Earliest season could start is fall
Cancellation ‘possible’ as league makes changes to 2020 Grey Cup plans
Commissioner Randy Ambrosie gave the CFL some muchneeded breathing room Wednesday.
Ambrosie told CFL seasonticket holders during a video conference the earliest the league could start the 2020 regular season is September. And even if football does return, Ambrosie removed the guarantee that the Grey Cup game would be played in Regina.
But Ambrosie again reiterated a cancelled ’20 campaign remains a distinct possibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
By saying the season won’t start until September at earliest and leaving the door open to games without fans, Ambrosie buys the CFL some time to explore all options as the league continues to talk to all levels of government for assistance.
“(An abbreviated season) is one of the scenarios we’re pursuing,” Ambrosie said. “But the truth is I think when we’re done, we’re going to be able to say more or less we exhausted all possibilities.
“What you have to do at the end is narrow it down to those that represent the best chance to play if we can, and if not, to make sure we’re ready to play in ’21 and beyond.”
And Ambrosie said that includes entertaining the possibility of teams playing interdivision games during a scaleddown regular season.
The prospect of the CFL season starting in September isn’t new. Ambrosie told the Canadian Press in April, “there’s a lot pointing to September as being a reasonable person’s view of when we might be able to resume.”
Last month, the CFL postponed the start of training camps — which were to open last week — and pushed back the June 11 start of the regular season to July, at the earliest.
The CFL has also called upon the Canadian government for assistance. The league asked for $30 million immediately, additional monies if the ’20 season began late and up to $120 million for the worst-case scenario — the cancellation of the entire campaign.
“I think the conversation we’re having with the government is very important,” Ambrosie said. “We’re going to continue talking to them, we’re going to continue to look at the programs they’re creating and ones they’ve encouraged us to look at.
“We will be having conversations with the provincial and municipal governments as well. Essentially, we have to be partners with everybody.”
The CFL is also changing its
’20 Grey Cup plans.
Regina was scheduled to hold the game Nov. 22, but instead has been awarded the 2022 contest. Hamilton remains the 2021 Grey Cup host.
If there’s a shortened season, the Grey Cup finalist with the best regular-season record will host the CFL championship game. The contest could still be played in Regina if the Saskatchewan Roughriders is the finalist with the better record.
But Ambrosie said the CFL is also open to playing the Grey Cup in December if that helps the scheduling of regular-season games.
“Obviously, with all the things that have been happening around the pandemic, having a traditional Grey Cup just isn’t possible,” Ambrosie said. “We are disappointed … but we’re looking forward to going back (to Regina in 2022).”
Ambrosie said the CFL has looked into a hub-city approach for the 2020 season, but wouldn’t divulge specific details.