2019 CFL Season

[le calmar]

I would not say Molson's expansion was a disaster, it was just bad timing. At the time the stadium was definitely too small with a capacity of 20 200 and something like 100 sellouts in a row (I forgot the number but you get the idea). It looked like a good idea on paper. But if we knew how much of a disaster the team would be in the following years, I would have spent that budget on new seating instead. I would not be surprised if they fail to sellout even the opening game this year, and that's with the upper section tarped off.

[blueandgoldguy]

I read on another forum that the season ticket base is only 5,000. If that is the case, there is a real possibility the Als will see crowds in the 10 - 12,000 range this season given all the uncertainty surrounding the team.

[thurmas]

What's likely to happen is Kavis Reed and Sherman are lame duck GM and coach this year, Starke and Smith JR fire them at seasons end and the Als do a legit rebuild for 2020. I am actually optimistic about a Als rebuild as when they win their fans actually show up unlike in Toronto.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by thurmas

What's likely to happen is Kavis Reed and Sherman are lame duck GM and coach this year, Starke and Smith JR fire them at seasons end and the Als do a legit rebuild for 2020. I am actually optimistic about a Als rebuild as when they win their fans actually show up unlike in Toronto.

The new ownership group will get the benefit of the doubt from the rub they get from Larry Smith and the trust the market has in him. Part of the the plan is to get back into the community and that means a commitment to getting the quality Quebec players back again. I'm very confident and it is time for Wettenhall to ride off into the sunset.

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by elly63

The new ownership group will get the benefit of the doubt from the rub they get from Larry Smith and the trust the market has in him. Part of the the plan is to get back into the community and that means a commitment to getting the quality Quebec players back again. I'm very confident and it is time for Wettenhall to ride off into the sunset.

Word is Whettenhall already sold the club to the CFL this week who will then sell it to Starke and Smith Junior.

[elly63]

Eric Lapointe group remains in the mix to own the Alouettes: report
3Down Staff 3downnation April 15, 2019



Zurkowsky knows the Montreal market well and if he says there was a palpable buzz around the Lapointe group owning the Alouettes, the board of governors and commissioner Randy Ambrosie need to make it happen.

Lapointe played the last six seasons of his CFL career for the Alouettes and believes the franchise can thrive in La Belle Province.

“It’s a smaller business obviously than the Montreal Canadiens, it’s even a smaller business than what we have right now for most of the people that are in the group. Yes, there’s different aspects to it. There’s obviously football ops, there’s administration and then the coaching and the actual game, which is three different things,” Lapointe said on TSN radio in Montreal in March.

“I know exactly where to start. It’s an interesting business, but don’t get me wrong it’s not a passion investment for me: I believe there’s potential. I’ve seen numbers in the past and I’ve talked to many teams in the league also. It’s probably not a team that you could make 10 millions of profit every year… but as a group if we bring different type of people, different type of expertise, we can do great things for a small organization.”

[elly63]

Jack Todd: Is Clifford Starke the owner the Alouettes need right now?
The cannabis entrepreneur's closest association with the Alouettes is through his friendship with Larry Smith’s son.
Jack Todd, Special to Montreal Gazette April 14, 2019

Let me see if I have this straight:

CFL rosters have to be cut down to 75 by April 30, the CFL draft is May 2. Rookie camps open May 15, regular training camps open May 19 and the regular season kicks off June 13, less than two months from now.

The league’s basic agreement with the CFL Players Association expires May 18. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie, busy with such pressing matters as a European draft for players who will never take a snap in the league, says he can’t possibly open reopen negotiations for the CFLPA before April 29.

Strategy? Back the players up against the wall, then assume enough of them will buckle for the league to resume its usual “partnership” with the guys who are out there wrecking their bodies: “Shut up and play ball and we’ll take care of the business.”

Meanwhile, the Alouettes (their record a combined 8-28 the past two seasons) don’t even know who owns the team. Season tickets, anyone?

And who is the owner? Is it Bob Wetenhall, the genial patriarch who has owned the team since 1997? Is it his son, Andrew Wetenhall, who has had significantly less success?

Is it the CFL? Or is it the hitherto unknown Clifford Starke, who apparently made his money in the medical cannabis business and who was best buddies with Larry Smith’s son?

Or none of the above? The group led by former Alouettes star Éric Lapointe was apparently brushed aside in its attempt to buy the team.

Why was Lapointe’s group turned away? I’m told they were well-financed and well-positioned to turn this mess around, but that there was a disconnect between the governors and the commissioner, with the governors backing Lapointe, while Ambrosie did not — maybe because he was too busy with that European draft to pay proper attention. Too bad, because Lapointe would have brought instant goodwill and credibility from the francophone side, which is critical to marketing a team in this city.

Instead, the apparent incoming owner is Starke. But imagine you’re a typical member of the CFL Board of Governors, befuddled but highly conservative, and the prospective new guy talks like this:

“The focus was on pharmaceutical and more recently medical cannabis,” Starke told my colleague Stu Cowan. “My partners and I have created billions of billions of dollars of capitalization. The whole taboo of cannabis and smoking a joint on the corner is done. We’re now presenting a pharmaceutical-grade product to someone to get better. Mental health, stress, anxiety, pain relief, that type of thing. So I’m on a global scale of operations in Uruguay, Colombia, Israel, Germany, Denmark, Portugal … it goes on and on. My day-to-day focus is cannabis related, specifically on one company called Franchise Cannabis Corp.”

OK, so Franchise Cannabis Corp. with operations in Colombia and Uruguay, is about to join the CFL ownership club. Got it.

I’ll reserve judgment on Clifford Starke team owner — although a few questions did occur to me after hearing his statements. If you’re really a “Tier 1 guy in business,” do you talk about being a Tier 1 guy in business?

And what of the other “Tier 1 guys,” the ones Starke says he’s going to bring into team management? What are they doing in management for a struggling CFL team that has lost so much attendance it is closing 5,000 seats at Percival Molson Stadium?

We’ll forgive Starke for thinking Johnny Manziel would be the next Doug Flutie rather than the next tire fire, because he wasn’t close to the sport at the time. Manziel has fooled a lot of people in his time and he will go on fooling them for a while yet.

But how does current team president Patrick Boivin feel about the prospect of these Tier 1 guys poking around his office? What of GM Kavis Reed and head coach Mike Sherman? They haven’t exactly burned up the track, so how are they feeling about their job security right about now?

Starke’s closest association with the Alouettes is through his friendship with Larry Smith’s son. The former Alouettes president (and former CFL commissioner) could sell oil to the Saudis — but Smith wasn’t strong on the nuts and bolts of management and he tended to have a blind eye to such details as conflict of interest.

Still, Smith is the man who made the reborn Alouettes work at a time when the task appeared hopeless. He sold the team (and the sport) to the francophone community and he is one of the primary reasons football took such a deep hold among French-speaking Quebecers from les Pirates de Richelieu to the Laval Rouge et Or.

Whatever Starke’s strengths and weaknesses as a prospective owner, he could not possibly do worse than the Wetenhalls and their surrogates have done over the past five years. Starke seems to have a genuine passion for the CFL game.

At a time when the Alouettes prospects have rarely been so stark, perhaps Starke is the man.

[blueandgoldguy]

It would be nice if someone asked Ambrosie directly why he would not consider Lapointe as a potential owner for the Als, assuming he put the kabosh on it.

[blueandgoldguy]

In other news....

The Winnipeg Football Club today released its 2018 annual report and announced an overall operating profit of $2.6 million.

“We are pleased with our overall financial results for 2018,” said Winnipeg Football Club President & CEO, Wade Miller. “These results are a testament to the strong support from our fans, season ticket members, and corporate partners. Our team should be proud of our financial results.”

Total operating profit was down from 2017 as Investors Group Field saw a much quieter year in 2018 with no concerts or other major events other than the Manitoba Marathon.

Total operating revenue reached $33.4 million (an increase of $970,000 over 2017) and is attributable to the Club’s decision to internalize food and beverage operations at Investors Group Field in 2018, thus not only improving the game day experience but also earning 100% of the revenues, less the associated expenses. This was offset by decreases in game revenue which was down $1.4 million (10.5%) as the Club did not host a home playoff game in 2018, and stadium management revenue which was down $1.8M in comparison to 2017.

Operating expenses totaled $30.8 million, an increase of $3.4 million over 2017. While the Club continues to invest in its on-field product, overall football operations expenses increased in 2018 by $470,000 as a result of the Club’s success in playing in both the Western Semi-Final and Western Final playoff games. There were expected increases in expenditures in marketing, administration and game day expenses associated with bringing food and beverage into the Club’s internal operations. There was also a decrease in overall stadium occupancy costs of $830,000 as a result of fewer non-football events at Investors Group Field.

Consistent with prior years and since the Club moved to Investors Group Field in 2013, the Club alone continues to fund the public transportation program for transit and park and ride services to and from Investors Group Field. The Club has operated the public transportation program since 2013 and has paid for all expenditures related to the program, totalling over $4.6 million. In 2017, Triple B Stadium Inc. formally acknowledged their legal obligation to fund a portion of the public transportation program, retroactive to 2013 and onward. The Club will continue its efforts to recover the payments due from Triple B.

The Club recorded a payment to Triple B of $2.7 million based on the Club’s available Excess Cash at December 31, 2018, as defined in and required by the Club’s Management Agreement with Triple B. This is the fifth scheduled annual payment the Club has made to Triple B, fulfilling the Club’s ongoing obligations. Payments will continue over the next four decades based on the Club’s Management Agreement with Triple B that requires the Club to use its best efforts to generate sufficient Excess Cash through the collection of entertainment tax and facility fees to be applied to the annual payments. “Meeting our financial obligations continues to be one of the top priorities of the Winnipeg Football Club.” said Miller.



https://www.bluebombers.com/2019/04/...-million-2018/

The Bombers are still required to make their annual payments, per their agreement with Triple B, contrary to the opinion of some people. Even though the Province wrote off the debt, the Bombers are still obligated to make their annual payments...at least for the forseeable future.

[elly63]

Larry Smith backs Clifford Starke as potential Alouettes owner
3Down Staff April 16, 2019

Former Montreal Alouettes president Larry Smith has a connection with Clifford Starke, one of the new prospective owners of the franchise.

“Well this is a young man that he and my son Brad became friends when they were at Lower Canada College and then they went on to go to school together at Queen’s University. I was lucky enough to coach with Peter Dalla Riva the LCC senior football team the year Brad was quarterback and Cliff was the running back, so we got to know each other pretty well,” Smith said on TSN 690 radio in Montreal.

“I’ve not heard too much from Cliff, but Brad and Cliff have maintained a relationship over time and Cliff has been very successful in his business ventures as an entrepreneur. He had talked to Brad about this a few months ago and felt badly about the demise of the club.”

Smith remembers Starke sitting with Brad and the family watching Alouettes games on TV. That was during some of the glory days when Robert Wetenhall was more hands-on with the Montreal franchise, including a Grey Cup championship in 2002. Starke, now 35, is the CEO of Hampstead Private Capital.

“He’s an entrepreneur and I guess like any other entrepreneur he got in at the early stages of the evolution of this new industry and so far has made quite a mark from what I hear. What I can tell you from a distance, Cliff has been very, very successful as a young businessman and has accumulated significant wealth,” Smith said.

“What’s critical in this situation is that he’s a Montrealer, he’s someone who cares about the club – he’s got it in his heart. The good news is here you have a Montrealer, a young man whose done very, very well in his life in a new industry and is very, very bright and sharp and astute and he’s stepping up to put something on the table that he wants to take a serious look at it. He’s a business man so he’s not going to put all his cards out too early, but hopefully they’ll be some evolution of the process so that we can save and protect the CFL in Montreal.”

[HomeInMyShoes]

Terry Greer finally gets CFL's Hall of Fame call after more than 30 years

Nice to see. I remember that 113 catch, 2003 yard season. One of the great all-time seasons at any position.

Glad to see Hopson getting inducted. He is one of the biggest reasons the Roughriders are where they are today.

[esquire]

^ Hopson was responsible for overseeing the greatest decade in the Roughriders' history. (Which isn't saying much, I grant, but still)

But seriously, the guy deserves full credit for the amazing things he accomplished. If he isn't a HOF builder then I don't know who is.

Nice to see Cornish and Williams get the nod. Greer and Fernandez were a bit before my time but they sound like worthy inductees too.

[elly63]

"Swervin' Mervyn" was the man back in my day. He was one of those guys like Moon and Wake who had a good career in the CFL and then a good career in the NFL, he sometimes gets forgotten about when mentioning folks who accomplish that feat.

From Wikipedia

Fernandez spent his entire 6-year NFL career (1987-1992) with one team: the Los Angeles Raiders. During that span, Fernandez played in 86 games and amassed 209 catches for 3,764 yards and 19 touchdowns. While Fernandez never made the Pro Bowl, he did leave his mark on the Raiders’ record books. His 209 career catches are 10th most by any receiver in Raiders’ history. His 3,764 career receiving yards ranks him number 8 all-time. His 18.01 average yards per catch for his career is first among any receiver to wear the Raiders' Silver and Black. In 1988, Fernandez led NFL receivers in average yards per catch (26.0).

Arguably, Fernandez's finest year was 1989, when he made 57 catches for 1,069 yards and 9 touchdowns, leading all Raiders’ receivers in almost every major category, and becoming only the sixth Raider to gain over 1,000 receiving yards in a season.

[elly63]

Absolutely amazing some of the tributes that are pouring in for the late, legendary Lions equipment manager Ken "Kato" Kasuya.

The BC Lions Football Club is deeply saddened to report the passing of equipment manager Ken ‘Kato’ Kasuya.

“We are devasted as an organization today,” said Lions’ president Rick LeLacheur.

“From the day he rode his bike to Empire Stadium as a teenager more than 40 years ago to volunteer as a water boy, Kato endeared himself to generations of Lions players and staff members. He was a treasured part of our family, loved dearly by anyone who came to know him.

Tasked with the incredible responsibility to ensure the health of our players, he did so with passion, joy and tireless effort. He will forever be in the hearts of the legions of players and coaches who have passed through our locker room doors along with thousands in the football community across Canada.”

[esquire]

^ I first noticed him back in the early 1990s and he was always there, a constant sideline presence. Pretty touching to read all the tributes that have poured out since yesterday, Kato Kasuya obviously meant a lot to the BC Lions players and staff.

[Eau Claire]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Hopson was responsible for overseeing the greatest decade in the Roughriders' history. (Which isn't saying much, I grant, but still)

But seriously, the guy deserves full credit for the amazing things he accomplished. If he isn't a HOF builder then I don't know who is.

Nice to see Cornish and Williams get the nod. Greer and Fernandez were a bit before my time but they sound like worthy inductees too.

As a born and raised Saskatchewanian and a life long Rider fan you could not be more wrong about Hopson. The guy who rebuilt the Riders from a last place 3-15 team in 1999 to a consistent playoff team by 2006 was Roy Shivers. He took a corrupt train wreck of a franchise and turned it into a truly professional franchise on the rise. We could never quite get into the upper echelon in that time because that was still the pre cap era, or pre cap with teeth anyway. When we finally had our QB in Burris Calgary bought him away from us, for example, for $400,000, which was too rich for us at the time. But all that was going to change in 2007 when the cap with penalties came in and we were poised to go to the top because all the other top teams were going to have to make big cuts to get down to the cap. But prior to that season Hopson fired Shivers and then subsequently tried to take credit for what he'd built, when we did in fact win it all the next year with a team that was basically Shivers' team. It was Hopson who hired Tillman, a guy who had been a complete disaster with the Ottawa Renegades, was a complete disaster with us, and went on to be a complete disaster with Edmonton, and was most recently let go by Hamilton, although it's not clear he was ever a full GM there. You probably recall that Tillman's time in Regina ended when he was convicted of sexually assaulting his teenage babysitter. If some reporter in Regina ever grows a pair and does a tell all on Hopson I would bet he would be removed from the HOF and Rider Wall of Fame.

[elly63]

Chris Merchant can ball as a quarterback in the CFL
Justin Dunk 3Downnation April 22, 2019

Chris Merchant has earned a shot to compete for a CFL roster spot as a quarterback.

Fellow Canadian QB Michael O’Connor’s background playing in the United States is well known but Merchant’s resume includes a NCAA Division I scholarship from the University of Buffalo – choosing the Bulls over several other offers.

Merchant redshirted in 2014 and appeared in one game during the 2015 season. During spring camp in 2016, there was a competition for Buffalo’s starting quarterback job. Tyree Jackson had been recruited by current head coach Lance Leipold. Merchant was a Jeff Quinn recruit and after a 3-4 start in 2014, Quinn received the pink slip.

That meant it would be an uphill battle politically for Merchant to earn the trust of the new coaching staff. And Jackson brought a unique size and athleticism combination to the position. Merchant didn’t back down and had arguably a stronger Buffalo spring game – completed 7-of-10 passes for 132 yards – but the Bulls coaches were leaning towards Jackson as the starter.

That led Merchant to transfer and Western University was the destination as he became the Mustangs starter. He led Western to a perfect 12-0 season in 2017 and capped it off by beating Laval in the Vanier Cup. For his efforts, Merchant earned MVP of the national title game completing 13-of-20 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown while adding 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. After leading Western back for the rematch with Laval in 2018, the Rouge et Or counter punched and won at home, but Merchant was solid in a hostile environment.

Meanwhile, Jackson improved each season at Buffalo, finishing with 6,999 passing yards, 49 touchdowns against 24 interceptions plus 757 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, including 3,131 yards, 28 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions during his senior season. The six-foot-seven, 249-pounder ran a 4.59 40-yard time at the NFL combine and displayed explosion as an athlete – 34-inch vertical, 10-foot broad jump – along with a strong right arm.

Jackson is one of the most intriguing talents available in the NFL draft and that’s the type of player it took – politics included – to beat Merchant out at Buffalo. After returning to Canada, Merchant guided Western to one of the best seasons in USports history and the quarterback opposing him in two Vanier Cups has been signed by a CFL team, Hugo Richard is a member of the Montreal Alouettes.

Athletically, Merchant is above average. As a quarterback, he is a tough leader who commands the respect of his teammates. Montreal, Ottawa, Hamilton and Edmonton interviewed Merchant at the CFL combine and each team asked the St. Andrews College product if he would consider playing other positions in the pros. Versatility does help in the CFL game as rosters are smaller than in the NFL, but Merchant deserves a long look as a quarterback.

Merchant was coached hard by Greg Marshall, the former Hamilton Ticats head coach, at Western. The Calgary native has already been at two CFL training camps, Stampeders in 2017 and Ticats last year. Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson had a lengthy conversation with Merchant at the CFL combine and his squad did develop Andrew Buckley into a backup pivot who might have had starter potential if medical school didn’t beckon.

Learning and growing in the pro game as a quarterback is possible when you consider the background Merchant has in football and top tier talent he’s competed against at Buffalo or in Canada.

[elly63]

CFL leaning towards selling Alouettes to group involving Montreal businessman Stephen Bronfman
3Down Staff April 29, 2019

The sale of the Montreal Alouettes has taken another twist and turn.

According to Montreal Gazette reporter Herb Zurkowsky, the CFL is leaning towards selling the Als to the Claridge Group. Stephen Bronfman is the executive chairman of Claridge Inc. which is a company that represents the interests of the Bronfman family and is actively involved in the management of a diverse portfolio of investments in private equity, hedge funds, public equities, and real estate.

Robert Wetenhall has owned the team since 1997 when he brought the team back from the brink of insolvency. He was responsible for the team’s successful relocation to Percival Molson Stadium and eventually expansion while overseeing the team’s run of dominance from 1999 to 2012 when the Als finished first in the East Division nine times in 14 seasons, winning three Grey Cups. However, the Alouettes have struggled in recent years, missing the playoffs for four straight seasons, the longest streak in franchise history.

The league has reportedly assumed control of the Alouettes and is finding a new owner to transition from the Wetenhall’s and it could be the Bronfman’s.

[JHikka]

One of Bronfman's associates called Zurkowsky this afternoon to confirm the Bronfman group is not interested in purchasing the Als.

[elly63]

Vente des Alouettes: Stephen Bronfman nie les rumeurs
Paul Daigle La Presse 29 avril 2019

This La Presse article has Bronfman saying he's not interested but we'll wait and see. Rogers wasn't interested in the Argos but they changed their mind.