New rules / commissioner's statements

[jets4life]

LOL.  Good riddance.  WFC lost around $1M a year every single year carrying that lame sport.  Every game ends 1-0, fun!

This is a  ridiculous thing to say, considering the NHL has plenty of games of comparable scoring. It has nothing to do with scoring.  Don't believe me? Just look at the demographics of soccer fans, and how fast the sport is growing in North America. I was at two of the World Cup Qualification games in Edmonton, where nearly 50,000 people packed the stadium in sub-zero weather.

[jets4life]

That's one of the reasons I have zilch interest in MLS. I can't embrace any team composed of a bunch of foreign mercenaries as "my" team. There's no way I can identify with such teams.

50% of the players on Toronto FC are Canadian, which is a higher percentage than the Toronto Argonauts.

[Balticfox]

Fair enough. But the other thing I hate about soccer here in North America is the copying of Euro club names, e.g. Toronto FC, Real Salt Lake, D.C. United, Orlando City. This is North America! Teams should have names such as Toronto Lynx, Toronto Blizzard, Vancouver Whitecaps (with no FC added), Hamilton Forge, Edmonton Eskimos, Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

 

[Tecno]

The MLS is the best soccer league in North America. The league the Valour played in, is several levels below. It would be like comparing the league the Goldeyes play in, with the MLB.

Oh, I didn't know that.  I thought all this Canada soccer was all in the same league.  I would have never dreamed that Canada could support 1 soccer leagues, let alone 2!  I guess that explains why the Whitecaps had more sales and better pricing power.

[The Zipp]

50% of the players on Toronto FC are Canadian, which is a higher percentage than the Toronto Argonauts.

had no idea...thanks

[jets4life]

If we do not stop this Commissioner that is hell bent on making the Canadian game, a cheap knock off of the more popular American version, this will be it for the CFL. It either fold outright by the early 2030s, or revert to the Canadian field.

There is a precedent for a dramatic change in the league.  This happened in the 90s, with the American experiment.  After that failed miserably, the CFL nearly folded.  If it were not for the cash infusion from the NFL, the league would have ended in 1997.  I do not think we will be so lucky this time around, mainly since the hardcore fans hate the changes, and already feel alienated.  It's easy to make amends with fair weather fans, who rarely purchase CFL tickets and merchandise, much harder for fans invested in the league.

If the CFL were to fold, I guarantee soccer would see an explosion in popularity, and eventually take the place of the Bombers, once a reputable team calls Winnipeg it's home (the Valour played in soccer's equivalent of a beer league).

[Balticfox]

If we do not stop this Commissioner that is hell bent on making the Canadian game, a cheap knock off of the more popular American version, this will be it for the CFL. It either fold outright by the early 2030s, or revert to the Canadian field.

There is a precedent for a dramatic change in the league.  This happened in the 90s, with the American experiment.  After that failed miserably, the CFL nearly folded.  If it were not for the cash infusion from the NFL, the league would have ended in 1997.  I do not think we will be so lucky this time around, mainly since the hardcore fans hate the changes, and already feel alienated.  It's easy to make amends with fair weather fans, who rarely purchase CFL tickets and merchandise, much harder for fans invested in the league.

Agreed.

 

[The Fresh Prince Of Belair, MB]

It's because you're the only person who thinks that this is the reason. Stew-Jo included.

This is super true. Soccer is so popular in Canada that today Valour FC announced is ceasing operations indefinitely. The timing of this post is brilliant - thank you.

Valour FC folding has absolutely nothing to do with the popularity of soccer in Canada. Did the Jets move to Phoenix because hockey wasn't popular in Canada at the time?

[bomber beetle]

https://leaderpost.com/sports/davis-fear-not-football-fans-canadian-game-has-no-reason-to-consider-four-downs

[blue_gold_84]

The CFL had absolutely no reason to consider going to a 100-yard field, either. And yet, here we are.

[Stretch]

The CFL had absolutely no reason to consider going to a 100-yard field, either. And yet, here we are.

Still trying to wrap my head around the rationale for that one. If it was done to increase scoring by having teams go less distance to get points, why not make it 50 yards long? Or 20 yards? 

[bomber beetle]

FIFA stipulates an absolute minimum of 132 yards between end zone seating.
New stadiums will allow for some extra elbow room behind the goal.
The new CFL field is 130 yards long. Coincidence?
Sure, we could have a 110 yard field with 10 yard end zones....

[jets4life]

FIFA stipulates an absolute minimum of 132 yards between end zone seating.
New stadiums will allow for some extra elbow room behind the goal.
The new CFL field is 130 yards long. Coincidence?
Sure, we could have a 110 yard field with 10 yard end zones....

This will come in handy when the new changes lead to the demise of the CFL, and cities that built new stadiums in the past 20 years primarily for the CFL (Regina, Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Ottawa), will be desperate to either apply for an MLS franchise.

[blue_gold_84]

I sure hope the CFL isn't taking field dimension cues from a crooked organization like FIFA.

[TBURGESS]

FIFA stipulates an absolute minimum of 132 yards between end zone seating.
New stadiums will allow for some extra elbow room behind the goal.
The new CFL field is 130 yards long. Coincidence?
Sure, we could have a 110 yard field with 10 yard end zones....

The old size is also greater than the 132 minimum. I don't think you're making any point at all.