CFL steers partners alliance
League looks to strengthen its foothold in Europe with international association
The International Alliance of Gridiron Football, to be unveiled here on Friday, appears to be an association of associated associates.
It’s another global initiative being driven by the Canadian Football League, more specifically by commissioner Randy Ambrosie, and has been joined by all 11 football federations or leagues that have signed working agreements with the CFL, from Mexico, Japan, Britain, Austria, Germany, France, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Italy.
So why the need for an all-encompassing agreement? “I truly believe that we are stronger together. Or like the Canadians say: diversity is strength,” one federation executive said in an email to Postmedia. “I think the focus of the alliance will be the general development of the players, the coaches, and the growth of the national leagues in all areas; fan base, sponsoring, communications.”
It’s believed the alliance’s founding agreement includes pledges to encourage youth participation in touch, flag and tackle football; to share expertise in player health and safety as well as the technical development of coaches, players and officials; to enrich the fan experience and grow the base; and, to create revenue streams that benefit all 12 signatories to the agreement, including the CFL.
“To grow the sport further and give all the athletes an achievable access to professional football, it is indispensable to increase the network and communication between the leagues and the federations,” said a federation executive. “The alliance is a new approach. We are very excited to learn from the CFL and all partner leagues of the alliance, and to also share our experience and point of view.
“We deeply believe that you have to work together on the international level to grow the sport.”
A source said this new alliance won’t infringe upon the territory, rights or responsibilities of the International Federation of American Football, which is recognized worldwide as the governing body for the sport. If flag football is to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Olympic Games, for instance, IFAF will be the relevant organization recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
Meanwhile, it’s believed there will be a meeting of all alliance members early in 2020.
It’s known that representatives from all 11 global federations and leagues, as well as the CFL, will be on hand to sign the alliance document at a Grey Cup Festival venue that will be transformed into International House for Friday
only. There will be entertainment and food reflective of the various participating countries during the day, and by Friday night, the venue will be transformed into an international party hot spot.
So we’ll have to wait and see what, if anything, grows in the short and long term. But for the CFL to form an international alliance is an interesting step forward when one considers the looming 2020 debut of the XFL, whose commissioner and CEO is Oliver Luck, former president of NFL Europe. He has connections across the pond.
The CFL has already plowed plenty of ground over there and in Mexico, and the player combines scheduled for early 2020 — in Mexico City, Frankfurt, Osaka, Tokyo, Florence, Helsinki, Paris, and Bristol, England — are proof positive that the CFL has every intention, and Ambrosie would surely say every right, to solidify its foothold on European soil and elsewhere, for whatever that might be worth; from streaming and sponsorship deals to international games and player access.
Sure, the XFL could head down the same road and may well be similarly received, but the CFL got there first. That requires an uncommon vision, some resources and a growing commitment that the CFL is obviously prepared to make.
Word is that each of the nine CFL teams could have as many as five global players on the active and practice rosters in 2020. This season, each team had just one or two global players on hand.
For such rapid expansion to happen without diluting the talent level, the league needs to tap into a much larger supply, and the international player combines are designed to facilitate that search. The league just recently hired Greg Quick as director of global scouting, and he will be charged with the important role of sending only the best prospects from those international combines to the CFL combine in Toronto on March 26-28. A global draft will follow on April 16.