Global outreach
Ambrosie continues aggressive 2.0 plan by inking a partnership with German league
The Canadian Football League continues to take the game global, signing an agreement on Thursday with its German counterpart.
The new partnership will see an undetermined but select number of German Football League players attend what will now be an international combine in Toronto on March 22-24.
With 32 teams in two tiers, the GFL is stocked with plenty of talent, according to international football observers. The CFL said in a release that there are 450 clubs and 65,000 members in Germany.
If CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie is also able to secure similar partnerships with football entities in France, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden during a whirlwind international tour next week, he will be issuing invitations for those countries to send their top players to the March combine as well.
The next logical step would then be an international draft, held separately from the CFL draft of Canadian players, which goes May 2.
Thursday’s announcement marks another ambitious step forward in Ambrosie’s bold 2.0 initiative to grow the CFL brand and its revenues.
“I want to double the league’s revenues and I don’t want to be patient in the process,” said Ambrosie. “That’s a logical and rational thing to pursue. In fact, I was with the CFL governors on Monday in Toronto and we were talking about it. You look at the possibilities, expanding our reach, the potential for digital and broadcast revenues around the world, the possibility for sponsorship revenues, and how it can help us domestically.
“You aggregate the potential and you start to see that having a big goal of doubling league revenues is not outrageous.
“I think 2.0 is more than the international aspect. It’s really a mindset shift; 2.0 at some level is about thinking big. It’s saying there is no reason for the CFL to be relegated to being a small national league when the rest of the sports world has embraced internationalism.”
The 2.0 strategy has already produced an agreement, combine and player draft in Mexico. CFL teams drafted 27 Mexican university and professional players earlier this month. In time, there will be talks with football officials in Japan and Brazil as well, as both countries have a strong football presence.
There are as-yet-undefined plans to stage a regular season CFL game in Mexico in 2020, most likely between Toronto and Montreal. Germany will present a similar opportunity in time.
“These relationships have the potential to create those opportunities, to build a fan base of Canadian football followers in many countries which could lead us to having games in those countries,” said Ambrosie. “Absolutely, I don’t think there is any doubt we could one day see CFL games being played in any one of a number of countries as we build that international fan base.”
The partnership with the GFL also prioritizes the development of pathways for Canadian university and junior football grads to play in Germany. There is a similar desire built into the partnership deal between the CFL and the Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional in Mexico.
“Gridiron football is played and thriving in more than 30 countries. We all owe it to our great game, our talented athletes and our legions of fans to work together so gridiron football and those who play it can achieve their full potential,” Ambrosie said in the release.
The commissioner said he plans to take a step back from the 2.0 project after next week’s hectic schedule wraps up with a Feb. 7 meeting with Nordic nations in Helsinki.
“After this next round of visits, we will definitely take a deep breath, see where we are, how are we setting up for all of the other important tasks. And then re-evaluate.”
Foremost among those other important tasks will be talks with CFL Players Association representatives regarding a Collective Bargaining Agreement. CFLPA officials attended the CFL’s annual medical meetings in Montreal earlier this month, but no timetable for CBA talks has been set.
“They’re doing their preparation as we continue to do ours,” said Ambrosie. “While we didn’t set a specific schedule, we were able to confirm we are both doing all of the work that is going to be necessary to have constructive discussions when we come to the table.”
In his mind, working on the 2.0 project does not conflict with his domestic duties.
“My job is to make the biggest, strongest CFL possible for the benefit of all of our stakeholders, the benefit of our teams, players, coaches and fans.”