BigBlue Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 Proposed Annual CFL Schedule About Marketing Canadian Style With Better Fan Appeal July 29, 2023 April weekend 3 & 4: Voluntary pre-camp indoor conditioning & playbook analysis April weekend 4: Rookie Camp: newbies, prospects, QBs (possibly indoor) May weekend 1: Preseason Camp opens May weekend 2: “Promoted” Intrasquad Game 1 & Autograph Day; heavily involve amateur football organizations for all ages… Make it a fundraiser for them and very much fun… Pass out free “buddy” tickets for next week’s intrasquad game through those organizations May weekend 3: Charity & Corporate sponsored Intrasquad Game 2, part of season-ticket package (but discounted), have “buddy” passes heavily distributed; pre-arrangements to locally televise the game and have many CFL heroes on the telecast doing season forecasts... the whole point is to develop new fans cheaply and synergestically Lack of preseason travel will help with team budgeting; as well some of those funds can be used for the promotion of these intrasquad games and for the coming season; activating with charities will also deepen interest and possibly bring new fans May weekend 4: Season Opener – the 2 Grey Cup teams play and otherwise traditional rivals play each other June – September weekends 4 games each except July (3) including afternoons & Thursday nights as requested Last weekend in July League Wide Bye … TSN replays four most exciting games … All players can plan for a much-needed family vacation and otherwise refresh Late August, September & early October: 8 Canadian College games are played in the home stadium of the bye team … Fully priced tickets become part of the season-ticket package; revenue pickup for both the college teams and the sponsoring CFL team... eventually have TSN televise these college games, perhaps test marketing a couple the first year October: two regular-season games two Sunday playoff games November: first week of November: 5 promoted corporate/charity events and activities including Friday night “College & CFL Awards Night” Played in indoor stadiums, for now alternating Vancouver & Toronto; all teams participate in the revenue stream; cutting out winter seating will increase attendance remarkably Saturday Vanier Cup included with the Grey Cup package, tickets are heavily discounted but fully paid for. What a fantastic extra event for the travelling fan, something more to celebrate on the trip. Canadian College football is “discovered” and new followers develop Sunday The Grey Cup Classic Three weeks earlier than tradition Regular-season will now have 1 May game, 2 October games, and 15 summer games over the suggested timelines; if there is an extra week over the summer, that can be filled by playing two games one week and two games the following week giving out another bye and the players a chance to recover from injuries. RATIONALE: Schedule Change & Traditional Break Fans will avoid winter games and will attend more frequently because of spring schedule; they will love to get outside again in May as spring fully arrives and the Winter departs; attendance will be much higher in June than in early November; further there will be no NFL competition until September and by then football fan interest in the CFL will have greatly picked up; as well teams can still work around the NFL schedule during the brief overlap; furthermore, there will likely be little or no competition or conflict from NHL hockey The CFL is heavily dependent on Canadian College and Junior football development; it’s the heart and soul of our game and what separates our CFL from the NFL. The CFL needs to do more to align with and promote amateur football in Canada and bring the CFL fan base to a new enlightenment. Bringing CFL planning into that College realm can only help everybody… In enjoyment, in player quality, and in revenue increases for all involved Commissioner Ambrosie is doing fine bringing a maritime team or Québec City in as a tenth team for our league. However, that is not nearly enough. The CFL board NEEDS TO BREAK TRADITION and make our league primarily a summer league from May to October. It works very well for baseball. Our fan base loves to get out in good weather so the CFL Board needs to adjust our scheduling to accommodate what the fans really want. They want to get out to the games in the late spring instead of the early winter. They want to drink beer, not hot chocolate! Mark H., Jpan85, Noeller and 5 others 3 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 I'm all in favour of pushing the season up and ending the year 3 weeks earlier. It can only help improve the attendances later in the year. TBURGESS, Nolby, Bubba Zanetti and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booch Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 I agree wbbfan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba Zanetti Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 Yup. Finish the season up in early November. wbbfan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlue Posted July 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 I really want to see the CFL promoting the Canadian College game in a BIG BIG way especially the Vanier Cup Brandon and Noeller 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noeller Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 27 minutes ago, BigBlue said: I really want to see the CFL promoting the Canadian College game in a BIG BIG way especially the Vanier Cup This is the only thing I've agreed with this in this thread. Mr. Perfect, K-Shack, Bigblue204 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 5 minutes ago, Noeller said: This is the only thing I've agreed with this in this thread. You don't think attendances would improve later in the season? Hasn't it been statistically proven that attendances dip once the weather gets cold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedFlex27 Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 What's this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedFlex27 Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 3 hours ago, BigBlue said: Proposed Annual CFL Schedule About Marketing Canadian Style With Better Fan Appeal July 29, 2023 April weekend 3 & 4: Voluntary pre-camp indoor conditioning & playbook analysis April weekend 4: Rookie Camp: newbies, prospects, QBs (possibly indoor) May weekend 1: Preseason Camp opens May weekend 2: “Promoted” Intrasquad Game 1 & Autograph Day; heavily involve amateur football organizations for all ages… Make it a fundraiser for them and very much fun… Pass out free “buddy” tickets for next week’s intrasquad game through those organizations May weekend 3: Charity & Corporate sponsored Intrasquad Game 2, part of season-ticket package (but discounted), have “buddy” passes heavily distributed; pre-arrangements to locally televise the game and have many CFL heroes on the telecast doing season forecasts... the whole point is to develop new fans cheaply and synergestically Lack of preseason travel will help with team budgeting; as well some of those funds can be used for the promotion of these intrasquad games and for the coming season; activating with charities will also deepen interest and possibly bring new fans May weekend 4: Season Opener – the 2 Grey Cup teams play and otherwise traditional rivals play each other June – September weekends 4 games each except July (3) including afternoons & Thursday nights as requested Last weekend in July League Wide Bye … TSN replays four most exciting games … All players can plan for a much-needed family vacation and otherwise refresh Late August, September & early October: 8 Canadian College games are played in the home stadium of the bye team … Fully priced tickets become part of the season-ticket package; revenue pickup for both the college teams and the sponsoring CFL team... eventually have TSN televise these college games, perhaps test marketing a couple the first year October: two regular-season games two Sunday playoff games November: first week of November: 5 promoted corporate/charity events and activities including Friday night “College & CFL Awards Night” Played in indoor stadiums, for now alternating Vancouver & Toronto; all teams participate in the revenue stream; cutting out winter seating will increase attendance remarkably Saturday Vanier Cup included with the Grey Cup package, tickets are heavily discounted but fully paid for. What a fantastic extra event for the travelling fan, something more to celebrate on the trip. Canadian College football is “discovered” and new followers develop Sunday The Grey Cup Classic Three weeks earlier than tradition Regular-season will now have 1 May game, 2 October games, and 15 summer games over the suggested timelines; if there is an extra week over the summer, that can be filled by playing two games one week and two games the following week giving out another bye and the players a chance to recover from injuries. RATIONALE: Schedule Change & Traditional Break Fans will avoid winter games and will attend more frequently because of spring schedule; they will love to get outside again in May as spring fully arrives and the Winter departs; attendance will be much higher in June than in early November; further there will be no NFL competition until September and by then football fan interest in the CFL will have greatly picked up; as well teams can still work around the NFL schedule during the brief overlap; furthermore, there will likely be little or no competition or conflict from NHL hockey The CFL is heavily dependent on Canadian College and Junior football development; it’s the heart and soul of our game and what separates our CFL from the NFL. The CFL needs to do more to align with and promote amateur football in Canada and bring the CFL fan base to a new enlightenment. Bringing CFL planning into that College realm can only help everybody… In enjoyment, in player quality, and in revenue increases for all involved Commissioner Ambrosie is doing fine bringing a maritime team or Québec City in as a tenth team for our league. However, that is not nearly enough. The CFL board NEEDS TO BREAK TRADITION and make our league primarily a summer league from May to October. It works very well for baseball. Our fan base loves to get out in good weather so the CFL Board needs to adjust our scheduling to accommodate what the fans really want. They want to get out to the games in the late spring instead of the early winter. They want to drink beer, not hot chocolate! Hate to rain on your parade but making the CFL a summer league will make it a lot more easier to merge with the USFL if the hard times continue. And don't for a moment think it isn't or hasn't been considered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebusrankin Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 April is too early for a rookie camp for a few reasons, one being weather and the second being the NFL and the NFL draft. I don't see the CFL dropping pre season games to go to intrasquad games. The statement that the CFL is heavily dependent on JR football and CIAU is not entirely true. There aren't that many CFLers with Jr football roots. CIAU is absolutely important but more and more Canadians are playing down south not only for college but for high school. On the high school thing, Sean Sevillano is from Manitoba and is going to Notre Dame. Dallas Sims is also from Manitoba and is going to Minnesota. Both play at Clearwater Academy is Florida. A league wide bye week is a stupid idea. Noeller and bigg jay 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpan85 Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 It is the perfect time right now. bigg jay and Noeller 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigg jay Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 Not a fan of only having the Grey Cup in Toronto or Vancouver. The game needs to move around. Brandon, Noeller, rebusrankin and 3 others 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebusrankin Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 Grey Cup only in Toronto or Vancouver is a terrible idea. Meh on Vanier Cup tickets being thrown in when you buy Grey Cup tickets. the watcher and Noeller 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlue Posted July 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 1 hour ago, rebusrankin said: April is too early for a rookie camp for a few reasons, one being weather and the second being the NFL and the NFL draft. I don't see the CFL dropping pre season games to go to intrasquad games. The statement that the CFL is heavily dependent on JR football and CIAU is not entirely true. There aren't that many CFLers with Jr football roots. CIAU is absolutely important but more and more Canadians are playing down south not only for college but for high school. On the high school thing, Sean Sevillano is from Manitoba and is going to Notre Dame. Dallas Sims is also from Manitoba and is going to Minnesota. Both play at Clearwater Academy is Florida. A league wide bye week is a stupid idea. And then there is Andrew Harris, Nick Demski and how many other Bisons ... and how many high schoolers & junior players that have made it to the CFL? The whole idea is to build amateur football in Canada bigger and better and not have to go to the US out of necessity, right? Noeller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepper_Brooks Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 5 hours ago, BigBlue said: Proposed Annual CFL Schedule About Marketing Canadian Style With Better Fan Appeal July 29, 2023 April weekend 3 & 4: Voluntary pre-camp indoor conditioning & playbook analysis April weekend 4: Rookie Camp: newbies, prospects, QBs (possibly indoor) May weekend 1: Preseason Camp opens May weekend 2: “Promoted” Intrasquad Game 1 & Autograph Day; heavily involve amateur football organizations for all ages… Make it a fundraiser for them and very much fun… Pass out free “buddy” tickets for next week’s intrasquad game through those organizations May weekend 3: Charity & Corporate sponsored Intrasquad Game 2, part of season-ticket package (but discounted), have “buddy” passes heavily distributed; pre-arrangements to locally televise the game and have many CFL heroes on the telecast doing season forecasts... the whole point is to develop new fans cheaply and synergestically Lack of preseason travel will help with team budgeting; as well some of those funds can be used for the promotion of these intrasquad games and for the coming season; activating with charities will also deepen interest and possibly bring new fans May weekend 4: Season Opener – the 2 Grey Cup teams play and otherwise traditional rivals play each other June – September weekends 4 games each except July (3) including afternoons & Thursday nights as requested Last weekend in July League Wide Bye … TSN replays four most exciting games … All players can plan for a much-needed family vacation and otherwise refresh Late August, September & early October: 8 Canadian College games are played in the home stadium of the bye team … Fully priced tickets become part of the season-ticket package; revenue pickup for both the college teams and the sponsoring CFL team... eventually have TSN televise these college games, perhaps test marketing a couple the first year October: two regular-season games two Sunday playoff games November: first week of November: 5 promoted corporate/charity events and activities including Friday night “College & CFL Awards Night” Played in indoor stadiums, for now alternating Vancouver & Toronto; all teams participate in the revenue stream; cutting out winter seating will increase attendance remarkably Saturday Vanier Cup included with the Grey Cup package, tickets are heavily discounted but fully paid for. What a fantastic extra event for the travelling fan, something more to celebrate on the trip. Canadian College football is “discovered” and new followers develop Sunday The Grey Cup Classic Three weeks earlier than tradition Regular-season will now have 1 May game, 2 October games, and 15 summer games over the suggested timelines; if there is an extra week over the summer, that can be filled by playing two games one week and two games the following week giving out another bye and the players a chance to recover from injuries. RATIONALE: Schedule Change & Traditional Break Fans will avoid winter games and will attend more frequently because of spring schedule; they will love to get outside again in May as spring fully arrives and the Winter departs; attendance will be much higher in June than in early November; further there will be no NFL competition until September and by then football fan interest in the CFL will have greatly picked up; as well teams can still work around the NFL schedule during the brief overlap; furthermore, there will likely be little or no competition or conflict from NHL hockey The CFL is heavily dependent on Canadian College and Junior football development; it’s the heart and soul of our game and what separates our CFL from the NFL. The CFL needs to do more to align with and promote amateur football in Canada and bring the CFL fan base to a new enlightenment. Bringing CFL planning into that College realm can only help everybody… In enjoyment, in player quality, and in revenue increases for all involved Commissioner Ambrosie is doing fine bringing a maritime team or Québec City in as a tenth team for our league. However, that is not nearly enough. The CFL board NEEDS TO BREAK TRADITION and make our league primarily a summer league from May to October. It works very well for baseball. Our fan base loves to get out in good weather so the CFL Board needs to adjust our scheduling to accommodate what the fans really want. They want to get out to the games in the late spring instead of the early winter. They want to drink beer, not hot chocolate! I adore all these ideas! Beautifully expressed, my friend. However, Toronto no longer has an indoor football stadium. The SkyDome renovations turned it into a baseball only venue I'm afraid. Please teach me the formatting you use for your posts. I absolutely LOVE it! Noeller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebusrankin Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 1 hour ago, BigBlue said: And then there is Andrew Harris, Nick Demski and how many other Bisons ... and how many high schoolers & junior players that have made it to the CFL? The whole idea is to build amateur football in Canada bigger and better and not have to go to the US out of necessity, right? How many jr footballers are currently on CFL rosters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booch Posted July 30, 2023 Report Share Posted July 30, 2023 There's Harris...Cotton...I believe one of the Riders useless olineman is a Jr player...that Putz Mack Henry was but I don't think he rostered anywhere this yr...other than that I think right now that's it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlue Posted July 31, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2023 4 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said: making the CFL a summer league will make it a lot more easier to merge with the USFL Making our game our game is why we have survived (and evolved) over the past century. When did the CFL start? We have to keep making our game better and adapt to our changing culture. By contrast the US spring leagues keep failing. They have a different economic equation and very different culture / entertainment packages. They are all NFL, college and local high school. Unless the spring leagues can develop their own special subculture, they are going to fail and keep on failing. The CFL & TSN are increasing their viewership and it can get much bigger. It can be shaped. Meanwhile the USFL is dealing with Einstein's definition of insanity. Our "BALLS" are bigger up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuranBoldenRules Posted July 31, 2023 Report Share Posted July 31, 2023 Spring cold is way worse and harder on the body than fall cold. Goalie, Jpan85, Noeller and 2 others 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlue Posted July 31, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2023 1 hour ago, JuranBoldenRules said: Spring cold is way worse and harder on the body than fall cold. Not if you are used to wearing a bikini in Winnipeg's February heat waves... but seriously the 3rd and 4th week of May in no way compares to November cold; some people start planting their gardens on the May long weekend Remember: THINK BEER, not hot chocolate Deiter Fan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuranBoldenRules Posted July 31, 2023 Report Share Posted July 31, 2023 3 minutes ago, BigBlue said: Not if you are used to wearing a bikini in Winnipeg's February heat waves... but seriously the 3rd and 4th week of May in no way compares to November cold; some people start planting their gardens on the May long weekend Remember: THINK BEER, not hot chocolate To start training camp yeah. To play games and start training camp in April, nah. Nothing in amateur football outside starts until the week before May Long. SpeedFlex27, K-Shack, Noeller and 1 other 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlue Posted July 31, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2023 2 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said: To start training camp yeah. To play games and start training camp in April, nah. Nothing in amateur football outside starts until the week before May Long. Who said rookie camp needed to be in Canada: a month in the deep south in April might be both fantastic and useful for recruiting .... still the suggestion was for indoor stuff in April Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noeller Posted July 31, 2023 Report Share Posted July 31, 2023 34 minutes ago, BigBlue said: Who said rookie camp needed to be in Canada: a month in the deep south in April might be both fantastic and useful for recruiting .... still the suggestion was for indoor stuff in April Who's paying for that?? All of this stuff is absolutely ridiculous. rebusrankin, bigg jay, Bigblue204 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
17to85 Posted July 31, 2023 Report Share Posted July 31, 2023 37 minutes ago, Noeller said: Who's paying for that?? All of this stuff is absolutely ridiculous. but don't you see? the people running the league don't have the insight of this post to show them how they're doing it wrong! Noeller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedFlex27 Posted July 31, 2023 Report Share Posted July 31, 2023 4 hours ago, BigBlue said: Making our game our game is why we have survived (and evolved) over the past century. When did the CFL start? We have to keep making our game better and adapt to our changing culture. By contrast the US spring leagues keep failing. They have a different economic equation and very different culture / entertainment packages. They are all NFL, college and local high school. Unless the spring leagues can develop their own special subculture, they are going to fail and keep on failing. The CFL & TSN are increasing their viewership and it can get much bigger. It can be shaped. Meanwhile the USFL is dealing with Einstein's definition of insanity. Our "BALLS" are bigger up here. I don't trust our Commissioner. I wouldn't put it past him to make some kind of a deal. Especially if the two leagues nearly mirror each other with their seasons. The CFL needs money badly. I wouldn't put it past Ambrosie & the BOG's to do something if they were desperate. Just sayin'. You don't have to believe me. 2 hours ago, Noeller said: Who's paying for that?? All of this stuff is absolutely ridiculous. Yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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