, you say you're a Canadian "business" and "cultural" institution that needs some help? ; funny though how you've purposely evolved to be an enterprise that employs more Americans than Canadians in key jobs (coaching staffs; player roster; highest paid job reserved for Americans only) " ; are you going to ask the US government for some assistance too ? are you going to change a whole bunch of your cultural tradition to become even more American like ?

[Shatto]

The last time Ambrosie completely bungled the appeal for federal funds. He did not connect with sympathetic politicians, who could have guided and paved the way to a more effective submission and he completely underestimated the significance that the absence of player reps had on the MP's Hopefully, he will be better prepared in addressing those failings of last year.

The uniqueness of the CFL in Canadian sports, is a great potential selling point but as Skinny and OV correctly points out, the question of the negative effect of any type of merger with the XFL could undermine the Canadian players interests. This certainly will not help in the negotiations for financial support from the feds.

[Argo57]

I have obtained the training video that the CFL provided Ambrosie for his ill fated plea for financial assistance a few months ago.
Not sure why it didn’t go as planned.

https://youtu.be/lc01Uw8PcfU

[OV Argo]

Sure is a ton of coverage and hype for Global prospects over on the CFL site; makes me think of Ambrosie's big plan as maybe part of a deal to sell-out the CFL/ Canadian football and be open to a new XCFL - welcoming the Global community into part of a new football vision (they only know American football in other parts of the world - no clue about Canadian football).

[Wobbler]

Considering that the draft is happening in two days, the coverage on CFL.ca is pretty light.

[AngeloV]

Considering that the draft is happening in two days, the coverage on CFL.ca is pretty light.

Probably due to layoffs.

[OV Argo]

Considering that the draft is happening in two days, the coverage on CFL.ca is pretty light.

You mean the CFL Global Draft is in 2 days ?

Like I said above - there has been tons of coverage on CFL.ca on some of these Global prospects and how cool it would be to see them in the CFL.

Too bad some to do with the CFL didn't care as much about Canadian talent.

[Mocha]

I wonder if something like this could work:

XFL plays their 10 game schedule Feb through April. And the CFL would play its 18-game schedule June through November. The XFL teams would all be owned by (or somehow closely affiliated with) CFL teams. That way, players, coaches, scouts, etc. could be employed more of the year for, hopefully, only a relatively small increase in salary.

The teams would be:
Montreal Alouettes (play indoors at the Big O)
BC Lions (play indoors at BC Place)
St. Louis Battlehawks (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
LA/San Diego Wildcats (Hamilton Tiger-Cats)
Houston Roughnecks (Calgary Stampeders)
Dallas Renegades (Edmonton Eskimos)
DC Defenders (Ottawa Redblacks)
NY Guardians (Toronto Argonauts)
Seattle Sea Dragons (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
TB or some other more viable market (Atlantic Schooners)??

Maybe it'd be possible to give Toronto an XFL team if they play all their February games on the road? Then, perhaps affiliate NY with the Schooners onwership and leave TB out.

This would allow CFL fans to follow their teams during XFL season and hopefully attract more US viewers to follow their city's teams during the CFL season. Both leagues could keep their schedule and rules intact (though I'd like to see the XFL adopt unlimited motion and the rouge) and lower the costs of running each franchise.

[Skinny G]

Feds and CFL in talks for potential support this year

https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatch...this-year-carr

[Bleeds Double Blue]

Like everyone else on this forum I love the CFL and I've supported in for damn near 60 years. That being said I don't want to give these guys a single tax dollar until Randy comes clean with EXACTLY what these XFL discussions are all about. So far it has been nothing but speculation by people not in the discussions. It's time to fess up Randy before you go hat in hand to the governemnt for help.

[Argo57]

Like everyone else on this forum I love the CFL and I've supported in for damn near 60 years. That being said I don't want to give these guys a single tax dollar until Randy comes clean with EXACTLY what these XFL discussions are all about. So far it has been nothing but speculation by people not in the discussions. It's time to fess up Randy before you go hat in hand to the governemnt for help.

Zero chance this happens, Randy and the gang apparently have difficulty keeping the CFLPA in the loop.

[Bleeds Double Blue]

Randy Ambrosie has become a major disaapointment to me and an obstacle to success. It is time for him to go. It's a mystery to me how he is able to sell these lamebrain ideas of his to the Board of Governors and keep his job. The most disappointing aspect of his tenure, and there are many is his relationship with PA. As a former player he should know better.

[SkalbaniasGhost]

Randy Ambrosie has become a major disaapointment to me and an obstacle to success. It is time for him to go. It's a mystery to me how he is able to sell these lamebrain ideas of his to the Board of Governors and keep his job. The most disappointing aspect of his tenure, and there are many is his relationship with PA. As a former player he should know better.

Larry and Bell are happy.They will get what they desire in the end.
What the customers want is of little concern.

[Argo57]

Randy Ambrosie has become a major disaapointment to me and an obstacle to success. It is time for him to go. It's a mystery to me how he is able to sell these lamebrain ideas of his to the Board of Governors and keep his job. The most disappointing aspect of his tenure, and there are many is his relationship with PA. As a former player he should know better.

I pretty much agree, I have no use for Ambrosie.
You would think as a former player he would realize the need to treat the CFLPA as partners and collaborate to make the game better, instead he treats the players like an inconvenience (at best).
Should have been shown the door by now IMO.

[Bleeds Double Blue]

Argo57, I think that is the first time anyone has ever agreed with something that I've said on this forum. I'm going to go have a slice of pie to celebrate.

[OV Argo]

Randy Ambrosie has become a major disaapointment to me and an obstacle to success. It is time for him to go. It's a mystery to me how he is able to sell these lamebrain ideas of his to the Board of Governors and keep his job. The most disappointing aspect of his tenure, and there are many is his relationship with PA. As a former player he should know better.

Agreed; but he is just a puppet of the BOG/GOB club; too bad he is a gut-less clown.

[Shatto]

One has to wonder if Ambrosie's strategy isn't to eliminate the Canadian ratio and then move the game to an NFL 4 down model? That would fit with his grandiose vision of a global football composition.