CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie remains bullish on expansion but doesn’t see the United States as the best place for the league to venture.
“Personally, I’m not convinced that U.S. expansion is the way to go,” said Ambrosie during his State of the League address in Vancouver. “I think we have something very special here with our Canadian content.”
“The Canadian ratio is going to be part of our league for many, many years to come and if you open yourself up to U.S. expansion, you’re going to have to make that change. You’re going to have to operate under different rules and I don’t think a great league operates under different rules — one set of rules that applies to everybody.”
Ambrosie, who is leaving the league this off-season after seven years at the helm, has made no secret of his desire to expand to 10 teams. During the league’s Touchdown Atlantic game in Halifax in 2023, the Winnipeg, Man. native indicated there had “probably never been a better chance” for the league to expand to the Maritimes, though it doesn’t appear any progress has since occurred.
There was speculation that the CFL could consider American expansion following reports that the United Football League, which kicks off its next season in March, could be at risk of folding after its conclusion.
Instead, Ambrosie touted some frequently discussed expansion options in Canada as those that remain best for the CFL.
“I’m very bullish on Quebec City, I’m bullish on Atlantic Canada. I also think that, as the country grows, markets like Windsor, for example, could potentially be open to our saleable branches. We’ve had conversations in that market about the possibility of hosting a game there,” said Ambrosie.
“Somewhere in all this great country of ours, there’s going to be a market that wants the CFL and is prepared to make the investment in a facility. I think our next best step to get to 10 is to do it in Canada.”
The CFL hasn’t had a team south of the border since 1995, when the Baltimore Stallions, Shreveport Pirates, San Antonio Texans, Birmingham Barracudas, and Memphis Mad Dogs formed the league’s South Division.
The Stallions, whose founding immediately followed the departure of the NFL’s Colts to Indianapolis, were the only team to experience meaningful success on and off the field, qualifying for two Grey Cups with one win before moving to Montreal in 1996.
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