CFL to stick with global initiative
The CFL executive heading the global program has heard enough from critics claiming it's a waste of time and resources.
“I'm irritated because it's a lack of foresight,” said head of football operations Greg Dick.
“We had one year of the global program in 2019 — a Mexican combine plus 18 players from Europe at the national combine. That's it. The Mexican combine was good and there were lots of good athletes, but that was it. Thiadric Hansen was the best global player in the CFL in 2019 and he came from 18 European players. We had just developed those partnerships.
“So people have forgotten what the plan was and they haven't had a chance to see the work we've done and the players we've qualified for this draft. We missed a year because of COVID, so they revert back to 2019 and say it wasn't good enough, they aren't good enough players.”
Hansen played linebacker in Germany, but switched to defensive lineman and contributed admirably to Winnipeg's Grey Cup win. Most other global players made little impact in 2019. But Dick is certain the league's scouting efforts in early 2020 — when four football operations staff members staged nine international combines prior to the rise of COVID-19 — has paid off in a deeper, more skilled class for the 2021 draft, a four-round affair set for April 15. The league sent out a media release that identified the top 88 prospects, but there are 297 players eligible.
“We saw a vast array of players and the level of talent is significantly better,” said Dick.
“It's at the level where it should be for this strategy to work. We have a significant number of guys who are going to come to camp, be ready to play and step in right away. ... There's linemen, linebackers, defensive backs, running backs, receivers and lots of kickers. This might not be great for Canadians, but somebody might take an Australian punter versus another player because of the salary, because you save a bit on a global player.”
The minimum salary for a global player is $54,000, compared to $65,000 for nationals and Americans.
“The minimum needs to be upped in the next CBA because then it's just more fair,” said Dick. “These guys are good. I'll be honest, there are some globals who can be better than Americans.”
The current collective bargaining agreement, which expires prior to the 2022 season, allows for two global players on active rosters and up to three more on practice rosters. As the global initiative expands and the talent pool grows, Dick can see an eventual need to expand the global draft to six rounds, but only if there is room in the player ratio.
“If the ratio goes up, the draft goes up. You're not going to draft a whole bunch of extra guys who don't have a chance to play.”
The CFL already has working relationships with football entities in Mexico, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark,
Germany, France, Britain, Japan, Italy, Austria, Brazil and Spain. The pandemic put the pause on the initiative, but the CFL will seek partnerships with groups in China, Australia and the Netherlands, and possibly in South Africa.
“Africa is a bit interesting just because it's less developed than some other places, so we'll see. Part of our international strategy is to drive revenue for the CFL, so how far do we go with the partnerships? Are we really going to drive revenue if we have African partnerships? We'll see where it takes us.
“The first international revenue stream that we get is going to be broadcast, either streaming or traditional. So where are the companies? They are likely in Europe and Asia first. Brazil is interesting because it's such a massive country, and Mexico and Brazil are in the top five in NFL fans, so there are football fans in those countries.”