How CFL commissioner Ambrosie views expansion, all-star debacle and his job status

REGINA -- It’s too early to tell if Randy Ambrosie calling CFL expansion a priority was an indicator of the league getting closer to achieving the long-standing goal of a 10th-team or just trying to keep the subject on the radar.

But as the CFL commissioner gave his CFL state of the union address on Friday morning prior to the 109th Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium, Ambrosie was using his forum as an opportunity to shed some light on the vision of the three-down game.

The topic of expansion to Atlantic Canada has been around for ages.

Of course, bringing the CFL game to that part of the country has the potential to be a massive hit, but the biggest obstacle to making the dream a reality -- a new and suitably-sized stadium -- remains a stumbling block.

“Our focus is to use expansion as a tool to advance our game,” said Ambrosie. “That’s our strategy right now, to focus our time and energy on finding that expansion franchise, finding that expansion opportunity and using that to really lock in our season.”

Having that 10th team would also allow the CFL to potentially move the start of the season up and conclude with the Grey Cup in early November.

After providing some updates on league business, Ambrosie waded his way through a number of topics of interest, including the botched rollout of the CFL all-star selections.

“I’ll start by saying how sick I was when I learned that we had made a mistake,” said Ambrosie. “I’ve been in that locker room and I know what it means when an all-star announcement is made. I know what it means to a player when their name is called and I know what it means to a player when their name isn’t called. There’s joy in parts of the dressing room and disappointment in another.

“When you make a mistake and you potentially hurt your players because you got that wrong, that’s something that should never happen.”

Ambrosie explained that the error was a of incorrect weighting of the fan vote, which skewed the results.

In response to the error that attracted plenty of negative headlines -- and rightfully so -- Ambrosie wrote a letter to each of the players who were impacted by the announcement.

While he was encouraged by the nature of the responses he received from players, safeguards have been put in place in terms of the vetting process to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.

The non-player salary cap was another topic of interest.

“It’s something I believe is going to be a constant work in progress,” said Ambrosie. “One of the things it accomplished was giving us an opportunity to live within our means. If you want to build something sustainable, you have to make sure that you have an affordable platform. Another thing it did was address a major concern with our players. They were seeing a significant increase in non-player teammates and they were concerned that one of the reasons they weren’t having an opportunity for more success in income opportunity was because (teams) were spending their money elsewhere.

“We want to make sure that as our situation improves that we can share that with those people who are helping us achieve success.”

Ambrosie wasn’t ready to make an official announcement but noted that a new TV rights partnership south of the border was in the works (one that features a “substantially improved economic situation”) that figures to align with the conclusion of the current rights deal in Canada, in 2026.

Since consumer habits are changing so much and so dramatically, Ambrosie also spoke about the need to tell the stories of the players who are the lifeblood of the league.

Ambrosie referenced a discussion he had with the owner of the Montreal Grand Prix a month ago and you got the sense the CFL sees an opportunity to perhaps mimic the behind-the scenes-show on Netflix, Formula 1: Drive to Survive, that has generated plenty of buzz for that sport.

“It’s transformed F1 because it’s connected with fans, frankly many of them that were not F1 fans, it’s connected them to the stories, it’s connected them to the drivers and the teams and the owners in a very special way,” said Ambrosie. “One of the greatest thing about our league is our players. In fact, maybe the single greatest thing about our league is the players. These men are prepared to go into the communities and do heavy lifting and meet people and shake hands and deliver speeches and talk about important social issues.”

On several occasions, Ambrosie said he’s seeing important steps being taken that should yield results down the road but are not necessarily showing immediate dividends.

One of those examples is the relationship with Genius Sports, a data and technology company, that was unveiled at the Grey Cup in Hamilton last year.

“Think about the relationship like a new development,” said Ambrosie. “In the first few months, all you can see is heavy equipment and holes being dug in the ground. That’s not the sexiest part of a new development, but unless you build that foundation set, it’s going to be impossible for us to achieve our long-term goals. This year has been a lot about setting that technology foundation so that we’re ready to build on top of it for a long time and for a bright future.”

Much like the streaming companies are doing for its consumers, the CFL is working on the premise of catered content to both bolster and ultimately enhance the game-viewing experience.

“You need to be able to deliver to a fan -- what they want, when they want and how they want it,” said Ambrosie. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to build. This is going to help us strengthen our bond with existing fans, who are transforming the way we consume our game and our content. And it’s going to give us an opportunity to expand our reach and give us an opportunity to reach new Canadians, new fans and fans around the world that can easily fall in love with this wonderful game.”

As is often the case, there are franchises within the nine-team circuit that are healthier than others but Ambrosie felt the crowd of more than 30,000 at B.C. Place for the West Division semi and a crowd of more than 21,000 at BMO Field in Toronto for the East Division final were signs of progress in the CFL's two biggest markets.

“We’re talking about progress, not perfection,” said Ambrosie. “That’s not where we are, but we are making progress. When you’re trying to transform something or trying to build something, it’s hard. But the reward is so fantastic when you work through the challenges and come through the other side bigger, better and stronger and that’s what we’re working on.”

As for the potential of the Montreal Alouettes being up for sale again in the near future after the death of Sid Spiegel in 2021, Ambrosie doesn’t get the sense that anything is imminent on that front -- though it required a follow-up question on the topic to drill down on the answer. The estate of Spiegel now owns the team.

“To be fair, I probably asked the question gently, what their desire was and what their intentions were but they knew exactly what I was asking and I saw no hint at all that they were shying away from owning a football team,” said Ambrosie, noting he’s spoken recently to the majority owners of the Alouettes. “Again, that may change. But right now, I have nothing to add, other than it appears it’s steady as she goes. At least for now.”

Two-time reigning most outstanding player Zach Collaros of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and most outstanding Canadian Nathan Rourke of the B.C. Lions were cited as examples of excellent quarterback play, but concerns have been raised by coaches around the league about the need to develop more players at the position.

“The efforts that our teams make to find talented young players has always been a challenge and will always be a challenge. They’re always looking to find that next great player,” said Ambrosie, noting that the topic will be on the agenda at the CFL winter meetings. “The quarterback is a unique element of our game. It is without a doubt, the single most important position on a football team and it’s one that frankly, we saw remarkably good quarterback play this year across the league. But there is always room to improve. We’ll see if there aren’t more ways to make sure that we’re bringing the best players and have the greatest amount of talent in our league.”

Though an end date has not been added to the contract he originally signed, Ambrosie left no doubt about his commitment to the job.

“I serve at the pleasure of our board of governors,” he said. “I would like to stay and continue to serve as the commissioner. This is an interesting job because it’s one that you have to learn to get good at.

“Right now, I’m thrilled and honoured to be the commissioner of the CFL and I will continue to do this as long as our board of governors would like me to do it. When it is time for somebody else’s turn, I will gladly turn the reigns over to the next commissioner and I will go back to being the biggest CFL fan in the country and I’ll cheer for this league, one that’s been part of my life since I was a kid.”