U Sport/CFL collaboration for attendance boosts

Most proposals for collaboration between the CFL and U Sport involve a Grey Cup & Vanier Cup weekend, and it hasn’t been very active these past few years. I think the link between fans needs to be established earlier in the season, and could potentially draw in a younger fan base.
We’ll use the most extreme example for this scenario. Basically, the strategy is to lure in a younger audience of university-aged kids from non-CFL markets to attend games in CFL markets. This strategy would be irrelevant in Winnipeg and Reina, where attendance is already at capacity. Same as Hamilton and Ottawa.
Montreal experienced a resurgence in its attendance, and in the West, geography makes this suggestion impracticable.
So what if the CFL and U Sport worked together to coordinate a Laurier-U of T or Western-York game the same weekend as a Toronto home game? A package would include two-way transport, and a ticket to both the university game and the Argos game.
The hosting universities wouldn’t want to be embarrassed, so they’d try to mobilize attendance.
The visiting fans would get to spend a fun time in the “Big City”, and possibly overtake the home venue.
You’d have 500-1000 people attending an Argos game who wouldn’t have even been there.
As a bonus, the CFL could diversify and invest in buses. After the collapse of busing companies during the pandemic, there’s been a huge opportunity to re-enter the inter-city bus market. Use the buses during the off-season to move passengers, and during the season to move teams to games when possible, and provide adequate transit outside of that.
So what do you think?

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My opinion is well known on this subject. The CFL should be bussing in people from all over in places where it’s needed. If the individual clubs want to show the U-Sports team love then I don’t see anyone objecting. I would hope that the universities would try to inspire the local student body to participate in games though.

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What I’ve noticed with my group of friends is the same problem the CFL has . They are competing against the NFL for fans and Usports is now competing against the NCAA. I know a lot of people that now watch NCAA on Saturdays , but that’s in my world.

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Attendance is climbing slowly in Toronto. NCAA ratings are small in Canada still. However, it’s not a competition with the NFL. The NFL has won that war. That’s why the CFL has moved away from going head to head.

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I would like to see a sr. Division of the CJFL comprised of top non CFL locations with either CJFL or Usports teams like Saskatoon, halifax, and Quebec City. Maybe even development CFL teams when in market.

Have these games free on cfl+ for canadians, set up road trips to their nearest cfl market with a theme night for these teams on the roadtrip game.
( ex: roughriders having a hilltops night)

These youth players in the cjfl and usports are mostly canadian and likely live in their markets so we can grow canadian football / canadian football players at the same time with having that interest trickle up to the cfl.

If its popular enough it could even lead to a pro / rel situation for the cfl.

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I have long wondered why the CFL and U-Sports ceased to cooperate on big weekends. In 2011, BC Place hosted the Vanier Cup on Saturday (an overtime thriller) and the Grey Cup on Sunday. It was the best weekend of football I have ever attended and I would be glad of the chance to do it again, in any city.

The leagues do not need to get into the considerable logistics of arranging package tours – any competent travel agency can do that much better, with a much better marketing network (hint: get the airlines involved). Just make it easy for people to get into both games.

– BC Lion season ticket holder, 16 seasons

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I think it’s U Sports that decided to go it alone in 2013 onwards to a disastrous result.

With the CFL moving the season up a week it’s highly unlikely to pair them up.

The pair up didn’t need to be every year. Once every 3-4 years is good for the moment.

Still kicking myself for not going to Vanier Final in 2011.

Season ticket holder since 2008.

I don’t think the NFL won as much as we (the fans) allowed that to happen as fans up here follow both leagues equally which “justified” Bell’s decision to move the playoffs to Saturdays.

Bell cares about their NFL investment, the CFL not as much as they let on.

Again my opinion and mine only.

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Yeah some truth to that… NFL numbers would be down a bit if CFL fans boycotted the NFL.

It’s not about boycotting the NFL.

Sim-subbing over the US signal also is a factor in the ratings higher over the CFL.

Again easier to import programming than producing.

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The idea is meant to lure in younger (university-aged) fans from successful non-CFL markets that average 5K to 10K per year to Toronto in an affordable manner. A lot of the push would come from, say, Western promoting to its students, and if they can get 10% of their fans at a home game to go to Toronto to watch the Mustangs visit York or U of T, and get another 500-1000 people at an Argos game. I think air travel and travel agencies would be cost-prohibitive for students.
But I do agree that the Vanier Cup and Grey Cup partnering up is a great idea. I heard the argument against it was too logistically complicated with a 24 hour turnaround. But I think if the CFL is setting up to broadcast a Grey Cup, the infrastructure that would be installed would benefit U Sport, as they’d have the capabilities used for the CFL’s marquee game and produce an extremely professional-looking broadcast.

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Then the Grey Cup needs to move back to the 4th Sunday in November for that to happen.

Vanier Cup and Grey Cup during daylight hours.

Both parties (U Sports) and the CFL need to get together and come to some sort of an agreement.

Again it doesn’t need to be every year. Once every 3-4 years is good.

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Yes, definitely not an annual event. It would exclude about half the universities from ever hosting. So I’d like to see every second year - and if not in the same city, at least a nearby city, so if Ottawa hosts the Grey Cup, hold the Vanier Cup in Kingston if not Ottawa.

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As long as there is some synergy involved I will be good with it.

Again it’s about investing in the grassroots, not necessarily about developing players for the CFL.

Unfortunately you can’t make hard and fast rules like that as I’ve stated in other threads and on other CFL related fan friendly mediums. If it “has to be” in the same place every 2 years, the funding associated with sponsorship and the bidding process won’t be there.

For example the Manitoba government contributed money for the Blue Bombers to host in 2025. If Vanier “had to be there” then U-Sports would get less money in their coffers. They (rightly so) currently go to the highest bidder to maximize revenue.

I don’t object to the CFL moving the season back personally, however others don’t enjoy-20 Grey Cups which could potentially happen.

Getting U-Sports and the CFL on the same page is tricky. It would take influence from a new commissioner and harmony amongst the broadcasters as others have stated.

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