CFL re-alignment

CFL Talk
1

Let's face it, the CFL needs some changes. Once 9 teams are restored, why not have three divisions with three teams? It would create some natural rivalries and create more of a chance for each team to claim a top spot. For the playoffs, you would take the three divsion leaders, then the next two best teams as wild cards.The two wild cards would play each other in week one of the playoffs, then that winner would play the best overall team, while the other two would do battle. The winners then play for the Grey Cup. The divsions could look like this:

West: BC,Edmonton,Calgary

Central: Saskatchewan,Winnipeg,Hamilton

East: Montreal,Toronto,Ottawa

2

i think they need more teams but your idea is a good start :cowboy:

3

I'm not sure I see the point. How does this improve things?

There are already rivalries in the league, and you have broken up one by putting Hamilton and Toronto in different divisions.

And if I am not mistaken, the greenriders seem to have their biggest rivalries with the Alberta teams, but I'm not sure.

Also, only 5 teams make the playoffs. With one less playoff game, the league makes less money overall. The B.O.G would never agree.

What the league needs is a team in Ottawa so that Winnipeg can be in the west where it belongs.

4

Okay Gary Bettman, please go back to hockey will ya!

Seriously, until the CFL gets more teams (Other than Ottawa,which isn't going to happen within the next 5 years or more), there is no need to make changes. It is fine as it is now. I get to see every team at home. I get to see all the "stars" from the other teams by this current format.

It isn't broke....don't fix it.

5

How about 8 divisions of 1 team each? The BC Division could have the BC Lions, the Edmonton Division would have the Esks and so on. It would really simplify things and then we'd have as many divisions as the NFL.

6
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Careful appleby, the "pro expansion" people will take you seriously, and add Kelowna and Victoria to the BC div, Red Dear and Fort Mac to The Edmonton Div Medicine Hat to the Calgary Div ....... :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

7

no thank you

its fine judt the way it is.

8

This format creates three races to win the division and makes the playoffs more legitimate. Why play 18 games to eliminate two teams as it is now. Now all you have to do is play OK and you are in. That's why many view the CFL as a bush league. Ask yourself ,is the CFL thriving?

9

For our population, we are trying to support 3 times the teams per capita as the NFL. We are doing ok.

If CFL is any less popular than at any time in the past, it is thanks to TV and the INTernet making the rest of the sports world so much easily available to us. Ad to that that most of our population growth these days is from immigration, and we have increased percentage of people heavily influenzed by US sports and leagues and media. CFL will survive, with patience, loyalty, and not rushing to expand for at least 10 more yrs.

doing thing like realignment will only serve to alienate establish long time fans.

10

Who lets these wacko’s ever post here???

11

You are right, long time fans are important, but the future is in the youth, you need to get them excited about the game…It just seems the CFL needs a push. Expansion is hard, as you point out, as Canada does not have the population. All I’m saying is a fresh approach couldn’t hurt. I want the league to survive and do well, it’s a great game. The three divisions would create three distinct fights for a first place finish, then behind that you would have teams fighting for two wild cards. I think it would create more excitement.

12

Whats the value in 3 team divisions? Getting first would have less accomplishment value, and what would the schedule be like?

13

Actually, it's not bad schedule wise.

Play the teams in your division 3 times, and every other team twice.

14

Unless the CFL is able to expand to more than 14 teams, there is no need for any more than 2 divisions. Part of the reason the Grey Cup is so popular is the fact that it takes advantage of the traditional east-west rivalry. The system we now have serves the CFL and it's fans well, it doesn't need to be changed.

15

The value is you create more intense rivalries when you are trying to get that first spot in your division. Yes, it’s nice to finish first now, but if you can come in second or third you are OK too, just don’t come in last place. With three divisions the pressure in on to win your division, and if you don’t, you better play well enough to get a wild card spot.

16

Ive always liked the idea of one division, but
some people seem to like it being a guaranteed
East vs West Grey cup.

I personally could... no couldnt care less. :lol:

17

I like Mark 7’s idea - It would be worth a try and might create more excitement - if it doesn’t work after a year, scrap it and go back to the old way.

18

Bleh tinkering with formats is a bad idea at the best of times. There is nothing broken now.

19

Doesn't work for playoffs, doesn't work due to divisional alignments.

The 9th team will be out east(it seems)
so division:
west: BC/EDM/CAL
Central: SSK/WPG/HAM
East: TO/MTL/QBC

ya just ticked off Edmonton and Hamilton.

However Winnipeg is very happy, their biggest rivals are their divisional opponents.

Less playoff games = bad
1 less game + less sponsorship $$

Divisions should always be even.
2 then 4.
there is no need for more divisions unless the CFL gets to 12 teams, then 4 divisions of 3 works just fine.

HERE IS WHAT IMO THE CFL SHOULD DO!

Expand to 10 teams in 2009
1 team in QBC
Other team a road team(Full TC will be held in Halifax, possibly with an exhibition game)

This requires a location for this road team to play in 2010. Well there is the proposed 10K seat moncton stadium that could be bumped up to 20K+, Halifax could get off their butts and build a stadium or Ottawa can get a final shot at making the CFL successful.

this extra team would setup camp(for the season) in Kingston or Trois Rivieres or Sherbrooke or Guelph. and use their Uni stadium for practice and such.(providing it's allowed and blah blah blah)

The only expenses of a road team are travel(which should be low, they should be playing 12 games vs MTL/QBC/TO/HAM which are all within a short distance of their "home" city) costs which are lower then BC/SSK/WPG easily.

Player costs(which should be 3M, first season start at the league min, get lots of young talent in there)

Then GM + coaches + training staff.

Where will this team get it's money?
from the teams that get extra home games, 9 teams will get an extra home game or 2 and will then give 10% or 15% of their gate + gameday revenue to the Road team.
ALSO the league will get the same 10% of League sponsorship money as everyone else.

in the end that's over 1.6M from the league and should be 3-6M from shared team revenues + potential sponsorship money and Sales(Jerseys and such, people love an under-dog)

in the end the team would get 4.6-7.6M, more then enough to cover their expenses as they have no marketing or other non-football expense.(front office, Admin)

Going by Edmonton last year they spent ~8.2M on Football related expenses(this includes away game expenses). However they by no means were over the cap, the difference just in player salaries is something like 1-1.5M$ + I doubt a new team would spend 1.5M combined in
"Recruitment and training + equipment and other team costs??"

so a team like this should have expenses in the range of:
3-3.3M on players
1M on Recruiting + TC
1M on away games
1M on coaches + Training staff
total: 6.3M

This is actually looking like a more viable way to start up a CFL team. it's alot easier to tell an owner you may lose 500K in your first, but then you actually have a team you can market vs. you could lose alot in your first year and don't have anything to market to your fans.

This way when you setup shop in say Halifax in 2010 you can start running commercials with your players who have played for your team before, basicly your team is like a team relocating and not an expansion franchise.

Relocating teams are much easier sells then expansion franchises.

20

While the 8 division concept does merit consideration, at least each team would be able to hoist a championship banner. I'm just not sure how important an East/West GC still is?

In today's CFL, Wpg could play Sask for the GC, after the Bombers defeated Calgary in the Eastern Final (via the crossover)! And let's not forget the immortal North vs South GC clashes??