‘Lots of reasons to feel good’: Ambrosie remains optimistic about 2021 CFL season

While there aren’t any guarantees yet, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie says optimism is growing that touchdowns will be scored on Canadian football fields in 2021.

“We got knocked down but like great football players, we’re going to get back up and get right back into the huddle and (move on) to the next play,” Ambrosie said during a fan town hall Monday for the CFL’s Grey Cup Unite event.

The 2020 season was cancelled in August due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Grey Cup was set to take place in Regina this coming Sunday. Instead, Regina will host the 2022 Grey Cup with Hamilton hosting in 2021.

While cases have been spiking in places around the world, Ambrosie said there has been good news as well on the COVID-19 front, with two possible vaccines getting closer to being completed.

“We’ve got to look after ourselves, we’ve got to look after each other and we’ve got to get through this pandemic,” he said. “But there’s lots of reasons to feel good about 2021 and our teams want to play. Everyone’s excited about the ’21 season. We want to see our athletes back on the field.”

One of the things fans look forward to seeing is a schedule and Ambrosie hinted one could be released sooner rather than later for 2021.

“As soon as I see that we’ve got signoff from all of our stakeholders, we’re going to publish a schedule very, very soon,” Ambrosie said. “CFL fans from coast to coast to coast will get a chance to pick their spots, mark their calendars and make sure they are front and centre for CFL football in 2021.”

The financial status of the league has been a topic fans have been discussing around the water cooler due to the gate-driven nature of the league. The Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are the league’s most popular franchise, said they are facing the greatest financial challenge of their history due to the lost season.

Ambrosie said the league has been looking into funding options, including ongoing talks with the federal government.

“The single-best solution for the CFL in respect to our plan going forward is to be able to get our stadiums opened up, to get our players out on the field and to get our fans back in the stands. That is the single-best thing that could happen to the league,” Ambrosie said.

There are several scenarios being looked at for a 2021 season, according to Ambrosie.

“What we’re attempting to do now is zeroing in on a scenario — one that we can plan in a very detailed way,” he said.

Ambrosie said the teams’ presidents have been working together to come up with a new plan going forward to help the league in future years.

“They’ve really rolled up their sleeves. They really looked at, ‘How do we make our business stronger? How do we work better together? How do we share resources? How do we make our league more effective?’ ” Ambrosie said.

“When we get through the crises and into 2021 back on the field, I do believe the CFL will be at the beginning of a renaissance in this league because of the work we’ve done now.”