CFL ANNOUNCES MINOR FOOTBALL LEGACY FUND

CFL.ca Staff

MONCTON — The Canadian Football League is thanking Atlantic Canada for its tremendous support by establishing a $75,000 legacy fund in support of Maritime minor football from the proceeds of Scotiabank Touchdown Atlantic.

“Our league is all about celebrating our country and doing our part to build the communities that make it the best place in the world to live,” CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon said today.

“In that spirit, we are announcing that $75,000 from the proceeds of Scotiabank Touchdown Atlantic will be used to support minor football in the Maritimes, in recognition of the enthusiasm here for our league, the value of supporting our youth, and the importance of growing our game.”

The news came as Cohon was about to attend a high school football doubleheader here at Terrain Rocky Stone Field, part of the festivities leading up to Sunday and the first ever regular season CFL game in Atlantic Canada.

The CFL game between the Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts at Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium sold out months ago, a mere 32 hours after tickets went on sale.

The $75,000 fund comes from ticket sales and the game’s 50/50 draw. The money will be donated to Football New Brunswick, Football Nova Scotia and Football Prince Edward Island, which are all under the auspices of Football Canada.

“The legacy of Scotiabank Touchdown Atlantic will be very significant, in a region of the country that’s already home to strong minor football programs at various levels,” said Richard Munro, executive-director of Football Canada.

“The game will inspire a generation of young players to aspire to the highest levels and standards of our sport. The fund announced today will support their effort, by helping the organizers, coaches, officials and parents who make grassroots football possible.”

Currently, there are four players born in Atlantic Canada in the CFL: Fredricton, New Brunswick’s Dan McCullough of the BC Lions, Montreal Alouette Matthieu Proux, who was born in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, Justin Palardy of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, and Steven Morley of the Bombers, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Fourteen CFL Players attended university in Atlantic Canada, at Acadia University, Saint Mary’s University, and Saint Francis Xavier University.

“Thanks to the people of Moncton and Atlantic Canada, we’re confident that Scotiabank Touchdown Atlantic is already a major success,” Cohon said.

“This legacy fund is meant to be the ‘point after’ the touchdown, our way of capping a great experience by saying in a tangible way, ‘thank you, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.'”