Expansion thought

Either I’m not that old or my memory is lousy(smart money is on the latter). I do however reserve the right to change who I root for halfway through the game, so I can sympathize.

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Looking at the makeup of the BOG as it sits now you might get your wish in regard to them changing things up - I would not bet on a format change - but other changes could be on the menu in the next couple of years -

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It was back in the 60’s and 70’s. One of the insurance companies sponsored it and gave them away across Canada. It was just a neat fun promotion.

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So it would be before my time, I got into the CFL casually in the late 70’s as a teenager. I used to be a huge NHL guy up until a decade ago when some switch flipped & the CFL took over as # 1 in my sports world.

There wouldn’t be any regional rivalries, Hamilton/TO rivalry usually means a sellout in Hamilton.
The Argos rely on Ticat fans coming to BMO and usually the largest crowd when Hamilton is in Toronto.
There should be more regional games and east teams should only be playing west teams and vice versa one time in a season.
When the Als play in Ottawa they bring in a lot of Als fans to Ottawa, there needs to be more of that rivalry not less

Do you think the rivalry would be lost? I see your point but I kinda think the rivalry would still be there. Interesting point! In the Canadian Premier league there seems to be a rivalry developing between York FC and Hamilton Forge. Out in the west where I am both the Lions and Pacific FC don’t really have any rivalries because of the distance to the next team city. And yes, I do agree rivalries is what makes any league.

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The league is small enough and tired as it is from the same old matchups over and over.. especially in the goegraphically limited playoffs.

Yes Toronto and Hamilton average better attendance when they play each other. But outside Labour Day or perhaps a playoff meeting, they aren't selling out.

Give sports fans variety, more playoff scenarios, more meaningful games down the stretch and the BEST teams in the Grey Cup or underdogs that justifiably qualified via a gruelling playoff win streak on the road.

The rivalries will mean more with scarcity.. this isn't hockey with 82 games and best of 7 series to play with.. a football season is more of a discrete tournament.. with a balanced schedule, Labour Day and subsequent rematches will really become even more of a standalone Rivalry Bowl series.

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It makes the rivalry more sweeter if they don’t play 5 to 6 times when you include exhibition , regular season and playoffs .

For football especially where they only play 18 regular season games and 9 teams .

Less becomes More … when they do meet up .

It becomes a bigger event .

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When Sask plays anywhere they bring a lot of fans with them. Including Montreal.

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Winnipeg is hardly “the west” either though
They are no mans land

Central Canada is more apt

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That’s why I have proposed Chicago as a viable 10th team because it’s central location and an easy flight hub for air travel. It wouldn’t take long for a team to get set up in Chicago with two stadium sites in Soldier Field and Seatgeek stadium.

Chicago could go to the East division. It would be unfair to Winnipeg to go the East when they did so in the early 2000’s

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And should they approve the 100 yard field, that should be able to fit in Seat Geek Stadium or any other soccer specific stadium

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They can move the stage from the playing field and go with a 17 yard end zone like in BMO field has when the Argos play there. You won’t notice the difference

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Exactly. Those rivalry games become mini Grey Cups in those cities and games that everyone circles on their calendars year in and year out. Teams can charge premium prices for those games and get the largest crowds and with them the largest gate revenues of the season. When you play a team 5 other times in the year, everything gets watered down and the “big event” factor as you mention, goes away and with it a chance to enhance the brand of the league as a “big time” sports entity.

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I have been expanding since 1990. I dont like it.

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A hell of a lot easier to find a stadium south of the border than to find a city in Canada to build one for a couple hundred million and then find a Canadian Rich person to bleed money for the next decade - I am for expansion anywhere in the footprint of the Original Six NHL teams or thereabouts -

As far as field size - both Rugby and Soccer have allowances in regard to pitch size - there is a little bit of negotiation for the size of the playing surface for those sports why can’t the CFL do the same - they do it for Argos at BMO - That solution would work south of the border -

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According to wiki, SeatGeek Stadium has field dimensions of 120 ft. long by 75 ft. wide.

If true then removing the middle 10 yards like being proposed a CFL field would fit.

Then it could fit in any stadium used by MLS if they ever want to revisit US expansion

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A standard CFL field is as of present 150 yards long (110 yard field of play with 2 x 20 yard end zones). Reducing the field of play to 100 yards would bring it down to 140. 15 yard endzones would bring it to 130. 10 yard endzones would make it 120 or identical length to an American football field.

Then you can fit into seat geek stadium

120 feet long is the playing dimension for but there is still room beyond each goal area.

In BMO the field is short by 2 yards so taking out the middle 10 would make it fit.

I guess it would depend if seating behind the goal is retractable.

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Funny, Thunder Bay is in Northeastern Ontario. How can Winnipeg be central? Lol

All through school Manitoba was called the gateway to the west.:thinking:

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