In a change from the usual Grey Cup festivities, Commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL) Randy Ambrosie held his State of the League Address in Hamilton on Tuesday. The event typically takes place towards the end of Grey Cup Week.
Earlier this month, the league underwent an experiment by moving the Divisional Semi-FInals and Divisional Finals to Saturdays.
With the four playoff games in 2023, the league saw a growth of 2.1 per cent in television ratings, along with increased attendance in three of the four postseason contests. Ambrosie says the shift to Saturday will become permanent.
“The results were obviously very encouraging. We are seeing so much progress being made, our schedule seems to have really resonated with CFL fans and we’re attracting new CFL fans.”
During the regular season, attendance was up three per cent across the league, while television ratings increased by 11 per cent in 2023.
One experiment that will be coming to an end in 2024 will be the unbalanced schedule. Ambrosie announced next season, every team in the CFL will play a home and away game against each of the other eight teams. Over the last two seasons, some Western and Eastern teams only squared off in one matchup during the season.
During this season, the decision not to schedule games between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes faced heavy criticism. This move prevented former starting quarterback Cody Fajardo from returning to his former team. Additionally, the scheduling conflict caused former Calgary Stampeder quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell to miss out on playing against his old team while playing for his new team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Ambrosie also discussed the possibility of the league expanding to ten teams, specifically to the East Coast. The CFL Commissioner said that a conclusion to the situation is needed, and discussions have taken place with a potential owner, which he finds encouraging.
The commissioner acknowledged the struggles with their stats along with their partner Genius Sports. Ambrosie admitted there were growing pains this past year but believes the partnership with Genius Sports is heading in the right direction.
A cap on salaries for team staff has been a highly criticized move in recent seasons. Ambrosie has expressed his support for implementing restrictions on how much teams can spend on the management staff of their teams.
Tim Hortons Field will be the site of the 2023 Grey Cup between the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Both teams arrived at Steeltown on Monday and will begin preparations for the championship game on Tuesday.
