RANDY’S ROAD TRIP: Q&A WITH CFL COMMISSIONER
Enthusiasm of fans amazes Ambrosie, who says league heard ‘a lot of good ideas’
For nearly a month, Canadian Football League commissioner Randy Ambrosie travelled across Canada — 23,000 kilometres, he figures — to visit and talk with football fans.
“I did the entirety of that trip on one pair of shoes,” said a joking Ambrosie, whose Randy’s Road Trip was put together as a means of making the league’s fans part of a co-operative effort to grow the CFL.
The road trip began Feb. 1 in Montreal and wound up Feb. 23 in Halifax, where there is plenty of momentum toward adding what would be the league’s 10th team as an expansion franchise.
After the cross-country trip wound up, Postmedia’s Tim Baines talked to the commissioner.
Q: Sum up the tour. What are your thoughts on travelling across Canada, visiting nine CFL cities, plus a potential 10th?
A: It’s exactly what we need to do. The outpouring of enthusiasm was amazing. The fan engagement was incredibly high. Asking people for input is always a winning formula. We got a lot of good ideas. We got lots of feedback on the scheduling of games, the times. These are things I hope to throw into the conversation in future iterations of the schedule.
Q: One of the things you threw out to each town-hall meeting was the timing of the season. What was the consensus? Move the season up?
A: It was significantly supportive of a season shift to make it earlier. We’ve got more work to do on it. (Halifax) was very high in support (of an earlier start and end to the season), I think it was 60-40 in Hamilton, in Edmonton I think it was almost 95 per cent, in Winnipeg I think it was 99 per cent. The sentiment from those who said no was a real traditional kind of feeling. I shared with them that going back to the 1950s, the Grey Cup was actually played in December and it was shifted into November. So it’s not like this has been etched in granite since the very beginning.
Q: Is it a possibility that a schedule shift could happen as early as 2019?
A: No, I don’t think so. That’s a conversation we’ll have with the governors, but I would say that 2019 is too early. I’d want to do more work on this. I’d want to go back and consult with our fans at least one more time. Part of the exercise is to bring more data into our discussions. We’ve had really big crowds, I think the biggest one was Edmonton. It’s entirely possible I had a chance to visit with more than 3,000 fans in the 10 stops. I can bring some information to the table that will hopefully guide our decision making a little less from a gut feel and a lot more from a data point of view.
Q: You’ve talked about the CFL taking a more active role in ticket sales. Why?
A: It’s critical. I can’t think of any better role for a league than to do something that is super important to the teams you serve. Ticket sales is such an important part of the business model for our teams. We can’t be out of that business. In the conversation we had with other leagues — the NHL, NBA, NFL, the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour in particular — they’ve made big investments in being a big partner in things like ticket sales. It’s a way to make sure the bond between the league office and the teams is really strong because we’re doing work that is fundamentally important to what makes the teams successful.
Q: The CFL asked each of its teams to reveal 10 players off their exclusive negotiation lists (another 10 will be named in December). Would the league ever consider an international draft?
A: I’ve heard it mentioned casually, but it’s never been discussed. There are some (teams within the league) that are more strongly supportive of the neg lists, there are some that would like to see a change. One of the things that everyone agrees with is they’re open to a conversation about finding a better way. That’s the beginning of the beginning.
Q: From the feedback you’ve gotten during Randy’s Road Trip, what are some of the things that need fixing or tuneups that could be made?
A: In every session, people wanted to know what we were doing working with TSN and our partners at Bell to create an opportunity to view our game digitally. The good news is we have a phenomenal broadcast partner with almost infinite capabilities. People want to access our content, they want to access it in different ways. Now we have to look at where we go from here. People are still wondering what we’re doing to attract a new generation of fans. We talked about our children’s and family efforts, we talked about our diversity efforts. People are on board, they see the changing landscape. They want us to attract those new audiences. We had a lot of feedback on the start time of the Grey Cup. In Hamilton, almost 95 per cent of a large group voted in favour of a Saturday Grey Cup. We floated that idea in Halifax; it was like 99 per cent were dead against it and wanted to stay with our traditional Sunday spot.
Q: While there was no announcement in your Halifax stop of an expansion franchise being granted to Atlantic Canada, do you believe it will happen?
A: When you’re (in Halifax), the feeling you’re getting is so very positive. So you think, ‘Yeah, maybe it’s time. Maybe this is it.’ People are telling me, ‘This isn’t the Halifax of 25 years ago.’ The city has come a long way. There’s a deepening of its base. Just driving around the city, you can feel an energy that’s quite impressive. It leaves you feeling that, wow, maybe there is something to this. Then you add to that I’m an optimist by nature. So yes, I do feel good. There’s some work to do. But I’d say if anyone who loves the Canadian Football League was in the (Halifax) environment, they would be left with the conclusion that there’s something to be excited about.
Q: Now that you’ve done this cross-country tour, do you get some vacation time?
A: My wife’s been teasing me that I’ve been going hard at it. But I feel so energized by the things I’ve been working on. (After CFL meetings), I think Barb and I will take a few days to see some friends in Florida. Then I’ll come home and start all over again.