For some teams, the CFL Offseason is here. Rather than lose all the coaching movement discussions to the Regular season thread, I thought we could start putting it here.

Those teams currently lost in the wilderness:

Ottawa

Toronto

BC

Montreal

Calgary

Edmonton

Saskatchewan

Hamilton

The champs are here.. the champs are here... Winnipeg*

 

*Grey Cup Champions

13 minutes ago, DR. CFL said:

The NHL is talking about HUB cities based on the premise they have no fans in the arena. Is the CFL going to have HUB cities with no fans?

Feels like the Argos have been preparing for this for years. 

1 hour ago, JCon said:

Feels like the Argos have been preparing for this for years. 

Like it or not no Argos no TSN deal.

6 minutes ago, DR. CFL said:

Like it or not no Argos no TSN deal.

Not sure what one has to do with the other but okay. 

49 minutes ago, JCon said:

Not sure what one has to do with the other but okay. 

The TSN deal is predicated on market size and market exposure. That is the whole basis for how advertising revenue is charged to companies. Agree or not the perception of not having a team in large market impacts what you can charge for advertising and how much advertising revenue you make. 

Toronto is the media capital of Canada, and there needs to be a franchise there for the league to get a media deal. I hate it, but it's the reality. 

10 hours ago, Mr Dee said:

CFL "The perfect spots for those (hub cities) would be Regina and Saskatoon. You have multiple facilities there & you could use the universites, if they're not in school, to put up the players and staff. You could really cut hotel costs there." - @JDunk12 #CFL via @joeyalfieri - CFL News
 

Doesn’t that apply to any city that has universities Justin?

 

Dunk is an idiot. Then why not have a second CFL city in Saskatchewan? Just build a stadium if Saskatoon is so great. The U of M campus is perfect for this. Winnipeg should be a Hub City. 

36 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Dunk is an idiot. Then why not have a second CFL city in Saskatchewan? Just build a stadium if Saskatoon is so great. The U of M campus is perfect for this. Winnipeg should be a Hub City. 

Aside from misguided pride, remained me again why we would want the CFL playing here in pandemic situations? We wouldn't be able to go to the games either way, and being a "hub city" would the risk of COVID-19 in Winnipeg as players from other provinces would be traveling in from outside.

9 minutes ago, Eternal optimist said:

Aside from misguided pride, remained me again why we would want the CFL playing here in pandemic situations? We wouldn't be able to go to the games either way, and being a "hub city" would the risk of COVID-19 in Winnipeg as players from other provinces would be traveling in from outside.

Why pick on me? You don't like it is fine with me.

 

Misguided pride?? I don't like that tone.... *spits in the general direction of the rectangle*

2 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Why pick on me? You don't like it is fine with me.

Y'know I was going to post about how I don't pick on you and stuff... but then I went through my recent posts and I have, for whatever reason, commented on your posts more often than not. Just wanted to apologize lol.

Also, thanks for making me question my own subconscious and overall existential purpose. 

I didn't mean you can't comment on what I said. I just couldn't figure out why you felt you had to comment negatively on that particular post when it's been said by others here & on social media that the CFL might play or if not then die. Also you're entitled to your opinion which is fine. 

As far as bringing Covid 19 to Winnipeg, anyone associated with every team would have to self quarantine for 14 days. It would be severely enforced. The problem now is getting players over the border as it'll be closed for another month. 

Edited May 20, 20205 yr by SpeedFlex27

15 hours ago, DR. CFL said:

The TSN deal is predicated on market size and market exposure. That is the whole basis for how advertising revenue is charged to companies. Agree or not the perception of not having a team in large market impacts what you can charge for advertising and how much advertising revenue you make. 

Again, I have no idea what that has to do with my post. I understand how marketing works though, thanks. 

11 hours ago, Eternal optimist said:

Aside from misguided pride, remained me again why we would want the CFL playing here in pandemic situations? We wouldn't be able to go to the games either way, and being a "hub city" would the risk of COVID-19 in Winnipeg as players from other provinces would be traveling in from outside.

Why would we want them? The university campus is going to be empty until at least January. There are residences and hotels around that really use the bodies. There are also restaurants that could use the catering business. 

I can think of 50 reasons why it would be good to have them here and the only negative is that they could bring the virus here and spread it. That's pretty significant but, with tight protocols and quarantine could help alleviate the risks. 

Maybe it would be considered "essential" travel? Players would quarantine for the two weeks, so it is not an absolute travel ban.

As for being a hub city, there would be benefit for the bottom line of the host cities. Players need hotels to stay in, food to eat, etc. so business would get extra traffic. There's a reason Las Vegas is being looked at hard for the NHL hub plan. They would welcome all the hotel traffic of players and possibly their families. I suspect if the CFL is considering a hub city plan then they will want similar criteria that the NHL looked at:

1) Not a coronavirus hotspot - not sure what the current status of every city is, but Calgary, Quebec and BC seemed to be of particular concern, and Toronto being so big the population density would raise concerns. Winnipeg and Regina seem to be handling it well.

2) A stadium with 4 pro-size dressing rooms minimum to handle the extra traffic. I know IG Field has the Bomber locker room, the Bison locker room, a road team locker room, and a room for amateur athletes. Not sure if they have a fourth full locker room. I'm guessing Roger's Centre in Toronto would have the full number given that the Argos and Jays both played there, can't speculate on any other stadiums. But in Toronto's case that leads to issue #3

3) Not sharing the stadium with another tenant is preferable.

4) Readily accessible practice facilities nearby. It has already been pointed out that with IG Field, Pan Am stadium next door, and the indoor soccer complex which could be divided into two or even 4 separate fields, Winnipeg is well suited to handle to traffic flow.

5) Enough hotel space nearby to accommodate the players and be close to the practice sites - with the University being largely shut down, this might be less of a problem with the dorm space available.

6) A field that can handle the wear and tear of multiple games in a week. Given that natural grass is not an issue in any stadium, this should not be a bar to any of the CFL cities.

Other potential issues would be enough space to handle the TV and radio crews for each game, and easy travel between the 2 hub cities. With one TV broadcaster, that would not be an issue, but the league might need to have an in-house radio broadcaster rather than sending a local radio crew for each team. You could do worse than have Bob Irving cover every game on radio, and with Geoff Currier and Kelly Moore you have capable back-ups both with experience calling CFL games. As for the travel, pairs of cities that would work are Toronto-Hamilton, Edmonton-Calgary, Ottawa-Montreal, and at the outer limit Winnipeg-Saskatchewan (if you want to avoid flying altogether). Just some thoughts on the matter.

 

CFL playing a hub season in the prairies would be amazing (and probably the best idea) . They'd probably still need some bailout money from the government but at least there would be football.

They should just play the CFL season in BMO as is no one goes anyway.

1 hour ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

1) Not a coronavirus hotspot - not sure what the current status of every city is, but Calgary, Quebec and BC seemed to be of particular concern

 

Most of what you posted is fine, but BC is one of the least-hit places in Canada. They got way out in front of things and have had crazy low numbers. They had less than 10 new cases yesterday...

With the reigning Grey Cuo

13 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Most of what you posted is fine, but BC is one of the least-hit places in Canada. They got way out in front of things and have had crazy low numbers. They had less than 10 new cases yesterday...

Fair point. I know they were one of the early spots hit, had not followed how they progressed. Thanks for the clarification.

53 minutes ago, BBlink said:

CFL playing a hub season in the prairies would be amazing (and probably the best idea) . They'd probably still need some bailout money from the government but at least there would be football.

Not sure if we'd need "buzz" for a CFL season largely without fans in the stands, but with the reigning Grey Cup champs here and the Grey Cup (which they'd still want to have fans in the stands for if possible) in Regina, these two cities would make sense from a higher profile point of view.

There will not be games played in front of fans until a vaccine is widely available. 

Email today from the Bombers:

Season ticket holders are invited to attend a virtual town hall meeting today with CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie to hear an update on our plans for 2020.

When: 3 pm ET on Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Why: We appreciate your support and want to keep you informed.

How:

•	To attend, a live stream will be available at https://www.cfl.ca/townhall/. To share a question for Randy, use the Ask A Question form on the page to submit a question before or during the event.
•	To hear an audio-only broadcast via a phone line, you may dial 1-800-898-3989 (toll free in Canada and the United States) and enter passcode 7076771# at the prompt.

We hope you can make it, but if you cannot attend, please know the information is also being delivered in a letter to season ticket holders, as well as through the media.

Thank you again for your support. We hope you and yours are staying safe and you are well.

 

 

CFL
“We have learned three things about running a league in a pandemic. Certainty is hard to come by. Scenarios are plentiful. And public safety is paramount.

3 things:

Return to Play: September at the Earliest

The 2020 Grey Cup: A Change of Plans

Touchdown Atlantic: Not This Year, Sadly

https://www.cfl.ca/2020/05/20/cfl-issues-update-regarding-2020/

 

 

 

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for the incredible patience you and your fellow fans have shown to our club throughout this public health crisis. Our team has connected with thousands of season ticket members over the past two months and the words of support that we’ve heard have been nothing short of inspiring.   While there are still many unknowns regarding COVID-19 and how our return to the field will look, there is a clear challenge in scheduling a full CFL season that may not be able to start until the fall. We estimate at this time that the 2020 home schedule will see a reduction of at least four home games.   It has become increasingly clear that we will not be able to take part in a traditional Grey Cup and Grey Cup Festival, certainly not with the size and scope that has become customary. With that in mind, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have been awarded the 2022 Grey Cup and if we return to play this year, the host of the 2020 Grey Cup will be determined by a “win and host” model. The team that qualifies for the Grey Cup and has a superior regular season record to its opponent will host the game.   This means we’ll have the opportunity to play our way into defending our Grey Cup championship title at home. A final decision on that, of course, depends on governments and public health officials, and what they tell us is safe.   Further announcements regarding the official adjusted schedule will be provided by the league at a later date. We will respect their directives and we will always put health and safety first.   You will receive a follow up email this Friday, May 22nd, with the specific details of your account. If the adjusted cost of your tickets is more than you’ve already paid so far for this season, you will have an account credit. With this credit, you will have the option to:   • Apply it to your 2021 season ticket renewal • Apply it toward tickets to a potential win-and-host 108th Grey Cup game • Apply it toward additional game tickets for friends • Receive a refund   We have been asked by many season ticket members how they can support the club through 2020, here are some options:   Bomber Store Gift Cards   Use your account credit to purchase gift cards to The Bomber Store, and we will increase the value by 20%; OR   COVID-19 Team Support Support your team during this challenging time and donate a portion of your account credit to your community-sponsored Winnipeg Football Club. Supporters wishing to donate above $150 will receive one of the following gifts:   • $150 to $500 donation: $50 Bomber Store gift card • Donation of $500 and up: $100 Bomber Store gift card & a copy of For The W: A look back at the 2019 Grey Cup championship season, autographed by Andrew Harris   We understand that this is a difficult time for everyone and we’re certainly proud to be a part of such a strong community. If you need assistance or would like to discuss other options for your Blue Bombers account, we will be glad to speak with you. Please call or text (204) 784-7448, reach out via email at fanservices@bluebombers.com, or schedule an appointment for a call from our Fan Services team.   We look forward to defending our Grey Cup championship at IG Field.   Wade Miller President & CEO