CFL Current/Future Franchises

[JayM]

Canadian Football League - Current & Future Franchise Locations


Western Canada
Current
Vancouver (B.C. Lions @ B.C. Place)


Calgary (Calgary Stampeders @ McMahon Stadium)


Edmonton (Edmonton Eskimos @ Commonwealth Stadium)


Regina (Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field)


Winnipeg (Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Canad Inns Stadium)


Temporary
Vancouver (B.C. Lions @ Pacific National Exhibition - Empire Field)


Future
Vancouver (Pacific National Exhibition - Empire Field)


Victoria (Centennial Stadium @ University of Victoria)


Abbotsford

Kamloops/Kelowna (Thompson-Rivers University @ Hillside Stadium)


Saskatoon (Griffths Stadium @ University of Saskatchewan)


Thunder Bay


Eastern Canada
Current
Hamilton (Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Ivor Wynne Stadium)


Toronto (Toronto Argonauts @ Rogers Centre)


Montreal


Temporary
Moncton (Atlantic Touchdown 2010 - Universite Moncton)

Future
Windsor


Kitchener/Waterloo


Toronto

Ottawa (Frank Clair Stadium @ Lansdowne Park)


Quebec (Stade PEPS Stadium - Universite Lavel)


Moncton

Halifax

St. John's

[Distill3d]

Originally Posted by JayM

Vancouver New Stadium(Empire Stadium Rebuilt)
Fixed Seating ~
Expandable: ~
Population Base: ~2,600,000
Notes: This Will be used only for the 2010 Season as BC Place Stadium goes under-construction.

I would almost put money on the Leo's playing at "Empire Stadium" for two seasons, and that Grey Cup 2011 is the big CFL opening event for the new BC Place.

Plus, Surrey BC, maybe even Kelowna BC will probably get a CFL team before Victoria does. Though, thats just a matter of opinion.

[MonctonRad]

Moncton, New Brunswick

Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium

Fixed seating..................................................10,000
With temporary bleachers for next years game......20,000
Expandable...................................................~25,000 (similar to Montreal Molson Stadium)

Population base:
CMA population (2008 est.).....133,000
Within a one hour drive...........287,000 (similar to Regina)
Within a 90 minute drive..........450,000 (better than Regina)

- Active community and governmental (municipal and provincial) interest in acquiring a team.
- Will be hosting first ever neutral site regular season CFL game next year.


east stands of new stadium.


? possible name and logo for a potential franchise.

[SHOFEAR]

/\ Your forgetting to mention the stadium in moncton is world class.

[MolsonExport]

wholly shite, a retractable roofed stadium....in Regina which rhymes with Vagina (just for Vid)

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by SHOFEAR

/\ Your forgetting to mention the stadium in moncton is world class.

The stadium is hosting the 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics........the track facility will be "world class" or at least will completely meet current specifications for hosting a world championship event. I am fully cognisant of the fact that the stadium itself does not compare to the "Bird's Nest" in Beijing.

On a more serious note........

If the CFL brand is to be promoted in Canada, it makes sense to me that an effort should be made to locate teams and franchises in such a manner that it becomes convenient for the vast majority of Canadians to be able to commute to see a game. This would make the CFL far more relevant to more Canadians. An eight team league just doesn't cut it. Even a 12 team league I think would be insufficient.

I think that over time, an effort should be made to expand the CFL to at least 16 teams.

Proposal:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
- Halifax
- Moncton
- Quebec City
- Montreal

Central Division
- Ottawa
- Toronto
- Hamilton
- London

Western Conference

Prairie Division
- Winnipeg
- Saskatoon
- Regina
- Edmonton

Pacific Division
- Calgary
- Kelowna
- Vancouver
- Victoria

A configuration such as this probably would allow 90% of the Canadian population to be within a two hour drive of a franchise city.

What better way to build the league franchise than by having it more accessible to more Canadians.

[dsim249]

Does it make sense for Calgary to be in Pacific and Edmonton in Prairie? Aside from the fact that each division would have four teams.
Not to mention Montreal and QC referred to as Atlantic...

[MolsonExport]

^wait until some of the K-W forumers see the omission of the worlds most intelligent community of 2007 from that list.

[frinkprof]

@MonctonRad:

Things a lot more complex than having the singular goal of reducing drive-time for a certain percentage of Canadians. I do agree that the league should be expanded though.

With the knowledge that Ottawa will get a team soon, I would put suggest expansion efforts should follow the following priority, with my desired timeline:

1. Atlantic Canada region - either Moncton or Halifax, both can make a case. (2013)

2. Quebec City (2015)

3. Saskatoon (2017)

4. One of London or Windsor (2020)

5. Victoria (2020)

I'm not sure if Victoria could support a team as it has the disadvantage of being of on an island so the ability to draw from the region like other markets do is hampered. Although it is a bit of a different animal, I'm sure this is one of the reasons they don't even have a WHL team. Also, I'm not sure the demographics are the type to support CFL football. I mostly included them in order to balance the east/west split.

Another thing, Saskatchewan's strength has always been the ability to draw from the entire province. Would putting a team in Saskatoon severely hurt the Roughriders, as well as the new team's ability to fill the seats?

[wild wild west]

That's a big NFW on Saskatoon getting a CFL team of its own. The Riders' market is basically the entire province (and a good chunk of Alberta). Saskatoon is solidly loyal to Rider Nation. If anything perhaps the Toon scoring some Riders home games might be a more realistic scenario.

Apart from Ottawa, which is far too big a market for the CFL to ignore, I see Quebec City getting a team and based on the CFL's success in Montreal, hopefully a rivalry could be stoked. Beyond that, a team in either Halifax or Moncton and a team elsewhere in Southern Ontario (London, K/W or Windsor). Unfortunately Southern Ontario hasn't exactly embraced the CFL in recent years so not sure how well a 3rd team would fare down there...

[SHOFEAR]

What better way to build the league franchise than by having it more accessible to more Canadians.

I don't know....ensuring franchises are in stable markets that aren't a perpetual money loser? The CFL can't afford (image and financial) to go Bettman and place teams in unproven markets on the assumption that the market will grow with time.

I'm still trying to figure out how a team in Saskatoon is good for the league. Let me get this straight, we take the smallest market in the league, one that needs a perfect storm to make money and divide that market into two? No thanks.

[MonctonGoldenFlames]

we already have a franchise, it's just sitting dormant right now. from what i heard, the franchise was created in 1984...the atlantic schooners. great logo, although the picture is horrible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Schooners

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...1124/20071124/

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.co...article/872143

picture taken by me at the grey cup atlantic kitchen party.

[trueviking]

west:
winnipeg
BC
edmonton
regina
calgary

east:
Ottawa
Montreal
Toronto
Halifax
Hamilton

if the CFL could get this scenario going relatively quickly, it would be good....then two teams in each division miss the playoffs so you dont get 6-12 teams making it.

it would be nice to see quebec city in the league, but i think that is a long way off yet....it would make the divisions unbalanced as i dont really see another city in the west able to support a franchise, but there are ways to work around that i suppose.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by trueviking

west:
winnipeg
BC
edmonton
regina
calgary

east:
Ottawa
Montreal
Toronto
Halifax
Hamilton

if the CFL could get this scenario going relatively quickly, it would be good....then two teams in each division miss the playoffs so you dont get 6-12 teams making it.

it would be nice to see quebec city in the league, but i think that is a long way off yet....it would make the divisions unbalanced as i dont really see another city in the west able to support a franchise, but there are ways to work around that i suppose.

I agree with that list. Lets get to 10 before we start thinking about 12 or 14.

[samne]

Central Division
- Ottawa
- Toronto
- Hamilton
- London

Or Ontario Division

[Dmajackson]

I really hate the Atlantic Schooners name ... its so stereotypical. Its like choosing lighthouses in a world class competition to put in front of a inland building ...

[MonctonRad]

Are you making aspersions about the new casino they're building here in Moncton?

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

I'm not sure if Victoria could support a team as it has the disadvantage of being of on an island so the ability to draw from the region like other markets do is hampered. Although it is a bit of a different animal, I'm sure this is one of the reasons they don't even have a WHL team. Also, I'm not sure the demographics are the type to support CFL football. I mostly included them in order to balance the east/west split.

Another thing, Saskatchewan's strength has always been the ability to draw from the entire province. Would putting a team in Saskatoon severely hurt the Roughriders, as well as the new team's ability to fill the seats?

No, I highly doubt Victoria will have a large enough market to support getting a CFL team by 2020. We are on an Island with only 800,000 people. The Victoria-Nanaimo corridor does have about 600,000 people within a ~150km long strip along the east coast of the Island, but I doubt that is a large enough market to support a CFL team.

I do know many football fans that live within the Victoria-Nanaimo corridor. However, they do one of three things: watch the NFL and CFL on TV and rarely go to Vancouver or Seattle for games; go to Seattle once a year for a game; go to Vancouver once or twice a year for games. So really, you could add most of Vancouver Island's population into either the BC Lions or Seahawks markets as both are relatively easy to get to for us by air or ferry.

If Saskatoon were to gain a CFL team, it would break up Saskatchewan's already dispersed, small market size in two. Separate Regina and Saskatoon teams would result in two CFL market populations significantly smaller than Victoria's. Even with the fervent province wide support right now for Saskatchewan's only professional sports team, I doubt they could fill two stadiums with 30k or get the same levels of corporate and government support for each team that the Riders enjoy now. Although a Saskatoon vs. Regina game would likely be crazy!

PS - Victoria had a WHL team (Cougars) from 1971 to 1994. We now have an ECHL team, the Salmon Kings, who are affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks (NHL) and Manitoba Moose (AHL), which is a notch up from the WHL in my book

[dsim249]

Originally Posted by craneSpotter

If Saskatoon were to gain a CFL team, it would break up Saskatchewan's already dispersed, small market size in two. Separate Regina and Saskatoon teams would result in two CFL market populations significantly smaller than Victoria's. Even with the fervent province wide support right now for Saskatchewan's only professional sports team, I doubt they could fill two stadiums with 30k or get the same levels of corporate and government support for each team that the Riders enjoy now. Although a Saskatoon vs. Regina game would likely be crazy!

I agree. As much as I would love to see Griffiths Stadium transformed into a substantial stadium (or an entirely new stadium), I can't see it happening for a good 20 to 30 years at least.

[waterloowarrior]

Here are some images for Lansdowne Park you can use (from the developers/owners website). Seating will be 24,000, they've talked about it being expandable for events of 45,000+
http://www.lansdownelive.ca/images/gallery/aerial.jpg
http://www.lansdownelive.ca/images/g...wlansdowne.jpg
http://www.lansdownelive.ca/images/g...outhstands.jpg