CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie joins James Duthie to discuss league expansion and why they may look elsewhere if they can't solidify something in Atlantic, Canada. The potential about expansion to Quebec City and much more.
As a Quebecer, I can garanty you that an expansion to Québec City would be a home run! People already love Canadian football and the Rouge&Or and CFL would work in symbiosis to make football even bigger there! The Als would also benefit from that because the French media would talk a lot more about the teams and the league and people would be more passionate about the CFL in the province! Halifax would also be insane
I believe that Montreal has rights over the province, so it may be tricky to get MTL ownership to agree. Would split the fan base and cut into revenue. I think Atlantic Canada is the way to go
@@broznar1019 it’s true that MTL has the right to accept or not, but PKP (the new Als owner) already said publicly that he would encourage a team in Québec City and not block it! But yeah hopefully Atlantic Canada gets a team soon and Québec right after!
@@zacharygrondin2343 yes I believe you are correct, greedily turning down expansion for fear of revenue loss would be shortsighted not to mention counterintuitive for an owner who invested so much in getting an NHL club back in Q.C I'm just yearning for an even team league. Qc or Halifax would be great for the league
I hope both Quebec City and Halifax get new teams but Quebec City would be great because it would set up a great rivalry between Montreal and Quebec City.
Rouge et Or Vs. Carabins on the university level is already a bigger rivalry than anything the CFL has right now. Having a CFL team would not only reproduce this great rivalry on a higher scale, it could create an entire new generation of football players that otherwise wouldn't exist because a lot of people in the province and around Canada would tune in to watch the games between those two and would get hooked. It is a gamble to have two teams in the same province competing against one another, but I think that due to the fact Québec city probably won't get the Nordiques anytime soon, the possibilities of a CFL team taking over, becoming profitable and becoming the leading sports team in the city is real. In my opinion it's a no brainer.
If the potential for a possible CFL expansion team in Atlantic Canada is no longer then…let’s move forward with the Quebec City option. The CFL has to do a better marketing job promoting the league in order to attract a more diverse fan base. I have been watching Grey Cup’s since i968. Grey Cup 110 was the most exciting and entertaining yet!!
I find the marketing and advertising is sub par at best and it shows because the CFL is not as popular or recognized as it was in the 1990s and early 2000s.
I would put Grey Cup 96, 2004,2017 and 2022 ahead of those. Go figure, a Argo fan. All kidding aside , it was a phenomenal Grey Cup this year. I think TSN does a excellent job, sadly young Canadians (not all) have this perception that if it’s not the nfl it’s not worth watching.
And interesting products. Change the rules! Change the rules! Change the rules! OR I JUST HOPE AND PRAY FOR THE TORONTO NFL TEAM SO I NEVER HAVE TO WATCH A CFL GAME EVER AGAIN....GOOD RIDDANCE
@@sampicano So who's forcing you to watch? are you locked in a basement in front of a TV, do we need to call someone? Last time I checked we can watch NFL in Canada but once again the center of the universe Toronto wants an NFL team. It would end your hated CFL and if it failed there would never be football of any kind in Canada.
@@sampicano PREACH IT, BROTHER! The CFL hasn't been on my television set in over a decade. I'll continue watching my last place Blue Jays all summer until the NFL starts up again before I watch the CFL.
Quebec City has an NHL-caliber arena, but doesn't even have an AHL team. It is the largest market in Canada without either an NHL or CFL franchise. However, it's in Eastern Canada, where CFL fan bases tend to be smaller than in the prairies.
I think they need to increase the fan bases first. As much as I love the CFL if these empty stadiums keep showing, I don’t know how long this league has. Hamilton and Toronto are almost never full even when they are good teams. Edmonton has the largest stadium in the league and that’s never filled, BC place has potential to host a lot of people, but you almost never see people in the upper row.
LUBBOCK TEXAS ( west Texas ) U.S.A would like to weigh in , as a west Texan I can say more football is always better ! So if the CFL thinks it can expand then they should do it . I follow the CFL in the summer months all the way down here in TEXAS. And I know I’m not the only one . I know the CFL has attempted teams in the states in the past, and they did not work out, but times are different and I think it would work in places up in the north and north east of the United States. Like I said, more football is always better. I like the CFL. I would like to see them expand, and I would like to see them in the United States.. the NFL plays international games… Jacksonville versus Miami over in London for example…. Too bad during the summertime we couldn’t have the Edmonton elks vs Montreal Argonauts live at cowboy Stadium in Dallas, Texas! People would show trust me football in the summertime in Texas people would show up. Good luck, Canada and vote out Justin Trudeau that guys a douche bag.
There is no doubt you folks in Texas and the entire American Southeast are unparalleled football country. I wish the folks in San Antone had an NFL team. The problem with your suggestion is that spring/summer football leagues in the U.S. have a history of not faring particularly well. I followed the USFL quite loyally 40 years ago. My team was the Birmingham Stallions. A given week from September onwards is also pretty saturated in your part of North America when it comes to football. You have the high schools playing on Friday nights, the college games on Saturdays, and there's no touching the NFL on Sundays. Then you have the issue of the trying to accommodate the larger Canadian field into an American stadium.
The Quebec City already has a Les Capitales de Québec / Quebec Capitales. So if the CFL were to expand their teams, I would recommend "Quebec City Metros". Or do you want the team to be based in Victoria, the same province as the BC Lions, and name the team the "Victoria Englishmen"? :-)
I'd love if they'd play an exhibition game or two in the States. I know it's not a big seller, but it could grow. People down here don't understand that the game is different, not inferior (as is the perception). I'd love to see the Als in Foxboro.
I just want to see a balanced league. Be it in Atlantic or Quebec. If both, then can we figure another Western team? Look at Australia and Aussie Football. They have smaller population size and they can support an 18 team league.
The Austraian Footall League has put two teams in each of Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney. This was deliberate to create local rivalry and games every week in those cities. The drama every week through the season supports the TV & other media coverage nationally. QC will be a big plus and should be done asap. 10 teams gives 25% more games each week. Follow up in a few years with Halifax and a new Vancouver team for 2 x 6 team divisions... that will be even stronger for TV & media coverage.
Quebec City makes a staggering amount of sense. Sadly, the American-market-obsessed will continue to shun Quebec, so a Mtl-Que rivalry in the CFL would be great. Quebec is one of the best football markets in the country and it would really work. Conversely, Ambrosie talking about Atlantic expansion has gotten super-old, the stadium isn't being built, so time to move on and have a full 10-team league by adding a second team from la belle province.
No merger with the XFL, please. I was in Las Vegas when the CFL tried to come to the States. I saw Jeff Garcia practice in back of the old Rivera Casino on the strip. Do not bring the product to the States. It won’t work.
ok here we go no cfl ever in the maritimes all they do is talk talk oh we would like to go to quebec seems to me they got montreal down the street if the cfl was in the maritimes people would have to get on a waiting list to see the games and the grey cup game we would set history as it would be the first game go halifax go getted
Yep, look up J.I. Albrecht and the "1984" expansion... which didn't happen. It's a smallish market - would be the smallest in the league (The Riders draw from all across the province and have about 550k in their host city/Saskatoon - 2.5hrs away on a good highway) by some way. It could work if it was done right, but it's no certainty. They would need significant ongoing corporate support (more, on a per capita basis, than any other market has). I would love to see it, but unless a billionaire wants to pay for his/her own stadium in Halifax (and where?) or Dartmouth I don't see it working.
Not having French signs in a bilingual league, in a bilingual country, with a french team in the finals...perfectly sums up Randy Ambroise's CFL. I couldn't hate this league any more than I already do...actually honestly one more year of the EXACT same boring product and I will hate it slightly more. Congratulations on "growing the game" How much does this guy get paid? Pay me the same amount and I'll also have zero impact on growing the league, I'll do it for half.
Quebec city makes perfect sense, sets up a new derby game with montreal. A Victoria team could set up a derby with Lions out west Another Ontario team makes sense, Windsor probably the most with the proximity to Detroit Hopefully see the schooners as well in the mix
Halifax is just a waste of time since they didn’t want to invest on building new stadium….mais je préfère les deux équipes Montréal et Québec pour le match fait au paradis!
So something I think we do need to consider with Atlantic Canada is two fold. One do they have enough population collectively to support a franchise as I think u would probably put it in Halifax as I believe it's fairly close to Both NB and PEI but then u have the second part which is if u put a team in Halifax what about Newfoundland as they're too far away from Halifax to make a run at it plus probably not enough population to support a team on their own. Imo I would have a team in Halifax then as compensation is o Newfoundland have the all star game there and the Atlantic series or whatever it's called there plus maybe a grey cup every decade or so.
Halifax is larger population wise than Regina. And Nova Scotia’s population is around 200,000 people less than Saskatchewan. Add the rest of the Maritimes and it should be an easy sell. A 25 to 30 thousand stadium is needed then the problem is solved. How about sharing a stadium with the CPL’s Halifax Wanderers?
@@badaimerlolz From what i understand the issue isthe stadium,the league is waiting for the city to build a stadium but the city is cheap and is trying to get the league to build it. As for team owner, several have come forward wanting to own a team. With such a short season and only one sport playing in it, it will take a lifetime to pay off the stadium and start making a profit, its why the city has to build it.
Got a hypothetical: say the NFL wanted to expand into Canada by adding Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. What's the likelihood these CFL clubs would be willing to become NFL expansion franchises? That these markets would be willing/able to invest in major stadium projects? That the public would be on-board? I am genuinely curious.
U.S .cities that would welcome a CFL team - St. Louis, San Antonio, Orlando, Omaha, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Birmingham, and Honolulu. The NFL will likely go global soon, so should the CFL.
I want to like the CFL but I don't. It is a boring, stagnant league. It is an amateur league masquerading as a professional one. Change. I want to watch your product. I want to enjoy your product but I don't. Try expanding the league???? Saskatoon would be equally as successful as a team in Regina. Quebec City and Halifax exist.... Try changing the rules...4 downs would get A LOT more Americans watching your sport. OR GO BANKRUPT.... Aaron Rodgers is worth more than every player on every CFL roster combined. You want money, be a REAL league for once. Once Grandpa dies WHO'S WATCHING YOUR SPORT ANYMORE. DO BETTER! I WANT TO WATCH BUT THE CFL SUCKSSSSSS
Been hearing about CFL expansion for years. Where's that so-called 10th team from the Maritimes that was supposed to enter the league already? Yet the league remains stuck at 9 teams. So, if Quebec City maybe is an option, how long would that take to finalize? But like I said, they've been preaching about expansion in the CFL for years and it never materializes. Maybe it just isn't the certainty anyone thinks it is. Who knows.
By the time they add the 10th team, Ill already be permanently finished with the CFL...I've never been more bored with the product. CFL has become a laughing stock
If the UFL falls on its face again, please give St. Louis a long look. Those fans have consistently shown up to support an iffy product in a wobbly league that can't string two consecutive seasons together. And they're closer to the East Division teams than anyone in Western Canada.
The problem with Halifax is the city council in Halifax is useless when trying to do something really positive for the city. They're too short sighted on everything. I'm saying this as a Nova Scotian who rolls his eyes every time something good comes forward. Not even just football: transit and housing solutions they haven't acted on for years
Wow the Australian Football League (A-League) expanded this week to 14 teams! Wow that must be so exciting for that league and fanbase! Wow only 25 million people in Australia, but 5 more teams than the CFL! Wow Canada has 40 million people, but still 5 less teams than the AFL! "Give me my juicebox back Randy!"
@@sampicano agreed. There's no reason the cfl couldn't have 12 teams at least. Or have the grey cup be a league format with a secondary cup with the 6 top teir 2 teams included in the first round (similar to national football comps in europe)
@@brendenmcmillan8937 EXACTLY. Make you commissioner. How about...any change in the past 30 years????????????? ANY CHANGE....oh sorry there was ONE expansion team in Ottawa to go from 8 (even conferences to lopsided conferences with 9 teams) slow clap
@@sampicano bit of a commute from Scotland. There's no reason they couldn't have teams with 20k seat temporary stands. They only play 9 or 10 games a year.
First proposed in the 80s....when will it happen? Didn't happen in the 80s, or 90, or 00s, or 10s and it's been 4 years into the 2020's when is this team coming?????
I “cut the cord” 2 years ago and I am saving $1,000 a year. I have a Roku and a Firestick but no TSN. I had to go to the neighbors to watch the game but I could watch 6 NFL games at home… maybe renegotiate something to let CTV show the game. I could get TSN, but it is bundled with others at an inflated price, so that is not going to happen..
@@sampicanoCFL rules are vastly superior and much more entertaining. NFL = endless timeouts, tedious play clock, fair catches, and touchbacks. Boring!!!
@@donsmith7228 CFL = worse product all the best football players went to the NFL and got paycheques. So you are left with the leftovers...and you love it. You think it's more entertaining. I bet you prefer the WNBA over the NBA. You can say the CFL is better but numbers don't lie. No body in the states is watching. Nobody in Canada is watching. There isn't even 10 teams LMFAO because it is barely a real league. And there are single players in the NFL with contracts larger than the ENTIRE CFL put together. Maybe you have low standards? Maybe you have no taste? The whole world decided the CFL is pathetic and hence nobody watches....the NFL is the world's most popular league idiot. The CFL is for white guys in the prairies to have SOMETHING. Since the prairies have NOTHING. I'm glad they like it. But REAL cities, don't care. The states doesn't care. The WORLD doesn't care....just drunk Granpa's in Saskatchewan care. They'll die eventually, and then you'll have ZERO fans left.
Up until the last few months, I'd say that Windsor would be a logical destination for a 10th team because both sides of the border are hungry for professional football, but then the Detroit Lions had to go and ruin that joke by being good this year.
They should also look at Abbotsford or surrey as these areas that are growing like crazy and have little entertainment available and would create a crazy rivalry
Saskatoon makes WAYYYYYYYY more sense than Abbotsford or Kelowna or Surrey.... Quebec City and Halifax are also good choices. Surrey, Laval, and Mississauga ARE NOT good choices.
@@sampicanonah kelowna in my opinion makes sense, BC lions is already marketed for the entire Vancouver(which Abbotsford is apart of i think) Kelowna and Victoria are the best options for a new west division team
I Think CFL Can Have 2 team's in Toronto I really do it's not that CFL Suck! It's Lack Entertainment! unlike NFL i feel like if there was More CFL Team's Toronto Argos Which Avg 13,000 Avg Would Be Higher! Nobody Care's About CFL in Canada compared to NFL It's need to expand that's All no Matter How Small the Market it's worth it
If the UFL folds after a subpar 1st season maybe Ambrosie should take a look at St. Louis. Their attendance numbers blow the rest of the league out of the water, usually 30-35,000. It would be comparable to what the Baltimore Stallions were drawing in the mid-90's. Of course it would be ideal to have a 10th team in QC or the Maritimes but St. Louis may work.
I live on Vancouver island, not a chance a team would work here. The fans that are here are bc lions fans, or Seahawks/other NFL fans. It’s basically an extension of the Vancouver sports market for sports purposes
Oh c'mon. Touchdown Atlantic has been going on for over 30 years with absolutely no progress. The Atlantic provinces are never going to have a franchise because they just don't care. The fact that you ignore Quebec City is strange. They have a very strong football program throughout the province. Why are you ignoring them?
Do you even know football or just look for shit to complain about. Edmonton is suffering because they had a losing season. Blame Chris Jones, not the name change.
@@davidbuswa9425 I know both football and cultural Marxist propaganda, so the way I figure it, I got you beat 2 - 0 ! And I won't watch/attend another game until the Eskimos come back!
@@Patrick-qz6tn The real racists. They pretend that something like a team name is offensive to a cultural group that they secretly hate so they can get the name changed and the people it was named for effectively cancelled. They never want to hear the term Eskimo again because they hate indigenous people. This way they never have to hear it ever again and can act like indigenous people don't even exist. And if you defend the name, their Antiwhiteism flairs up and they call you a fascist, even though they are the actual fascists with their hateful cancel culture.
Thanks for posting. As a Redblacks season ticket holder I would like to see 2 things happen: 1. A 'development fund' of $ set aside in the CFL to develop Canadian Quarterbacks from the Canadian university teams. There are 27 university teams so why can't the CFL develop their QBs? 2. CFL teams in Quebec City and Halifax.
Blah blah blah. Anyone with any intelligence knows what the barrier is of expansion. That is a suitable stadium. The problem with that is Canadian owners and business organizations and government are beyond stupid in their approach. Always fret that a stadium costs a few 100 million and might not get a return on their investment. Of course they will not if they build a stadium for the expansion team. It is very simple put an extra 100 million and make it a dome (closed roof stadium). Now you can use it for the 10-11 dates for the CFL and use it all year round for other entertainment purposes (concerts) and pay off the 500 million in ten years. Or go the route of Winnipeg, Hamilton, Saskatchewan and build a new outdoor stadium and use it really max 30 times outside the CFL and pay it off in 40 plus years. To run a team properly look to the States what do they have now domes. Like in Arizona, Vegas, Dallas. Why? To use all year round.
Hi, "WHAT Vancouver has become" etc etc (this isnt being prejudiced) dont try to respond that way----but now its NOT CANADA it feels like....and now the white person/s feel outta place.....(Increase diversity at games with more (other races? YA just wait in 20yrs you'll go to a CFL game and it will be ALL other races foods and all other races and their stuff..selling field hockey stuff in set up stalls (not stuff of the "CFL game at"...it will be dirty more...--FACTS..
HAHAHAHAHAHA Are you James Duthies wife???? Who the hell actually enjoyed that? I wanted some concrete changes and this interview was just a let down...same as last year, and the year before that, and the year before that and forever. CFL is a dead league...where players go to die
@@clyde38 ok well do we no what rules the xfl uses or has yet but for now we use cansdian rules in canadian home games and xfl rules whatever they may be for away games in there cities if it makes sense
Oh, please! Not this again. In its heyday the CFL yakked about expanding to Atlantic Canada. It never did. It’s bad enough having one team in a part of Canada that doesn’t want to be part of Canada. Now they have Elk(s) instead of Eskimo(s), and something called a Redblack, whatever that means. The CFL can’t be taken seriously.
The XFL can't even organize their season for next year. It's a money pit since it lost 60 million dollars for a 12 week season. They'd drag down the CFL into oblivion, if there was a merger
🤦♂😅 😂 🤣The NFL isn't interested in Canada for an expansion site. Even Toronto was a failure with the Buffalo experiment. Mexico City or London would be their first choice outside America.
@@chesterjackson666the Bills in Toronto series was a failure because the Bills were irrelevant for over two decades until last season. Also the NFL was essentially told Toronto is off limits until the Argos are financially stable.
Who in Canada can afford the 6 billion dollar price tag in US funds along with a 2 billion dollar stadium with all the bells and whistles for 65,000 people that will be used 9 times a year before they see a profit? Tell us who, bud.
