The CFL league has been in operation since 1955/56 (?) with 9 teams. The population of Canada has since doubled, cities like London, Québec City and even Halifax have grown to the possibility of having a football team. And yet, the CFL remains with the same number of teams. Why? Lack of interest from investors!
Also notice that the CFL has poor marketing management, no advertising and poor contacts with its fans, which would allow the league to increase in popularity and in teams. We see it on TV with a poor audience in the stands, except for a few Western teams..
Maybe it's time to have a new commissioner? Or restructure the Governors' committee.
And yet, I found the CFL more pleasant to watch than the NFL
The CFL is wanting a 10th team badly. Halifax is the prime spot, but the city folk are having financial
Issues about the project. A lot people
Say the interest in Quebec City is
Not there. I would love to see the Al’s play a game there just to see. I enjoy CFL more
Then NFL also
CFL has to clean up their act before expansion. Eastern teams shouldn't be starting their games at 10 eastern. Half your audience is asleep or getting there during the game.
CFL markets to families but expects parents to keep their kids out late until 10 or 11 local time. CFL should have a schedule during the summer where a team hosts on Saturday or Sunday between 1 and 4 local time. Divisional games for the most part for the night games on Thursday and Friday. Then add double headers August to October.
You do have a point regarding teams per capita in the USA versus Canada.
But we must realize there have been 9 teams since its creation in 1955/56, if I exclude the expansion in the USA of 6 teams which was a total fiasco. And the population in Canada has more than doubled ever since. So what is the problem except the CFL league has no interest in expanding.
I still have problems that the CFL cannot install one. ONE additional team in the East, such as London, Québec City or Halifax. Last but not least, the population in the Eastern conference is more than double of the Western Conference.
No expansion in 65 years, it's beyond me!! No other leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL) have neglected such interest in their fans.
Actually it wasn’t a total fiasco, it was only a partial fiasco. Baltimore fans went on Grey Cup pilgrimages for years after the team moved to Montreal (which was another positive for the CFL). Anthony Calvillo’s first team was with the Posse and he may not of ended up a CFL hall of famer if he didn’t get that first chance. Just look at how the Rock was cut from Calgary. Opportunities don’t come very often.
Only Memphis and Las Vegas had attendance averages lower than Toronto (which was around 17k at the time. American teams also boosted attendance around the league and Saskatchewan fans loved seeing those teams the most.
“The San Antonio Texans had respectable attendance, with the average being 15,855. In one of their games at the Alamodome, attendance reached 22,043, in a 38–32 loss to the Calgary Stampeders. The turmoil surrounding most of the other American CFL teams was not a significant factor in San Antonio.”
Again with the AFL/NFL name…Texans. Should have kept the WLAF name of Riders. That would have been hilarious .
I watched on a Rod Petersen YT channel and he said when the American teams came to play at old Taylor Field in Regina, the locals would come out in droves to watch a US adversary.
I think there could be the same effect like that in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal with possible CFL teams in Chicago, Seattle and New York or Philadelphia
I was referring to 1995 in my head and unfortunately it didn’t make it to the screen. Having said that Canadian CFL teams have papered crowds.
I also read a story a while back that Montreal made the same amount of money from tickets in 2021 despite pandemic restrictions because they didn’t give out free tickets
Someone else told me that the nfl games in Toronto were papered. One fellow had a homeless man sitting beside him during the game
Google discount promo code and any CFL team and you see what deals can be made. Getting people in the building is normal business practice
Agreed. Boggles the mind how when it came to US teams the freebie tickets are always brought up but we act like it doesn’t happen up here and every last ticket is paid for (which it is not)
The last time I was in Montreal in 2017 I bought 2 tickets off a scalper for roughly 50% off and my one buddy was offered 2 freebies from a bar nearby but wound up attending the Comedy festival instead.
True, but the franchise continued in a Canadian city because of the losses they had already incurred in Baltimore combined with no hope of ever turning those losses into profits in a US market.
