Expansion to Halifax talk creates buzz at CFL meetings

Plans to create 10th team are going well, commissioner says

The expansion to a 10th CFL franchise, based in Halifax, has become part of the proceedings even when it isn’t part of the proceedings.

“We didn’t deal with it on the agenda, but it was like a constant buzz in the room,” commissioner Randy Ambrosie said at the CFL winter meetings here.

“It’s been like the oxygen in the room. I’m committed to the governors and the president that we’re going to keep them updated on our progress and that’s been going on in private conversations since everybody began to arrive.”

The enthusiasm is unmistakable.

“I love hearing all the conversations I’m hearing here,” said Edmonton president and CEO Len Rhodes.

“Forget about having a 10th team and all the benefits that would bring in scheduling. It’s just the idea of the league finally being a true national league going from coast to coast.”

Ambrosie said he met with the three-man ownership group in December and it’s still all systems go.

“These are incredibly bright guys,” Ambrosie said. “They are very savvy. They’ve been in sports. They have a strong connection to the community.

“The three gentlemen that are part of the ownership group — Anthony LeBlanc, Bruce Bowser and Gary Drummond — are getting full support from us. We’re working on a business plan with them that I talked with them about in December.

“Anthony and Gary were partners in the NHL in Phoenix and Bruce is a remarkably successful executive. Bruce was born and raised in Halifax. Anthony lived in the Maritimes, so he knows the area well. They have a lot of things going for them, but ultimately (what) it comes down to is the stadium. The stadium is the critical issue.

“But the great thing is we have this model that Ottawa used for the redevelopment of Lansdowne. There seems to be a lot of interest in Halifax in how that model works.

“There are things about this that are pretty exciting.”

Ambrosie identified an East Coast franchise as the sports equivalent of the Last Spike of the railroad. “It would be two five-team conferences. I think that would be perfect,” he said of a balanced league. “To get a team into that area and officially welcome them into our league would be a tremendous thing. It would be that final piece of the Canadian Football League that we’ve all been dreaming of for a very long time.”

In his travels around the league last year, Ambrosie said it’s remarkable the number of fans who want to see expansion happen. But it can’t be a one-way street.

“We’ve made a commitment to this group that we’re prepared to work with them on a business plan. The one condition that I’ve imposed on them with the blessing of our directors is that we want this to be good for the entire league. This can’t be a ‘great for Halifax but bad for everybody else.’ So we have to look for a business model that’s going to have a positive impact.”