Ambrosie talks growth, stats struggles, expansion in State of the League address

HAMILTON - Canadian Football League commissioner Randy Ambrosie took centre stage Tuesday during his annual State of the League address to discuss the recent ups and downs of the league.

"I think 2023 was a rather remarkable year for us, and in many, many ways – perhaps one of the most successful in CFL history," Ambrosie said in his opening remarks.

Ambrosie then delved into the league's scoring, noting that offence was up 18 per cent this season, with an average of 51 points scored per game. The commissioner also noted that 60 per cent of all games were decided in the final three minutes.

The league also saw an 18 per cent increase in “big plays” and Ambroise stressed the importance of emerging young talent like Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly, who is a finalist for the Most Outstanding Player.

Along with the growth of the product, Ambrosie talked about the resurgence in the league saw in B.C., Toronto, and Montreal, stating that game day revenue for those three teams was up 10 per cent – including a 40 per cent increase in Toronto.

"The Toronto market is the one that we've all been watching, and many of you [the media] have asked questions relating to the Toronto market, and they had an incredibly successful year," Ambrosie said. "And if you look at the playoff games this year, in B.C. we had 30,000 fans. In Toronto, the biggest single Toronto Argonaut attendance at BMO Field they've had at 26,000. And Montreal had a good crowd of 20,000."

In terms of television ratings, the league announced that regular-season ratings were up nine per cent, up 34 per cent among those aged 25-55, and that more than 14 million Canadians watched the CFL this year.

While it was a successful season, Ambrosie understands the frustrations due to ongoing issues with the league’s new statistical system.

"I think I need to personally express to all of you that I know that this stats platform caused more than a few problems for all of you and for that I apologize," he said. "This was such an important step for us to take. And when we stepped back from it earlier, it was almost a year or just almost a year ago now, there was never going to be a good time to launch this significant transformation to put us on an entirely different platform."

"I don't think we delivered the way we needed to deliver. But it's such a critical foundation that we needed to create for ourselves that we had to take that chance. And by the time we get to 2024, I believe we're going to be in a much stronger position to meet your expectations."

After touching on scheduling, noting how the league will alter its process, going back to a balanced schedule to ensure high-profile games, Ambrosie talked about what has been on the mind of CFL fans for years: the addition of a 10th team.

The possibility of a team in Atlantic Canada has been a hot-button topic since the return of the Touchdown Atlantic game in 2019 between the Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

After the pandemic-cancelled 2020 season robbed East Coast fans of another neutral-site game the following year, it returned in 2022 and again this season. The Canadian Press reported in October that an independent study by Sport Tourism Canada determined the 2023 edition of the game generated an economic impact of $10 million.

“I can tell you that we have been in a conversation with a highly engaged, very qualified potential owner in Atlantic Canada,” Ambrosie said. “And those conversations will continue through the Grey Cup weekend, and beyond.

“We need to bring this to a conclusion at some point. No matter how much we want to be there, and it would be great our have our 10th team in Atlantic Canada, would be great to be in Halifax… The conversation with this current phenomenal ownership candidate will continue.

"But I will say to him, to anyone who is included, ‘At some point, we have to decide whether we’re going to do it or not.’ And if we’re going to do it, let’s do it.”

When asked about how much longer the 60-year-old Winnipeg native wants to remain commissioner, Ambrosie said he has no plans to slow down.

"I came out of 2021 with a renewed energy," he said. "I felt like at the beginning of 2022, that my own personal level of energy was just really back. If not only back to where I was when I started the job in 2017, but I almost felt that it was high because my level of confidence in where we were going was that much higher.

"I'm proud to serve as the commissioner of the CFL. I'm proud to serve this group of governors and owners, and I'm looking forward to continuing to do that."