NFL Canada and Football Canada, the National Governing Body of Canadian Amateur Football, have announced a landmark partnership to support and enable the growth of the sport across the country.
The agreement will see an accelerated focus on the delivery of youth participation programs (boys and girls aged 8 – 12 years), coaching clinics that will directly impact communities and the growth of female football over the next three years.
As part of a shared goal to increase overall participation across the country, NFL Canada will support Football Canada’s delivery of youth Flag football, programs to underserved communities and the strengthening of player pathways to international competition.
“We are excited to partner with Football Canada to support the growth of football at every level across the country,” said David Thomson, Managing Director of NFL Canada. “Making our sport more accessible, with a focus on engaging and inspiring more young people to play or be a part of the sport, is a key priority for us. We look forward to teaming up with Football Canada to further develop the opportunities and pathways to play football for all.”
“Our goal is to deliver programming to get more young people in Canada to play football and stay in the sport in all forms, an objective shared by the NFL,” said Jim Mullin, Football Canada President. “Simply put, the NFL is here to support what we do to grow football across the country.”
The support has also provided Football Canada with the foundation to evolve its profile and visibility, creating a sustainable NSO.
Mullin added, “We believe this partnership has the ability to transform our organization’s presence in the national landscape and support our members at the grass roots.”
I’m not sure this should be read as a negative. The more interest the NFL has in Canadian football the more likely it will help the CFL if needed rather than seeing it dying on the vine.
It seems like a long term goal, unrealistic as it seems, is to have an NFL franchise in Toronto, which will actually signal the end of the CFL interms of sponsorship capital.
As far as the Americans are concerned, the CFL is irrelevant.
For reasons discussed to death on other threads I don’t see the NFL going to Toronto any time soon. I believe they will be in Mexico City first if they expand outside the US. Many more eyeballs in Mexico than in Canada.
For those ready to jump off the bridge wondering why is there no partnership with the CFL
Mullin said the deal with NFL Canada is in conjunction with initiatives Football Canada has with both the CFL and CFL Players’ Association.
“Football Canada is engaged with the CFL on an officiating task force and there’s a significant financial component attached to developing officiating in Canada, which is needed,” he said. “NFL Canada is going to help us develop coaching and girls football, the CFL work with us on developing officiating and CFLPA will work with us on safety.”
Seems like every organization…knows their role…in making the game better here
My point is that kids today grow up with the NFL - not the CFL. When we watched games on TV we watched the CFL. When we played football we pretended we were Warren Moon or Willie Burden (and we were playing for our version of “the Grey Cup”). Even our video games were three down (loved Coleco’s Electronic Quarterback). Today… not so much.
Football Canada having an “Officiating task force” with the CFL, lol. Give me a break. Show me ONE 10 year old kid (or let me rephrase that “show me one future ticket buyer or consumer”) who gives two shits about the CFL’s Officiating task force with Football Canada.
This is about MARKETING. Take a wild guess what the team names will be? The Stampeders and Argonauts? or perhaps the Bills and Seahawks? Not a tough one to figure out.
No, this does not mean the NFL is coming to Canada - they’re not going to and they don’t need to. They already own TV ratings, video games, and merchandising and they are now expanding their youth development relationship. Remember, the NFL (not the CFL) alrerady has an extensive flag football program in Canada. So yea, the CFL shit the bed again.
NFL canada has had initiatives like this before. I remember a football camp or flag football program under the NFL flag, but it was Cfl players showing up to volunteer. All the kids team names were based on NFL teams and the NFL got the name recognition meanwhile the Cfl supplied the volunteer players.
This is good for football in general, but bad for the CFL . Just another program ingraining the NFL into kids heads. Doesnt the NFL already do stuff with CDN universities.
If this program had the flags of the CFL, NFL and Football Canada i could accept it, especially since there is a high chance the only pro players at these camps will either be retired cdn NFL players or CFL players.
When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s, it was NFL first and CFL second too. Though, we often didn’t discriminate between the two when imagining being players in our schoolyard games.
Many of the initiatives in this agreement are already done by the CFL and its member clubs, though more would be even better.
I don’t see Mexico as a Destination - you would need to add more teams in North America - then there are other issues with playing in Mexico related to security etc. I would see Germany happening before any of it.
I see the NFL doing this as part of the grand takeover of North American Football and another step in the CXFL merger happening. The NFL is creating an English Soccer type pyramid with them at the top. The CXFL and USFL will just be layers on the pyramid like League One and League Two or the League Championship.
The NFL would have nothing to do with a “merger”. I would use the term “attempted XFL piggyback” instead of “merger”…and the XFL appears to be a couple of decently functioning teams who would be the Baltimore Stallions part 2…Temporary team that’s not a fan of Canadian Football.
Same time zone also is a huge advantage in Mexico and if somehow possible Toronto.
I have little doubt the NFL would love to be able to say they are International
