ya, the numbers for Football in Canada, despite the increase!! which is great to see is still low compared to like Hockey.
in some provinces, like Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec.. Football is definitely big, and growing all the time!
Ontario, they are odd.. for some reason they don't get it. especially when you have a situation like St. Catherines plays 4 down football at the HS level, now where's the sense in that???
Here's the best example, locally where I live.
Edmonton Alberta back in 1989 had 2 minor leagues. ages 9-14
they weren't 1 league yet. and there were 5 teams in Sherwood Park (just east of Edmonton) which consisted of 1 team from Leduc, 1 from Spruce Grove and 3 from Sherwood Park (all local cities) then the City itself had a minor league system. not too many teams ..
in 1994 the two leagues combined.. there were three age levels consisting of about 10 teams in each level.
now in 2009 there are like 50 some teams within the league.. ranging all over Central, Northern Alberta in Ft. Mac, Camrose, Lloydminster, and it's grown immensely.
like where I live? Spruce Grove.. in 1988 had 2 football teams period, 1 team 12-15 yrs and then a HS Senior team.
NOW, in 2009 there are 14 minor teams in the entire county. that includes 2 HS teams, both Senior and Junior.. 2 midget teams (between Bantam and HS) and then a bunch of minor level teams.
and their system is extremely talented. HS juniors won 3 straight league titles, HS Seniors won in 2008
Riders own Keith Shologan is a product from this system!
they have produced a few others too, Marc Tolbert who played for the Eskimos, sorry can't think of the other names.. but 2 more as well.
So in 20 years they have come such a far way.