How Much Impact Are Global Players and International Alliance Having on the CFL?

[jerrym]

On November 23 football federations and leagues from twelve countries, including Canada, Mexico, Austria, Great Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway and Sweden, formed the International Alliance of Gridiron Football (IAGF). The inaugural meeting will be held in 2020 to set Alliance's agenda.

“We are each stronger when we all work and build and dream together,” said Randy Ambrosie, Canadian Football League (CFL) Commissioner and the new organization’s catalyst. “Our intention is not to replace or infringe upon any existing governing body, as we deeply respect the work already being done on the game’s behalf. Our mission is to create a new forum where we can develop new ways to grow our game to our mutual benefit.” ...

The ‘founding agreement’ signed today outlines the Alliance’s mandate to:

• Encourage more young people to try football, and to continue pursuing the game in all its forms – from a simple game of ‘catch’ to touch football, flag football, and tackle football at the amateur and professional levels.
• Build pathways which allow football players to fully follow their passion and fulfill their dreams, regardless of birthplace and unrestricted by borders.
• Share experiences and expertise in areas such as player health and safety, officiating, coaching and player development, and more, to develop best practices in each country.
• Seek new opportunities to serve fans with experiences that are deeper and more varied than ever, while attracting new fans and followers to the sport.
• Pursue revenue opportunities that elevate all members of the Alliance while exploiting none.

“Our bilateral partnership with the CFL has already led to Mexican players finding opportunities in Canada, while also providing more Canadians with the chance to play in Mexico,” said Oscar Perez, President of the Liga de Futbol Americano (LFA), Mexico’s premier professional football league. “The IAGF allows us to build a multi-lateral organization on the same foundations of mutual respect, cooperation and love of the game.”


“The Alliance is a major step forward for countries playing gridiron football,” added Robert Huber, President of the American Football Verband Deutschland (AFVD), which includes the elite German Football League (GFL). “None of us is the biggest on our own, but together, we are bigger and stronger and we can continue to grow our membership and our game.”


“Football is the ultimate team game; no player can succeed on his own,” said Pierre Trochet, Head of Business Operations for the Fédération Française de Football Américain (FFFA). “It makes perfect sense for all of us to come together united as we look for new and innovative ways to lift up ourselves by lifting up each other and the game.”

“Ours is not a top-down approach. This is a collaboration of partners who respect each other and value our game above all,” noted Ambrosie. ...

In 2019, the CFL featured designated ‘global players’ from outside the U.S. and Canada on its nine member clubs – a first for the league. Next season, the number of global players per team will grow from up-to-three to as many as five.

The league and its international partners have scheduled CFL Combines this winter across Europe, as well as, in Mexico and Japan, which will precede a Global CFL Draft next spring.

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/11/22/cfl-he...iron-football/

[jerrym]

Commissioner Randy Ambrosie comments on his globalizing project below.

“We are no longer the much smaller of two (leagues),” Ambrosie said in his opening remarks. “We’re the second-biggest of many. Get used to that idea. “We’re about global partners. We’re about global players who can stand…shoulder to shoulder with their Canadian teammates and their American teammates to take this game to new levels of success.”

Ambrosie mentioned the other side of CFL 2.0, which gives Canadian players the chance to pursue football opportunities abroad. Twenty-five Canadians were recently drafted into the LFA and will have the opportunity to play in Mexico in 2020. ...

“That’s about growing our game and giving Canadian football players more opportunities,” Ambrosie said. “Playing football and being a Canadian football player cannot just be about playing in the CFL. It has to be about more than that. I think we should all collectively all set our sights on being able to tell the stories of the 25 and then the 50, the 75 and 100 (playing abroad) and so on. Canadian players that are living out their football dream in other parts of the world and perhaps taking a little bit of Canada with them along the way. (They’re) being ambassadors for our game and ambassadors for our country and I can get really excited about that.” ...

“We had nine players on our active roster this year and two practice roster spots, that’s 27 (across the league),” he said. “This coming year, we’ll have two global spots with three practice roster spots that’s 45. The biggest global football league in the world. We have to start thinking like that. We have to start acting like that It is time for some good, old-fashioned CFL swagger to acknowledge and recognize our place in this sports landscape and be proud of it.”

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/11/22/oleary...nnual-address/

[jerrym]

German LB Thiadric Hansen, the #2 overall global draft pick who had 5 DTs and 1 ST tackles, a sack and 2 forced fumbles for the Bombers in the regular season, talks about his first year in the CFL, the impact in Germany, and getting to go to the Grey Cup in the video below.

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/11/22/gc107-...lobal-players/

[OV Argo]

Ambrosie is in dream land on this one - just IMO. Guess he thinks this is some sort of huge initiative on his part? - where did he come up with this from ? Does anybody really believe the CFL is going to gain tons of fans or lots of support & interest + Dollar$ from Mexico or Europe ? - totally laughable IMO. Those places have some respect for and interest in NFL/American football; they won't ever give a rat's @$$ about Canadian football even if this Commish brain-storm makes a few hundred people aware a tiny bit about Canadian ball.

And I'm all for CFL teams looking far & wide to find quality players. Sure - scout those leagues & countries.

Fix, improve, promote, hype all levels of Canadian ball in your own country should have been a much bigger goal & priority, IMO.

I hope Ambrosie goes away after this brilliant idea is shown to have done next to nothing for the CFL and Canadian football in general.

[Shatto]

Apparently after 2 years Global players become International (American) players. Wonder how many will stick around after their second year?

[doubleblue]

German LB Thiadric Hansen, the #2 overall global draft pick who had 5 DTs and 1 ST tackles, a sack and 2 forced fumbles for the Bombers in the regular season, talks about his first year in the CFL, the impact in Germany, and getting to go to the Grey Cup in the video below.

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/11/22/gc107-...lobal-players/

Hansen sure had a big time hit on one of those kick returns. Should make the high lights in Germany. He definitely has pro size at 6'3 245.

[jerrym]

Here is the Global players combine and draft dates, as well as those of Canadian Combines and the national draft.

GLOBAL COMBINE SCHEDULE

DATE	LOCATION	NOTES
January 11	Helsinki, Finland	• For players from Finland, Scandinavia and Northern Europe • Conducted in partnership with the American Football Federation of Finland
January 17	Paris, France	• Conducted in partnership with the French American Football Federation
January 25	Florence, Italy	• Conducted in partnership with the Federazione Italiana di American Football.
January 26	Frankfurt, Germany	• For players from Germany, Austria and additional global players competing on German Football League rosters • Conducted in partnership with the German Football League
January 26	Bristol, England	• Conducted in partnership with the British American Football Association
February 1-2	Tokyo and Osaka, Japan	• Conducted in partnership with the Japan National Football Association
March 14-15	Mexico City, Mexico	• Conducted in partnership with the Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional

2020 CFL OFF-SEASON CALENDAR

DATE	EVENT
March 12	Ontario Regional Combine in Toronto
March 13	Eastern Regional Combine in Montreal
March 20	Western Regional Combine in Edmonton
March 26-28	CFL Combine in Toronto
April 16	CFL Global Draft
April 30	CFL National Draft

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/11/05/cfl-ho...-mexico-japan/

[jerrym]

Below are the results from the January 11th Helsinki Global Combine:

https://www.cfl.ca/combine/2020-cfl-...bine-helsinki/

BERG, Christer	117	DL	Helsinki Roosters	5' 11 5/8"	267	12	5.63	26.00	8' 0"	7.96	4.70
BRAUNS, Karlis	118	DL	Hildesheim Invaders	6' 4"	264	22	5.18	30.50	8' 11"	7.44	4.65
KANTONEN, Niklas	7	TE	N/A	6' 1 7/8"	206		5.28	25.00	8' 5"	8.16	5.03
KHALIFA, Rufail	47	DB	Vaasa Royals	6' 2 1/4"	214	13	5.04	30.00	9' 2 1/2"	7.44	DNP
KYEI, Micky	12	REC	New Yorker Lions	5' 7 1/4"	193	22	4.83	33.50	9' 2 1/2"	7.37	4.34
LAHTI, Jere	113	OL	Helsinki Roosters	6' 1 7/8"	274	22	5.73	26.50	7' 7 1/2"	8.62	5.15
LEHTONEN, Tuukka	5	RB	Tampere Saints	6' 0 5/8"	206	12	5.09	26.50	8' 9"	7.52	4.57
LEMPINEN, Viljo	45	DB	Helsinki Roosters	6' 1 3/4"	188	7	4.86	32.50	9' 6 1/2"	7.40	4.47
OLIN, Akseli	46	LB	Helsinki Roosters	6' 0 1/2"	203	6	5.20	32.00	9' 2 1/2"	7.76	4.51
OUTINEN, Okko	101	DL	Helsinki Roosters	6' 3"	249	16	5.03	33.00	9' 3 1/2"	7.31	4.37
PAJARINEN, Karri	6	RB	Helsinki Roosters	5' 9 3/8"	208	21	5.07	32.50	9' 8"	7.31	DNP
SAGNE, Sebastien	13	REC	Frankfurt Universe	6' 1 7/8"	201	4	4.68	34.00	10' 2 1/2"	7.09	4.53
SHAKUROV, Ilia	102	DL	Griffins Saint Petersburg	6' 2 3/8"	236	6	4.99	28.50	8' 11"	7.26	4.66
STADLER, Daniel	120	DL	Miskolc Steelers	6' 4 5/8"	308	16	5.53	30.50	9' 0 1/2"	8.13	5.07
VAANANEN, Henri	22	QB	Helsinki Roosters

[jerrym]

Two players, WR Mickey Kyei and WR Sebastien Sagne earned invitations to the CFL Combine in Toronto on March 26-28.

[jerrym]

Here are the results from the Global Combine held in Sweden on January 12th.


https://www.cfl.ca/combine/2020-cfl-...ine-stockholm/

[jerrym]

Finnish WR Mickey Kyei was surprised when selected for the CFL Combine in Toronto. Director of International Scouting Greg Quick says Kyei reminds him of Chad Owen, pretty high praise and Kyei is unlikely to have such a career but he could still be valuable.

“I was pretty surprised,” Kyei said. “I really wasn’t expecting to be picked. I did not perform that well in the tests.”

Still, the 5-foot-8, 193-pound receiver, who some would call too short to play football, stood out at the combine and caught the eye of CFL director of international scouting Greg Quick. “Micky may look diminutive but few were as strong as he was, which means he is durable,” Quick said. “He had good speed but it was his change of direction that caught my eye. And his positive attitude.”

Kyei has been playing football for the past 14 years, starting in his hometown of Porvoo, Finland, which is about 50 kilometres East of Helsinki. But it was the year he spent in high school in Minnesota that changed him. “Everyone bought in. The entire town lived and breathed the high school football team,” Kyei said.

The 27-year-old, who’s a close friend and former teammate of Swedish Combine pick William James, is a highly sought-after receiver in Europe.

He spent part of the past season playing for the top team in Europe, the Braunschweig New Yorker Lionsfrom Germany. He helped the Lions win the German championship as the team’s top receiver in that game. Interestingly, he was also a teammate of James on the Manly Marlins rugby team in Australia for six months. ...

Quick saw something in Kyei that reminded him of one of the CFL’s finest receivers in the past decade and 2012 CFL MOP, Chad Owens. “He runs great routes and there is some electricity to him,” Quick said. “I could compare him to Chad Owens. He can get free in traffic, but he can also waggle back in the box to provide protection.”

The Finnish receiver did not know much about the Canadian Football League before he was invited to the combine. “I had no idea how much of a difference there was. Since then, I have seen a couple of games. I can see it being a big adjustment, especially for a receiver, but it’s really exciting too. I have talked a lot to Kimi Linnainmaa so I have an idea what I need to work on.”

https://www.cfl.ca/2020/01/16/finnis...r-sudden-turn/

[jerrym]

Here's a preview of the Friday January 17th Paris, France Global Combine. Two players, WRs Anthony Mahoungou and Anthony Dable, have played in the NFL preseason.

A total of 23 athletes will be on hand to take part in the CFL-France Combine including some notables such as Anthony Mahoungou, the standout wide receiver from the University of Purdue who spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as wide receiver Anthony Dable who spent the pre-season in 2016 with the New York Giants and the 2017 pre-season with the Atlanta Falcons.

Mahoungou played for the Frankfurt Universe in 2019 while Dable was with the Hildesheim Invaders, both teams in the German Football League. Another French player who was on NFL rosters, defensive back Tony Anderson (Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams) will also attend the Combine.

Three more CFL Global Combines are scheduled in January after this with the CFL crew splitting up and traveling to Italy and to Great Britain on January 25 and then moving on to Germany Sunday, January 26. ...

France was well represented on CFL rosters in 2019 with Boris Bede (kicker- Montreal Alouettes), Valentin Gnahoua (defensive line – Grey Cup finalists, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats), Benjamin Plu (WR – BC Lions), Asnnel Robo (RB – Calgary Stampeders), and Maxime Rouyer (defensive line – Edmonton Eskimos). ...

So far, three players have been chosen from the CFL Global Combines held in Finland and Sweden. From the Finnish combine, Micky Kyei and Sebastien Sagne were selected on from last weekend’s combine in Sweden, defensive back William James.

https://www.cfl.ca/2020/01/16/global...-paris-france/

[carlos]

Interesting times this global conquest.

One thing bothering me regarding the search for new talent and markets is that the indigenous people of Canada are not a talent pool that is being developed. I would love to see that door somehow opened and would not be surprised to see talented players and increased interest in from that population sector.

I worked with many first nation people over my career and was always impressed by the ability, athleticism, wealth of sports knowledge and interest in the games. Unfortunate that there is such a low level of participation. Jake Firlotte was one who attended the Bomber camp last year but did not make the team. I hope he is back for another try with more success this year. Even as a special teamer he would raise interest and awareness from an existing market right in the cities we play in.

If there are others I am not aware of them. I'm not sure how to get this started but believe it would be rewarding long term experience. Ideas?

[gilthethrill]

Interesting times this global conquest.

One thing bothering me regarding the search for new talent and markets is that the indigenous people of Canada are not a talent pool that is being developed. I would love to see that door somehow opened and would not be surprised to see talented players and increased interest in from that population sector.

I worked with many first nation people over my career and was always impressed by the ability, athleticism, wealth of sports knowledge and interest in the games. Unfortunate that there is such a low level of participation. Jake Firlotte was one who attended the Bomber camp last year but did not make the team. I hope he is back for another try with more success this year. Even as a special teamer he would raise interest and awareness from an existing market right in the cities we play in.

If there are others I am not aware of them. I'm not sure how to get this started but believe it would be rewarding long term experience. Ideas?

There is an oline prospect playing in New Mexico I believe by the name of Sage Doxtator who hails from just west of London. Originally he was draft eligible this year but his eligability was moved back a year.

[carlos]

I wish him all the best.

No doubt one of the issues is the exposure to coaching and development opportunities. Would be nice to see the CFL take a look and see if there might be a way to encourage interest and participation. Many no brainer marketing opportunities.

Kind of like what I think BC was trying to do with signing Sukh Chung.

[jerrym]

One thing bothering me regarding the search for new talent and markets is that the indigenous people of Canada are not a talent pool that is being developed. I would love to see that door somehow opened and would not be surprised to see talented players and increased interest in from that population sector.

I worked with many first nation people over my career and was always impressed by the ability, athleticism, wealth of sports knowledge and interest in the games. Unfortunate that there is such a low level of participation. Jake Firlotte was one who attended the Bomber camp last year but did not make the team. I hope he is back for another try with more success this year. Even as a special teamer he would raise interest and awareness from an existing market right in the cities we play in.

The first place to start, IMO, would be the CFL cities that have the largest proportion of indigenous people. According to Wikipedia, they are Winnipeg 13%, Saskatoon 13%, Regina 11%, Edmonton 6%, Calgary 3%, and Ottawa 3%. Since the Riders are a Saskatchewan team, Prince Albert, which 40% indigenous, would be another place that could be a potential source of players. The CFL could offer football clinics to indigenous players and free tickets to games to encourage interest both as fans and later as players.

[jerrym]

The Paris Combine resulted in two more players being offered to the Toronto Combine from March 26-28: WR Anthony Mahoungou and DB Tony Anderson

The Paris Combine results are shown at the url below:

https://www.cfl.ca/combine/2020-cfl-...combine-paris/

[jerrym]

Brazil's football federation has become the 13th nation, and the first South American one to sign a cooperative agreement with the CFL.

The Confederação Brasileira de Futebol Americano (CBFA), the gridiron football federation of Brazil, has reached an agreement with the Canadian Football League (CFL) to collectively grow the game.
“It is an honour to be part of this exciting partnership,” said CBFA president Italo Mingoni. “Our work together will showcase the talent and skill of Brazilian players on the world stage and further develop the foundations of the game in our country.” ...

“Our international partnerships now include the leading football federations and leagues in South America, Europe and Asia, as well as, Mexico,” said Randy Ambrosie, Commissioner of the CFL. “Together, we are building new pathways for players from around the world to seek opportunities in the CFL, for Canadians to play in other countries, and for the league to share its experiences and expertise on coaching, officiating and player development.” ...

Brazil’s football federation has also signed on as the latest member of the International Alliance of Gridiron Football, which was founded last November in Calgary, Canada, prior to the 107th playing of the CFL’s championship game, the Grey Cup.

The Alliance, a multilateral organization dedicated to expanding gridiron football’s footprint around the world, now includes the sport’s federations and elite leagues from Austria, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway and Sweden.

In Brazil, more than 18,000 registered players compete in regional leagues. The first and second divisions organized by the CBFA have 30 teams each. The organization boasts more than 400 men’s and women’s teams competing in tackle, flag and beach football. The CBFA also manages the men’s and women’s national teams.

https://www.cfl.ca/2020/01/21/brazil...n-partner-cfl/

[doubleblue]

Who knew they are playing American football in Brazil. Got to think there can be some good athletes found out of 18,000 registered players.

[jerrym]

Below is an article on DB William James, a player selected from the Swedish combine to attend the Toronto Combine after taking an unusual route to the CFL.

He’d spent the season playing rugby for the Manly Marlins. “I had left for Australia in December 2018 after playing in Germany with the Dresden Monarchs,” Jame said. “I spent the season playing rugby with the Marlins and got a job working with horses. Football seemed to be in the past for me. That has definitely changed now.” ...

James caught the attention of CFL Director of International Scouting Greg Quick and the rest of the CFL crew during the physical testing. The University of North Dakota product stood out, not necessarily with blazing speed but with a good all-around showing. Although James’s times were, for him, subpar — he ran a 4.87 40-yard dash — he benched 225 pounds 16 times and showed an explosion that impressed the scouts. His experience and college playing background were also apparent.

“One of the things that caught our interest was his demeanour,” said Quick. “He was very focused the entire time. His consistency throughout the testing was also apparent. He has the skills to translate to special teams which is so important in the CFL.” Also, his age was important, according to Quick. “It would be tough to throw a young, raw talent into training camp with a CFL head coach who might tear their head off suddenly. With William’s age and experience, he will be better able to handle that.” ...

James, whose father is from Great Britain and mother is Swedish, played for his club team in Sweden before deciding he wanted to give college football a try in the United States. He sent out letters to schools and North Dakota allowed him to walk on. After two years, he had earned a scholarship....

The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder had 103 tackles during his career with the Fighting Hawks. He started at safety off and on the final two years of his career finally while finding a more permanent spot on the team in his senior season. He played in the top German league for Dresden before heading to Australia and from 2016 to 2018, amassing a total of 313 tackles. For a man who was looking at career alternatives, his selection to attend the CFL Combine in Toronto was a life changer.

https://www.cfl.ca/2020/01/14/sweden...h-cfl-combine/