Big plans for 2016 season
Jeffrey Orridge tackled a number of major issues in his first year as CFL commissioner. What does he do for an encore? Orridge provided the answer, plus a few more, in conversation with the Regina Leader-Post’s Greg Harder.
Q How does the CFL hope to connect with fans in 2016 and beyond?
A The first thing we can look at is continuing the rollout of the CFL brand (with a new logo and slogan, ‘What we’re made of’). It was a fall launch last year at Grey Cup but now we’re out in earnest. It’s a new season, it’s a new look with our Adidas partnership, but it’s also a new era. My over-arching theme since I started in this role is to attract that next generation of fans because not only do we need to meet the expectations of our current fans, but we need to fill that pipeline. The way you do it is reach out to them on various platforms — social media, for example. We’ve revamped the website, not only giving more news and statistics and real-time game-tracker scoring, but also creating more intimate content — miking what is happening on the field to give people more of an insider look. We’re creating more of our own concepts to tell the stories and really showcase the amazing athletes we have in this league. You’ll also see an enhanced pick ’em game, which allows our casual fans as well as our avid fans to be more involved. We’re continuing to explore avenues for fantasy gaming. There’s a lot in the works. We’ve always been a progressive league, but I think we’re even more progressive this year.
Q When will expansion to 10 teams be on the agenda?
A I’ve always said this: It will happen when it makes sense for the league. The things we have to have in place in order for it to not just survive but to thrive is we have to have a great stadium. We have to have the right ownership. We have to have people who know what they’re doing in terms of being able to put together the right team of people, not just the players on the field. And we have to have great corporate sponsorship. We’re not as concerned about the community because wherever this expansion team is located we know the community will rally around it.
Q What’s your vision for a CFLNFL relationship?
A We can learn from each other and share best practices. Our (new) officiating exchange program is a great example of that. Their officials and ours will benefit from more reps. Player health and safety is another place where we’re collaborating and sharing ideas. We always need to keep the lines of communication open and look at opportunities where it makes sense for both leagues to get stronger and perhaps more importantly help the game of football be more vibrant. We’re in the same game. There are clearly differences and nuances to our games but it’s all about the game of football.
Q Along with expanded video review, the CFL is placing an official in the command centre to help make calls on nonchallengeable plays. Is there any concern about prolonging games?
A We have designed this in a way that it should not slow down the pace of the game and certainly not extend the duration of the game. There are leagues whose games average more than 20 minutes more than ours. I don’t think it’s really the length of the game that should be considered but it’s (also) the pace of the game. We want to make sure we offer the most entertaining product that we can by making these kind of improvements, by trying to ensure that we get more calls right and that we do it in a very expeditious way. A video official can have that view (from above) and call down immediately to the officials on the field. It’s designed to make things quicker, not slow things down. But it’s also designed to be as accurate as we can possibly be.
Q How much of an ongoing priority is player safety?
A I’m a father of two young boys. I want them to participate in the sport. There’s always risk and there’s always a concern that injury will occur (in any sport). What you really want to do is create the safest environment possible. One of the things we’ve done is partner with Football Canada in a safe contact program. It really focuses on the proper way to tackle, the proper way to block. Each youth football coach, we want to mandate (that they) be certified in the proper way. (At the CFL level) we’ve augmented the protocols we have on the sideline by instituting a new test called the King-Devick Test, which is another assessment tool for concussions. The injury spotter is another way. If that person notices something, he can call down to the sidelines and have that player checked out. The players are our greatest asset, not only on the field but off the field. We want to make sure they’re healthy.
Q What’s the impetus of the new tampering policy, which stipulates that teams will be punished if they don’t seek permission before contacting coaches who are under contract?
A Advancement in the coaching ranks has always been encouraged. The whole idea behind this (policy) is to create an environment that is reasonable and fair not only for the coach, but the team. If there are differences of opinion as to whether or not there should be compensation (it must be resolved before the move). As long as the terms and conditions of the coach’s potential movement are set forth at the beginning then there should be no issues between the teams. But we needed a policy to articulate that because there had been none.
Q How important was it to solve the drug-testing issues and give the new policy some teeth?
A It was critically important for us as a league to have an enhanced progressive drug-testing policy. The first reason is you want to maintain the integrity of the game. You want to make sure you send the right signal that people don’t try to cheat in order to secure a spot. Then you also want to send a message to youth. The whole idea for me behind sport is to be more physically fit and to get kids active and to lead a healthier lifestyle. Performance-enhancing drugs are a direct contradiction to that.
Q Any worries over attendance and falling TV ratings?
A I’m really not that concerned. The Grey Cup last year had nearly 10 million viewers so that’s a pretty strong number — up six per cent from the year before. During the course of the season, we faced unprecedented competition, everything from the Pan Am Games (in Toronto) to the Blue Jays’ surge. The Pan Am Games (resulted in) teams being displaced from their home venues. The TV industry was undergoing some changes. With all those things, there was kind of a confluence of circumstances. I don’t think it’s a trend. Ottawa has been selling out. Hamilton has been selling out. There’s a new energy in Toronto (with the move to BMO Field under new ownership). I’m very optimistic. We’re still an extraordinarily strong brand.