NFL TO REGINA?
Photo: Java Post
MONTREAL – The Montreal Alouettes are embracing the possibility of NFL games being played in their city, while the operators of Regina’s Mosaic Stadium are leaving the door open to the scenario as well.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday the league has set its sights on playing in Canada as part of it expanding its regular season from 16 to 17 games. Starting in 2022, every franchise will play a game internationally at least once every eight years.
On Wednesday, operators of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium and Vancouver’s BC Place said in statements that they’d be interested in exploring opportunities to host NFL games.
The idea of an NFL game being played at Olympic Stadium is fine with the Alouettes, who play their home contests at Molson Stadium.
“As the sole professional football team in Quebec, we view any major football events in the province as a positive,” the CFL franchise said in a statement. “For the past two years, we have felt excitement for our sport during the month of February with the presence of Quebecers in back-to-back Super Bowls.
“If an NFL game in Montreal allows our fans to watch more football and makes them happy, then we can only rejoice.”
On Thursday, Regina Exhibition Association Limited, which runs Mosaic Stadium, released a statement saying it too could be interested in an NFL game.
“We certainly would have interest in hosting NFL regular season games with the support of the leagues and under the right scenario,” the statement said. “Of course, right now our focus is on preparing to be ready for when we are able to have the (CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders) back in Mosaic Stadium, but we are always open to have discussions with regards to other hosting opportunities.”
Mosaic Stadium seats 33,500, well smaller than BC Place and Olympic Stadium.
The NFL says it will focus initially on playing games in Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Europe and South America.
Most of the biggest crowds in CFL history have been at Olympic Stadium, with the league-high being 69,093 for a Montreal Alouettes game in 1977.
As for the B.C. Lions, a team official said the franchise’s main focus is returning to the field of play in 2021. The CFL cancelled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Canadian Press/Photo: Java Post)
Why is the CFL trying to stick it’s nose in NFL business with statements regarding this proposal. The NFL coming to play in Canada has absolutely nothing to do with the CFL Alouettes or any other franchise. When the NFL comes to play in Canada it will negotiate with various city administrations and stadium management teams not the dead CFL. As for Regina, it already rejected the NFL and a proposed Vegas Raiders game only a year or so ago, Regina explicitly didn’t want the Raiders in its city owned facility. NFL would be wise to take note of that… Read more »
PS,
Thanks E Wilhelm for the info –
It was the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders football club who didn’t want the NFL Vegas Raiders and their opponents anywhere near the city/community owned stadium in Regina. Hopefully the City of Regina can remediate the bad outside interferring territorial decision to block the NFL Raiders and welcome back the NFL to a reconsideration to a future proposed game in Regina.
Roddy, Saskatchewan did itself no favours with the NFL after the Raiders fiasco. Between that and Regina being too small of a market they are never coming to Sask. They will be in Van, Toronto, Edmonton or Montreal first.
Correct.
True. Didn’t the Rider brass ultimately nix it because the game would have interfered with their schedule or something like that? That would never happen in the cities mentioned. The EFC played their 1st home game in an exhibition contest vs the Riders in 2015 due to the World Cup held in Edmonton, & hosted an Argo team in Fort McMurray the same year because of the Pan Am games in Toronto. The teams don’t own the stadiums & don’t call the shots. Here in Regina, imagine the outcry if by some chance a schedule conflict came up in 2026… Read more »
Is the CFL still on the hook for the Als bills until they actually play a gate paying game? Can’t see new ownership being on the hook and throwing money away for something they haven’t earned a penny on to date.