Canadian football has always had the potential to excel worldwide. But the small Canadian market, the NFL’s dominance in the US and competition from other sports have long stifled the CFL’s efforts to expand globally.
Many long-term CFL fans remember that time when the league expanded to the US in the early 1990s. It wasn’t a success. And perhaps due to that, Canadian football isn’t very popular worldwide. Below are the reasons why Canadian football has limited visibility around the world and what can be done to popularize it.
Unique Rules
This often comes as a surprise to many people outside Canada. But the CFL has a set of rules different from the NFL. Let’s start with the field size. CFL games are played on a large field of 110 by 65 yards.
The extra space allows offence players to cover more ground. It also allows teams to have one extra player, which can help with solidifying defence or dominating the offence. Another unique rule if that player behind the line of scrimmage can be in motion before a snap.
As a result, the offence side is often in a better position to put pressure on the opposing defence right from the snap. This in turn leads to more action, more entertainment and more scores.
Although many pundits believe the CFL’s unique rules make it superior to the NFL, they are not good for expansion. That was evident during the failed expansion of the ‘90s. Some American states were willing to embrace Canadian football but they had difficulties understanding it.
Competition from other Sports
Let’s face it. Canadian football is a minor sport at the global stage. It has to compete with soccer, basketball, rugby, boxing, athletics and hockey. And still, to expand worldwide, it has to prove it is better than the NFL, which is a daunting task.
In Canada, soccer and basketball are the fastest growing sports. In fact, some people think these two sports could one day outgrow hockey. Another challenge is online gambling games like slots, poker, blackjack and roulette.
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Franchise Placement
There are several ways through which the CFL can expand globally. It could place some franchises in the US, Mexico and England—akin to the NFL. Or it could introduce the sport to new countries and sponsor new leagues.
The former option would require the league to place franchises where football is already popular. In the US, it can target big markets like Texas, Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. The CFL would also need to look for markets that welcome foreigners.
Soccer-made nations like England, Germany, France and Brazil are excellent options. And that’s because although they love European football, they’ve proven to welcome new sports. Precisely, many of these countries also have sports fans that follow rugby, basketball and even smaller sports like snooker and darts.
Proper Management
According to Bleacher Report, one of the reasons for the CFL’s failed expansion in Canada was poor management. Most people employed to oversee the growth of Canadian football in the CFL didn’t have a clue of how it works.
In all fairness, Canadian football is a strange sport for many non-Canadians. So, if it has to expand worldwide, it needs to be managed by people that understand how it works. It could be Canadians or foreigners. But they must be conversant with the sport.
First, they need to understand the sport’s rules. Then they must understand its target audience and how to draw their attention. That way, any efforts to market the sports to these audiences will have a decent chance of succeeding.
Share Stadiums on Off-Days
Growing a sport at the global level is hard. Not only do you need to teach people how to play it; but you must also convince them it’s worth it. Then there’s the cost of management and facilities.
Fortunately, the CFL doesn’t have to build stadiums in foreign countries to grow the sport. Instead, it could do what it does for many CFL games—share stadiums with colleges and soccer teams.
The latter is excellent for growing the CFL internationally. The average soccer stadium is 100-130 yard, more or less the same size as CFL fields. In fact, CFL fields are more similar to soccer stadiums than American football pitches.
Schedule Games Accordingly
Another change the CFL could make is to schedule games when there’s the least competition. It doesn’t have to hold games on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. In many countries, these are prime days for major leagues.
A better schedule would feature games from Monday to Wednesday. Or it could program a season that starts when major leagues conclude. In many countries, that would mean a season that runs from March to December—similar to the MLS.
Target Canadians Abroad
This sounds obvious but Canadians are the biggest consumers of CFL football. So, before the league thinks of targeting Europe, South America or Australia, it should consider countries with a high population of Canadian immigrants.
Naturally, the US ranks first. But which cities in the US do Canadians emigrate to? Hartford, Connecticut is one of the best locations. It has over 70,000 Canadians. It features a large soccer-sized stadium and has a growing sports community.
Another city is Detroit. With over 100,000 Canadians and a total population of five million people, it’s ripe for a CFL team. There are more deserving cities in the US. But globally, Canadians also like moving to Hong Kong, South Korea, Germany, Australia, Dubai, London and Paris.
Conclusion
Canadian football isn’t popular outside of Canada. The CFL once tried expanding to the US, but it failed. Since then, little has been done to grow CFL around the world. But should the league ever dream of advancing worldwide, it would have more success by using some of the tips shared above.
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