CFL continues to search for a way to return in 2020

CALGARY (CityNews) – The certainty of the CFL returning to play in 2020 still remains unclear.

A statement released by the league’s commissioner Randy Ambrosie, said the league is still working everyday to assess whether a shortened season in 2020 can go ahead.

Adding the league is fighting against two major issues: whether it can be done safely, and whether it is financially viable.

The statement is the first update in just over a month, when Ambrosie announced plans for the 2020 Grey Cup and said the earliest the 2020 season could return was September.

“We know this situation is tough on our fans, sponsors, employees and especially tough on our players. Some have received off-season bonuses, but many have gone without pay since last season. We know that’s enormously difficult for them, their families and we’ve been working on ways to help,” Ambrosie said.

The league has been working with the players’ association to try and get financial support for the players from the Canadian government.

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“We also understand that our players want certainty. So do our fans and so do I. We want to make as informed of a decision as possible on this year, to make it as soon as possible and most of all to make the right decision for Canadians. Above all, with COVID-19 re-opening plans continuing to evolve across the country, we will be guided by the advice and experience of Canada’s Public Health Officers who have worked tirelessly and endlessly to protect Canadians during the pandemic,” he added.

Advice that has seen the Calgary Stampeders and defending Grey Cup Champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers return to practice.

“It was just great to get back into the building with the guys, I missed them all,” strength and conditioning co-ordinator Keenan MacDougall said in a statement released by the Stampeders.

Ambrosie also went out of his way to thank fans in both Canada and the U.S. for showing their support for the league.

“When it comes to the role of the fans, not all sports leagues are the same. Larger U.S.-based leagues play for a larger North American market and get the lion’s share of their revenue from television. While we are grateful for our U.S. fans — and those even further abroad — the CFL plays for Canadians and depends on ticket sales more than any other source of funds. From a financial point of view, playing without fans is far less important to making it through COVID-19 for the NBA or NHL than it is for our league,” Ambrosie said.

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“Our fans make the game possible and they too have sacrificed. The vast majority of CFL season ticket holders have chosen to leave their pre-season deposits with our clubs, providing us with much needed operating capital. We can’t thank them enough. The enthusiasm and support of Canadians from coast-to-coast inspires us every day – and at no time more than during the COVID-19 crisis.”

Ambrosie finally added: “We are strongly committed to working positively with our players and to always trying to build a better relationship. Only by working together can we reach our goal: to come out of this pandemic, and out of 2020, having done all we can to secure the strongest possible future for the CFL, its players and all of us who love and support this wonderful league.”

But the waiting game has already cost the Montreal Alouettes their star running back, James Wilder Jr., who retired from the league on Wednesday as a return to play decision is not clear.