I see Moncton is putting the finishing touches on a 20,000-seat stadium, with boxes and all the amenities, and there is a distinct possbility the place will be sold out to watch the...Argos.
While I think Quebec City has proven it deserves an expansion team, Moncton has the facility almost ready to go. What cities do you think should be in line for a new franchise?
My three, in order, are: Moncton, Quebec, Ottawa.
In terms of ready facilities, Moncton will obviously be first; I've heard a lot about the Lansdowne proposal, but is anything actually happening in Quebec?
In terms of established fan base, I think the order would probably be different, maybe Quebec, Ottawa, Moncton. As a Maritimer I would love to see a team in Moncton (closer to me than Halifax) but there is a pretty strong sports culture down here that puts hockey first and probably nothing else in the top five, and then looks to the "Boston states": MLB Red Sox, NFL Patriots, etc. University football may do OK, I don't know; on PEI we lost our varsity team 25 years ago. The CFL will have to do good research and work hard for a successful Atlantic team. A new Renegades that can't make the playoffs for years won't cut it. There isn't enough spare cash down here for people to support a hopeless cause.
With the ball rolling in Ottawa i'll say the top 3 are:
- Moncton/Halifax
- Quebec City
- London
I have put my two cents' worth in on this subject before, but I will state it again. I would love to see a 12-team league in the CFL. However, we all know that for professional sports to succeed, there MUST be fan interest, good marketing, and corporate sponorship. While hockey may be the national sport, the CFL is the only coast-to-coast CANADIANsport in the sense that there are only Canadian cities involved.
I think the game is popular in the Maritime, but I'm not sure which Maritime city would be prepared to host a team, so I will say Halifax.
EAST DIVISION
Halifax
Quebec City
Montreal
Ottawa
Toronto
Hamilton
WEST DIVISION
London
Winnipeg
Regina
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver
Playoff format - top two teams in each division get a bye.
Semi-finals: The 2nd and 3rd-place teams of each division are seeded and ranked 1 to 4 by W-L record and by Pts for/Pts against.
Semi-final A - team 1 vs team 3
Semi-final B - team 2 vs team 4
Finals: The top teams in each division, plus the two remaining teams from the semi-finals are all seeded the same way and ranked 1 to 4.
Final A - team 1 vs team 3
Final B - team 2 vs team 4
Gray Cup - winner of each final
One more thing. It would be a 16-game schedule during the regular season. Each team would play against its divisional rivals home and away once. They would play all of the other divisions teams once; half at home and half away. The format for home-away games against the other division would switch each year.
While it would be a somewhat shorter season, the playoff format, as described in my last post, would make the season about the same as it is now, with the exception that some teams would have been eliminated earlier.
12 teams isnt for a real long time... 10 teams though, that will be alright(moncton and Ottowa being added)
The only way they can add Ottawa is by securing Hamilton and Toronto. They need to fix those two franchise or IMO expansion will never happen in Ottawa anyway.
Agreed. As I stated, a for a pro sports team to be successful, there must be a fan base, good marketing, and corporate sposorship. I have always scratched my head why Toronto and Vancouver don't sell out, or at least draw at least 45,000 per game.
I have heard NFL afficionados tell me that the NFL would sell out in our major cities. Not sure about that. Anybody seen the price of season tickets for the NFL? The Bills have played a few games in TO and there has been a good turnout, but could that happen game in, game out?
I think the CFL has a good product, but I think better marketing, community involvement...etc. are still required to sell the game. I would really like to see teams from coast to coast.
LONDON? really? unless the ticats dont get their stadium built i suppose they could move there but no way does london ever get a team... NEVER.
if u want 12 teams.. this is the only real option
East
1.montreal 2. quebec city 3. toronto 4. hamilton (or london or mississauga, not both or all 3) 5. moncton 6. ottawa
west
- bc 2. calgary 3. edmonton 4. winnipeg 5. regina 6. saskatoon
Thats about all you can do..
nothing more than that... EVER unless our population magically doubles in the next i dunno 20 years..
realistically tho
west
- bc 2. edmoton 3. calgary 4. winnipeg 5. sask
east
- montreal 2. toronto 3. hamilton 4. moncton 5. quebec city or ottawa.
im not convinced ottawa is gonna get a team yet.. i think moncton will join b4 ottawa.. these regular season games they are having out there is the big test.. its SOLD OUT ALREADY.. lets see if it sells out next season aswell and if it does.. by 2012 probably.. moncton will have a team.
Your 10 team format looks most realistic, and I like the Moncton and QC prospects better than Ottawa.
Like I said before, Moncton has the desire for a team, Halifax has the $.
The Argos, I believe, have more community involvement than any other CFL team and have helped put football programs in a number of high schools who either never had a program or who’s program died out.
As for the Ottawa detractors...do you really believe that the Lansdowne Live project is doomed? What is it that makes you say expansion will never happen in Ottawa?
The CFL could succeed in Ottawa...if they would just get rid of the idiotic ownership they have had over the last decades.
The Ottawa franchise will definitely be playing in 2012 depending if they get financing I could also see Moncton getting a franchise as well. Saskatoon will Never get a franchise although London or Windsor were on the CFL's radar. By 2012 I could easily see us at 9 or 10 teams Hopefully 12 by 2020