CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie says he’s optimistic league will kick off in 2021

While the CFL still faces challenges ahead of a potential 2021 season, commissioner Randy Ambrosie had reason for optimism Monday.

Ambrosie spoke about the league’s return to play next year during a fan state-of-the-league address that kicked off Grey

Cup Unite, the league’s virtual version of the presentation of events traditionally held during its annual championship week.

In August, the CFL cancelled its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic after failing to secure financial assistance from Ottawa. The league had hoped to play a shortened campaign in Winnipeg but had maintained it needed government funding to stage a shortened season.

Buoying Ambrosie’s confidence was a report Monday that a second company, Moderna, was touting positive results for a potential COVID-19 vaccine. Last week, Pfizer Inc. suggested its vaccine appeared to be similarly effective.

“Honestly, you want to talk about a good omen for Grey Cup Unite,” Ambrosie said. “It set the day on a much more optimistic foundation.

“It gives us all reason to believe that optimism is not misguided, that there are better days ahead . . . not just for all of society but better days for the CFL as well.”

Ambrosie said the CFL could be in a position to release a

2021 schedule soon.

“In the not-too-distant future, CFL fans from coast to coast to coast will get a chance to pick their spots, mark their calendars and make sure they’re going to be front-andcentre for CFL football in 2021,” Ambrosie said. “Yes, we have to look after ourselves, we have to look after each other, we’ve got to get through this pandemic but I think there’s a lot of reasons to feel good about 2021.”

That includes staging the 2021 Grey Cup game in Hamilton, as scheduled. This year’s CFL title contest was slated to be held in Regina but the Saskatchewan city will hold the 2022 championship.

Ambrosie’s address was certainly long on optimism but short on specifics. But that’s not a surprise considering the uncertainty surrounding the novel coronavirus, be it what the numbers will be like next summer or when a vaccine might be widely available.

There’s also the status of the Canada/US border — which currently remains closed — and how that could impact American players coming north to play football. Also unclear is if the CFL does resume play whether fans will be allowed to return to stadium and if so, how many.

That’s certainly an important factor as the league’s nine franchises rely heavily upon ticket sales to generate revenue, a fact Ambrosie reiterated again Monday during his address.

“We will plan for some scenario of less than full potential attendance,” Ambrosie said. “It will, in my mind, be a critical element but exactly what that percentage will be, again, we’ll be to a degree guided by our conversations with public health officials.

“We’ll pick a percentage of capacity and that’s where we’re going to start. If we can have more, we’ll have more and if we have to have less, then we’ll have less.”