The CFL and German League Partnership

[jerrym]

The CFL and the German football league AFVD (American Football Verband Deutschland) have reached a strategic partnership agreement aimed at growing the sport in both Canada and Germany that includes having selected German players come to the March CFL Combine, as well as the exchange of players between the two countries.



“We will share resources with the aim of helping each other on the football and business sides of our two leagues,” said Randy Ambrosie, Commissioner of the CFL. ...

The two leagues also discussed creating better pathways for more young Canadian players to continue playing in Germany once their university or junior football careers have ended and for aspiring German football players to gain an education and opportunities to play the game they love in the Canadian university system. ...

The German Football League features 32 teams playing in two separate divisions or tiers, with the top 16 competing for a berth in its championship, the German Bowl.
It sits atop a rapidly growing national system of gridiron football that boasts 450 club teams and 65,000 members, often described as the deepest and most advanced in Europe.
“We are confident this partnership will benefit both leagues and football in both countries,” said Carsten Dalkowski, Chairman of the American Football Verband Deutschland (AFVD).
The Canadian league has embarked on a mission — Ambrosie calls it CFL 2.0 — to increase its international footprint, talent pool and business opportunities while growing the game in Canada and around the world. ...

“Gridiron Football is played and thriving in more than 30 countries,” said Ambrosie. “We all owe it to our great game, our talented athletes and our legions of fans to work together so gridiron football and those who play it can achieve their full potential.”
https://www.cfl.ca/2019/01/31/cfl-gfl-form-strategic-football-partnership/

[CFLfan]

"gridiron football is played and thriving in 30 countries" - Canada is the only country that plays with different rules and a different sized field.

The only advantage I see to this talk about agreements with Mexico and Germany is that it keeps the CFL in the news during the off season.

[ArgoGabe22]

Correct me if i'm wrong but think the German league is better and more established than the Mexican one? I remember Rhein Fire and Frankfurt Galaxy.

[gilthethrill]

Correct me if i'm wrong but think the German league is better and more established than the Mexican one? I remember Rhein Fire and Frankfurt Galaxy.

Rhein Fire and Frankfurt Galaxy were members of the old NFL Europe. I think they drew pretty well at the gate. From what I read, the German League (not to be confused with the Human League) has been around a couple decades and has several clubs in a tiered system, probably has a higher talent level than Mexico. I think Ambrosie can show Germany that CFL football is played at a high level which will result in a strong following...same goes for Mexico.

Other than that I know nussing about the GFL....nussing!

[CFLfan]

Rhein Fire and Frankfurt Galaxy were members of the old NFL Europe. I think they drew pretty well at the gate. From what I read, the German League (not to be confused with the Human League) has been around a couple decades and has several clubs in a tiered system, probably has a higher talent level than Mexico. I think Ambrosie can show Germany that CFL football is played at a high level which will result in a strong following...same goes for Mexico.

Other than that I know nussing about the GFL....nussing!

But the NFL Europe players were all Americans that couldn't make the NFL.
Some interesting comments from Germans about the GFL:

"So in general, I can echo thewindinthewillow's points, very few people in Germany care about it. The NFL seems to be growing a bit in popularity at the moment, it has started to pop up on TV a bit more and the Super Bowl is somewhat of an event here as well, but overall American Football is still rather niche - and those fans that do care usually are more into the NFL, not the GFL."

Seems like it's a sport in Germany that only attracts family and friends of the players to the game.
But the German Bowl did draw 15k in Berlin last year.

https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/comments/7xmemc/german_football_league_gfl/

[matthew]

Truly a League of Nations!

[argolio]

In a kind of related story, today the University of Virginia gave a scholarship to a QB from Germany.
https://www.streakingthelawn.com/2019/2/6/18146889/2019-commitment-profile-luke-wentz-quarterback-virginia-cavaliers-football-recruiting-signing-uva

[jerrym]

Ambrosie has been very busy signing more agreements with leagues in other countries. After signing deals with Mexican and German leagues, the CFL reached a deal with the French American Football Federation.



The CFL has reached a partnership with the French American Football Federation.

The two sides announced the deal Tuesday. The agreement calls for each league to work to grow football by providing new opportunities for players.

“This is the perfect extension of everything we are working to accomplish with our CFL 2.0 strategy,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement. “On every point, we found common ground, a shared drive to grow the game of football.”


https://nationalpost.com/pmn/sports-pmn/football-sports-pmn/cfl-football-sports-pmn/cfl-reaches-and-agreement-with-french-american-football-federation

[jerrym]

Ambrosie's trip to Europe has also led to agreements with four Nordic leagues.



Canadian Football League commissioner Randy Ambrosie put the cap on a productive European tour Thursday by announcing deals with federations in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. ...

They contain pledges to grow the game, provide opportunities for graduating Canadian university and junior players to play abroad and for Nordic athletes to chase CFL careers, and to facilitate exchanges that develop coaches, officials and medical personnel.However, for various reasons there will be a select few Nordic players at the international combine set for Toronto in late March. ...

“Since our league starts in April, it would be counterproductive to send players to the CFL combine,” acting chair of the Swedish federation Martin Soderberg said prior to his meeting with Ambrosie. “And the ones good enough (to play pro), if any, have probably signed contracts in the GFL or are still going to school in the U.S. But I´m certain that there will be players in the future good enough for the CFL.”

Norway’s rep said his country doesn’t have enough pro prospects yet. “At this time, it is more helpful for coaches on the federation and national team level to attend the CFL combine, in order to obtain benchmark information on what it takes,” said Jorgen Benestad-Johansen, Norway’s national team head coach. “Over the next three to five years, it is likely that Norwegian players will be encouraged to attend.”

There is more potential for players from Finland and Denmark to attend the first international combine. “Top national team players are potential players for the CFL and we will encourage all of those that are in that range and able to attend to look into this opportunity,” said Roope Noronen, president of the American Football Association of Finland.

Lars Carlsen, athletic director of Denmark’s federation, said he believes a few of his country’s players would attend. “Danish kids who would have an interest in going to the CFL will be kids in U.S. colleges. They will be most suitable. We might have a handful. Some people will want to try it out.”

The deals Ambrosie signed are intended to be long-term and it will take time to build a base of global prospects. “I think an agreement will establish a possible pipeline for Norwegian players, going forward,” said Benestad-Johansen. “This will serve as motivation and possibilities. Also on knowledge, coach education and coach exchange levels, such an agreement will be very positive. It may also open up young players to attend Canadian university football programs, more so than just chasing NCAA scholarships.”

Soderberg said there are 1,500 players 18 and over in Sweden. There are also about 50 Swedish players in the GFL and at U.S. colleges. “There could be a handful, maybe five, Swedish players good enough for the CFL,” he said.

The CFL and its newest partners also agreed to seek joint business opportunities, including the potential development of a Nordic edition of the CFL app Football Frenzy.
https://nationalpost.com/sports/football/cfl/cfl-signs-deal-with-nordic-football-federations/wcm/ad47f2f8-46ca-411a-80ab-d660ad3fcdd8

[jerrym]

In addition to these deals, Ambrosie signed an agreement with the Austrian American Football Federation leading to the following joint statement by the two leagues.




“Following a productive day of information sharing and discussion here in Vienna, we have reached an agreement to work together to grow the game in both of our countries. We share a passion for creating opportunities for Austrian players to play at the highest levels and for Canadian players to take advantage of the fantastic opportunity that is football in Austria. With football season in Austria set to start on March 16, the top players from that country will not be able to participate this spring in the CFL’s National Combine for top Canadian prospects and players from around the gridiron football world. But we look forward to future years and all that we can achieve together.”
https://3downnation.com/2019/02/06/cfl-partners-with-austrian-american-football-federation/

[argotom]

It's good to promote our league world wide.
It's too bad we can't get some of these nations to play 3 down.
As smart as Ambrosie is for these well thought out "partnerships", I hope the league will begin to reap the financial rewards shortly.
Due to proximity and potential TV deal, Mexico would seem to be the first and best?

[CFLfan]

It's good to promote our league world wide.
It's too bad we can't get some of these nations to play 3 down.
As smart as Ambrosie is for these well thought out "partnerships", I hope the league will begin to reap the financial rewards shortly.
Due to proximity and potential TV deal, Mexico would seem to be the first and best?

How would we feel if the other dozens of countries including the US wanted us to switch to 4 downs?
None of these countries play 3 downs, they chose 4 down football.
Would playing 4 downs increase interest in the CFL, would attendance go up in Toronto, maybe a good TV deal with ESPN?

[R.J]

How would we feel if the other dozens of countries including the US wanted us to switch to 4 downs?
None of these countries play 3 downs, they chose 4 down football.
Would playing 4 downs increase interest in the CFL, would attendance go up in Toronto, maybe a good TV deal with ESPN?
Maybe the Argos and CFL should just fold, since they'll never be able to compete with the NFL. And, around the world, heck even in Canada outside of the West, nobody cares about 3 down football...

[jerrym]

Italy has become the ninth league to sign an agreement with the CFL.



The Federazione Italiana di American Football (FIDAF) and the CFL announced they will team up in a partnership to grow the game. ...

The FIDAF has a top division of nine teams, 62 clubs in two lower divisions, a growing flag football movement with more than 55 junior and 38 senior teams, and a women’s championship.
The agreement includes co-operation on player health and safety issues and coaching exchanges. It’s possible players from Italy could attend next month’s CFL national combine in Toronto. The countries also are discussing whether there could be player exchanges, seeing Canadians play in Italy and Italians offered opportunities in U Sports and junior football.

"We can do more together to grow our game than we can on our own," CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement. "We can improve our international footprint, expand our talent pool, and possibly create new broadcast and streaming markets for our games, at the same time we contribute to and learn from leagues around the world."

FIDAF president Leoluca Orlando is happy with the deal. "We welcome this opportunity to share opportunities and expertise with our friends in football from Canada, home to one of the world’s oldest and strongest football traditions," Orlando said. "There is so much we can do together for our athletes, our fans and our game."
https://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/italy-becomes-9th-international-football-league-join-forces-cfl/

[jerrym]

The British American Football Association became the tenth football league to partner with the CFL.



Great Britain is joining the growing alliance of gridiron football nations pledging to work with the Canadian Football League (CFL) to grow the game.
The British American Football Association (BAFA), the national governing body for the sport in Great Britain, is entering into a partnership with the CFL.

“This new relationship will help introduce Canadian Football to a wider audience in the U.K. and allow us to develop all aspects of the British game – not just on the field, but from a business perspective, too,” said BAFA Director Bruce Leatherman. There is so much we can learn through sharing knowledge and ideas, and we’re also hugely excited to have new opportunities for our coaches to develop and our players to grow and achieve their full potential. BAFA is delighted to be working in partnership with the CFL to grow the sport we all love.” ...

The CFL had already reached similar agreements with organizations in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Norway and Sweden.

The CFL regular season kicked off last month with 24 global players (from outside Canada and the United States) on CFL rosters.
“We are expanding our international footprint, expanding our talent pool, and looking to create new broadcast and streaming markets for our games,” Ambrosie said. At the same time, we want to contribute to and learn from leagues around the world and provide greater opportunities for Canadian players in other countries. Working together, we can make football even bigger and better everywhere.”
https://www.cfl.ca/2019/07/12/british-american-football-association-partner-cfl/

[Tricky Dick]

A nice look at another Argonaut club from across the pond. This one, from France.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEUqZAQC33E

[Tricky Dick]

Maybe the Argos and CFL should just fold, since they'll never be able to compete with the NFL. And, around the world, heck even in Canada outside of the West, nobody cares about 3 down football...

This has got to be the biggest sad-sack put-down of a brand I've read in a while.
Buddy, have a close read of these articles:

https://www.macleans.ca/society/two-point-conversion-how-the-cfl-is-wooing-american-viewers/

(https://www.macleans.ca/society/two-point-conversion-how-the-cfl-is-wooing-american-viewers/)https://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/young-american-audience-taking-notice-of-cfl/

Your American friends are flocking to a game you say sucks.

[AngeloV]

This has got to be the biggest sad-sack put-down of a brand I've read in a while.
Buddy, have a close read of these articles:

https://www.macleans.ca/society/two-point-conversion-how-the-cfl-is-wooing-american-viewers/

(https://www.macleans.ca/society/two-point-conversion-how-the-cfl-is-wooing-american-viewers/)https://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/young-american-audience-taking-notice-of-cfl/

Your American friends are flocking to a game you say sucks.

In defence of RJ, his post was a sarcastic response to a post (quoted below) of a now (for the 5th time?) banned poster. He doesn't feel that way about the league.



How would we feel if the other dozens of countries including the US wanted us to switch to 4 downs?
None of these countries play 3 downs, they chose 4 down football.
Would playing 4 downs increase interest in the CFL, would attendance go up in Toronto, maybe a good TV deal with ESPN?

[Bosco]

This has got to be the biggest sad-sack put-down of a brand I've read in a while.
Buddy, have a close read of these articles:

https://www.macleans.ca/society/two-point-conversion-how-the-cfl-is-wooing-american-viewers/

(https://www.macleans.ca/society/two-point-conversion-how-the-cfl-is-wooing-american-viewers/)https://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/young-american-audience-taking-notice-of-cfl/

Your American friends are flocking to a game you say sucks.

those articles are 4 years old.
show me where Americans are flocking to the game. does the CFL have a lucrative TV contract in the US? are the ratings high?

[bannedforlife]

those articles are 4 years old.
show me where Americans are flocking to the game. does the CFL have a lucrative TV contract in the US? are the ratings high?They were higher than MLS

[SkalbaniasGhost]

those articles are 4 years old.
show me where Americans are flocking to the game. does the CFL have a lucrative TV contract in the US? are the ratings high?

CFL does well without any support from it's so-called partner.

MLS has dedicated advertising,timeslots, ad sales, shoulder programming and compensation with a 40 million dollar(US)contract.

I would love to see what the CFL could do with a properly negotiated rights deal.

Ambrosie and the BOG failed(again) with this arrangement.

https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/osc-weekly-ratings-wrapup/n-5513153




(https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/osc-weekly-ratings-wrapup/n-5513153)

[Tricky Dick]

My apologies to RJ, and thanks, AngeloV .

[Tricky Dick]

those articles are 4 years old.
show me where Americans are flocking to the game. does the CFL have a lucrative TV contract in the US? are the ratings high?

Hi Bosco, true the articles are old, but it's in the latter one (sportsnet.ca) that I saw something I thought deserved attention even today. If some 45% of respondents in that young age bracket in the US will tell anyone they (1) know about the CFL and (2) even follow it, I will celebrate that. What it tells me is the Canadian League is doing something quite special by drawing an interest from young college fans in the States who want to follow their college heroes' immediate pro careers. As opposed to watching them sit on a bench or hold clipboards on an NFL sideline for three years.

[shayman]

Those statistics, whether four years old or not, just defy common sense. "One in 10 Americans say they follow the Canadian Football League." Seriously? I'd be surprised if 1 in 100 Americans could even name a team in the Canadian Football League.

[AngeloV]

Those statistics, whether four years old or not, just defy common sense. "One in 10 Americans say they follow the Canadian Football League." Seriously? I'd be surprised if 1 in 100 Americans could even name a team in the Canadian Football League.

I agree with you. Maybe 1 in 10 players that have pro football aspirations know about and follow the league, but no chance it’s 1 in 10 American football fans.

[jerrym]

Having signed an agreement with the CFL recently, the league announced that the British American Football Association will be sending players to the 2020 CFL Combine.


The CFL is inviting more global players to the national combine in 2020, this time from Great Britain.

There were players from France, Germany, Italy, and Finland (https://3downnation.com/2019/03/14/cfl-invites-18-players-from-international-countries-to-national-combine/) at the combine in March, nine of whom were selected in the inaugural global draft (https://3downnation.com/2019/04/11/nine-players-selected-in-first-cfl-european-draft/).

Each team has been required to dress one global player this season. Many have been little more than glorified cheerleaders, though some globals — including Hamilton kicker Gabriel Amavizca and Winnipeg linebacker Thiadric Hansen — have actually played.

The CFL formed a partnership with the British American Football Association last month. Existing partnerships are already in place with organizations from countries including Mexico, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Norway, France, Sweden, Finland, and Austria. The terms of these deals have not been disclosed.
https://3downnation.com/2019/08/03/cfl-to-invite-british-players-to-2020-national-combine/

[jerrym]

Japan's National Football Association is the latest organization to partner with the CFL, making it the 11th nation to establish such a partnership.



Japan is the latest country to join the Canadian Football League in what has rapidly become a global movement to grow the game of gridiron football. “We are proud to join our friends in the CFL in a partnership designed to strengthen our game here in Japan, Canada and, ultimately, around the world,” said Riichiro Fukahori, commissioner of Japan’s National Football Association (NFA).

The NFA is the eleventh leading federation or league from around the world to partner with the Canadian Football League in the past 11 months. The CFL had already reached similar agreements with gridiron football organizations in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Sweden and Great Britain.

“We welcome Japan, one of the great sporting nations in the world and a country that has been playing gridiron football for decades,” said CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie, who has spearheaded the movement. “We have agreed to work together to grow the great game of gridiron football in our two countries. And with this partnership comes an opportunity to work with others around the world who share our vision and goals.”

There are currently 442 teams throughout Japan registered with the country’s national association, including 206 college teams and 111 high schools. The top tier in the country is the X-League, which has 53 teams. All of the players are amateurs and belong to either club teams, which are supported by sponsors, or company teams, which are owned and operated by a business and feature employees of that business as players.

There has been a trend towards club teams in recent years. The Fujitsu Frontiers, who won the first ever X-League title in 2014, are one of the few remaining company teams.
https://www.cfl.ca/2019/11/04/japan-becomes-latest-gridiron-league-partner-cfl/

[jerrym]

The CFL will be holding Global Player Combines in Mexico, Europe and Japan during the offseason.



“Becoming a more global league, and expanding our international footprint, are important pillars for our vision of CFL 2.0,” commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement. ...

“We’ll travel the world in search of the finest football talent, and at the same time, we’ll continue working closely with our international partners to create more opportunities for Canadian players to develop their skills and continue their careers.”

The Global combines are designed to assess and measure the size, speed, athletic ability and football skills of top players from outside Canada and the United States who have aspirations of playing professionally in Canada. The international combines will be attended by representatives of the CFL league office and its yet-to-be-appointed director of global scouting. The top players will be invited to Toronto from March 26-28 for the 2020 CFL combine. ...


Global combine schedule

<tbody>
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

</tbody>


2020 Canada combine, Global and CFL draft schedule

<tbody>
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


</tbody>

https://3downnation.com/2019/11/05/cfl-holding-global-player-combines-in-europe-mexico-and-japan/

[doubleblue]

I don't know for sure who all is being considered a Global player. I'm assuming it will be anybody not from the US and Canada. Going by that I found about twelve Senior players in Division I NCAA that would be considered Global players.

5 Punters all from Australia. Steve Coutts 6'4 215 California, Mitchell Crawford 6'0 185 UTEP, Haydon Whitehead 6'2 195 Indiana, Jamie Sackville 5'11 195 SMU, Josh Growden 6'2 200 West Virginia.

Also found 7 Senior Linemen. Only one listed as a starter. LT Prince Tega-Wanogho 6'7 305 Auburn (Nigeria). Others are DE Franklin Agbasimere 6'2 255 Missouri (Nigeria), OT Abdul Bello 6'6 315 Florida State (Nigeria), OT Chris Ferguson 6'5 315 Cincinnati (Bahamas)
DE Jan-Philip Bombek 6'4 255 Colorado State (Germany), DE Lone Tonges 6'2 290 California (New Zealand), DT Misiona Alolupotea 6'3 270 Washington State (Australia)

Of the Punters Steve Coutts at California appears to have the best average at around 43. LT Prince Tega-Wanagho is in his third year starting at Auburn so he could be someone of interest maybe even to the NFL. The others are good enough to be playing NCAA Div I football so in most cases should be ahead of the calibre found on the CFL rosters this past year.

[doubleblue]

I don't know for sure who all is being considered a Global player. I'm assuming it will be anybody not from the US and Canada. Going by that I found about twelve Senior players in Division I NCAA that would be considered Global players.

5 Punters all from Australia. Steve Coutts 6'4 215 California, Mitchell Crawford 6'0 185 UTEP, Haydon Whitehead 6'2 195 Indiana, Jamie Sackville 5'11 195 SMU, Josh Growden 6'2 200 West Virginia.

Also found 7 Senior Linemen. Only two listed as a starter. LT Prince Tega-Wanogho 6'7 305 Auburn (Nigeria) and Steve Nielson 6'8 325 Eastern Michigan (Denmark). Others are DE Franklin Agbasimere 6'2 255 Missouri (Nigeria), OT Abdul Bello 6'6 315 Florida State (Nigeria), OT Chris Ferguson 6'5 315 Cincinnati (Bahamas)
DE Jan-Philip Bombek 6'4 255 Colorado State (Germany), DE Lone Tonges 6'2 290 California (New Zealand), DT Misiona Alolupotea 6'3 270 Washington State (Australia)

Of the Punters Steve Coutts at California appears to have the best average at around 43. LT Prince Tega-Wanagho is in his third year starting at Auburn so he could be someone of interest maybe even to the NFL. The others are good enough to be playing NCAA Div I football so in most cases should be ahead of the calibre found on the CFL rosters this past year.

More Global invites on the list now for the CFL combine. Glad to see some players down in the NCAA invited. Playing Div I in the NCAA would seem to make them more Pro ready than other Global Leagues. A player like Steve Nielson from Denmark starting LT at Eastern Michigan might be a good pick up. Could dress as one of the 2 Globals and back up on the O Line and maybe eventually start there. Randy should get Nigeria signed up as I found three Senior linemen from there playing Division I NCAA football.

[Skinny G]

Looks like the Australian Football league is moving to the 3 down game from the 4 down game.

See the link below for details. Start at 7:25

https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/ambrosie-on-supporting-b-c-market-growing-the-cfl-s-fan-base~1913192

[doubleblue]

Looks like the Australian Football league is moving to the 3 down game from the 4 down game.

See the link below for details. Start at 7:25

https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/ambrosie-on-supporting-b-c-market-growing-the-cfl-s-fan-base~1913192

There seems to be more Aussies playing in the NCAA then from any other country. Many of them kickers though. Germany probably being second.

[Skinny G]

There seems to be more Aussies playing in the NCAA then from any other country. Many of them kickers though. Germany probably being second.

You are correct DB. It looks as though NCAA schools are leveraging Aussies as kickers because it is easier to convert them into P or K than developing a local product from scratch.

BTW here is some more info regarding the recent additions to the global combine.

http://ninetynineyards.com/2020/03/04/cfl-global-players-announced-part-3/