One fascinating facet of the CFL is how it's comprised of players from remarkably different backgrounds. The CFL has Canadians and Americans, players from all levels of college and junior, and players of all different sizes. Mark Fulton, a prolific Twitter user and a writer for Ticats' blog Blogskee Wee Wee,has been doing some terrific work on this lately, pulling together lists of the CFL's players and where they come from. As you can see in the table at right (based on data as of Jan. 1), he's broken it down into both nationals (mostly Canadians) and internationals (mostly Americans) and what playing background each of them come from.
Those numbers are interesting enough in their own right. First off, it's notable that only 45 per cent of the players on CFL rosters are nationals. Second, only 33 per cent of total players are coming from Canadian schools, and only 31 per cent are coming from CIS schools. (The "Non-CIS CDN Schools" category is B.C.'sSimon Fraser University, which competes in NCAA Division II.) Those are still significant numbers for CIS, but they're lower than what we've sometimes seen in the past, which is more evidence of the rising numbers of Canadians finding major success in the NCAA.
It's notable that CIS still produces the majority of Canadian players, though, with 69.8 per cent of national players coming from the Canadian university ranks. That's a combination of the percentages we've seen in the draft recently; CIS produced 73.3 per cent of the draftees in 2013, but just 53.3 per cent in 2012. (2014, where 90.8 per cent of the picks were from CIS, can be largely discounted thanks to changing eligibilty rules that meant the draft pool was mostly just CIS players.) The 2013 mark is closer to the norm, but this study suggests that there's plenty of Canadian talent coming to the CFL from outside CIS. Here's a graph Fulton did illustrating that, taking a look at the national players in the CFL and where they come from:
It's also notable to see how the CIS conferences break down. Yes, Ontario produces the most players in raw totals, but OUA has 11 football schools, so they're producing 4.9 CFL players per school. By contrast, six-team Canada West has 8.1, the six-team Quebec conference has 7.7, and the four-team Atlantic conference has 6.5. This gets even more interesting when it's broken down by individual CIS school. Here's Fulton's analysis of that:
Calgary's place at the top there isn't surprising, as we'vefrequentlydiscussed how dominant the Dinos have been at producing high CFL draft picks and quality CFL players. It's going to be interesting to see if the Dinos can hang on to that spot now that head coach Blake Nill has left for UBC, and if Nill can improve on the Thunderbirds' mediocre spot in this ranking. Another school that might see some changes is Saint Mary's; the Huskies used to be a CIS power, but have struggled recently, especially since their December 2011 decision to part ways with head coach Steve Sumurah. Most of the Saint Mary's products in the CFL are older players; we'll see if SMU can maintain that presence as those players age. Meanwhile, Sumurah went to a Carleton program that wasn't even playing in 2012, and after an 0-8 start in 2013, he and the Ravens improved to 4-4 in 2014. They may not have any CFL alumni yet, but those days may not be far off.
Overall, this is a fascinating look at the breakdown of the CFL and where its players are coming from. The individual school data is particularly interesting, as it doesn't all correlate with on-field success; for example, Simon Fraser and Bishop's have more CFL alumni than you might think, while other schools like Montreal and Acadia have less than their recent success might suggest. Of course, this represents players who have come in over a long period of time, so it may take a while for more recently-successful schools to see that translate into CFL players. Still, this is a terrific look at just where the CFL's players are coming from, and it provides some excellent insight into which schools are developing lots of CFL talent.
Thanks to Mark Fulton for his time and effort pulling these stats and charts together. Follow him on Twitter for more CFL insights and stats. You can also read his work at Ticats' blog Blogskee Wee Wee.
The CFL Draft (also known as the CFL Canadian Draft, CFL College Draft or the Canadian College Draft) is an annual sports draft in which the teams of the Canadian Football League (CFL) select eligible Canadian/non-import players, typically from the ranks of U Sports football or NCAA college football.
a 45 player game roster, consisting of 19 Americans, 21 Nationals, 3 Quarterbacks, 1 Global player and the 45th player being either a National or Global player. Teams can dress 2 quarterbacks, but cannot use the roster spot for another position, and will dress a 44 player game roster instead.
A CFL team may dress up to 44 players, composed of 21 "nationals" (essentially, Canadians), 20 "internationals" (almost exclusively Americans), and 3 quarterbacks.
Teams are comprised of a roughly 50/50 split between Canadians and Americans. With a limited supply of Canadian professional football talent, Canadian players in the CFL often enjoy long careers and the benefits of supply and demand on their salaries along the way.
The CFL's two-time reigning Most Outstanding Player will be the league's highest-paid player again in 2023, earning the full value of his contract in hard money.
But first, some background. In the CFL, teams are required to have a minimum of 21 of the players dressed for a game be Canadian citizens — which works out to a bit under 50%. This rule is intended to ensure that the Canadian Football League is – at least to some extent – plausibly Canadian.
A study by the Angus Reid Institute has found the National Football League (NFL) to be more popular than the Canadian Football League (CFL) in Canada. Small minorities of Canadians say they watch the NFL (20%) or CFL (17%) closely or very closely.
Unlike the NFL, the league does not make teams publicize their player salaries. With that said, it is estimated that players make between $60,000 and $100,000.
Each team may have a maximum of 45 players (min. 44), including three quarterbacks, at least one global player, 21 national players including one nationalized American. Teams can dress a maximum of 19 Americans not including quarterbacks and the nationalized American.
The CFL field is 150 yards long with end zones being 20 yards long each while the total field width is 65 yards long, compared with the NFL which has a total field of 120 yards with 10 yard end zones and a width of 53 yards.
The former Saskatchewan Roughrider is in his fourth season with the Dolphins and has played 66 career NFL games, but saw his role diminish in 2022. At 29 years old, he dressed for all 17 games and made four total tackles while playing primarily on special teams.
Six games held in Canada between 1950 and 1961 pitted NFL teams against Canadian Football League (CFL) (or precursor) teams. These games were a hybrid of American and Canadian football.
All CFL salaries are paid in Canadian dollars, which fluctuates in value on the foreign currency exchange. The CFL has a $5.45 million salary cap for the 2023 season and a roster size of 56 players allowing the average mean (average) salary to be calculated by the formula (sum of elements) / (number of elements).
The Canadian Football League (CFL) has seen a steady increase in viewership since its inception in 1958, while youth participation in organized football leagues continues to rise. It is estimated that 1.2 billion people play football globally, and enthusiasm for the sport is growing.
From 1986 to 2017, the official CFL ball specifications were 11 to 11 1/4 inches long with a short circumference range of 20 7/8 to 21 1/8 inches and long circumference range of 27 3/4 to 28 1/4 inches. While the same ball is not used in both leagues, the CFL and NFL football are similar in size.
Interested in playing in the CFL? The CFL does not hold general tryout camps, but our teams travel across North America on scouting trips. Please contact individual teams to learn more about their scouting camps. Vous souhaitez jouer dans la LCF?
Teams can dress a maximum of 19 Americans not including quarterbacks and the nationalized American. A Designated American (DA) is a non-Starting American player who may play on all special teams. During regular offensive or defensive possessions, he may only replace an American player on the field.
Players from the Canadian Football League (CFL) can go to the National Football League (NFL) with minimal effort. This has been possible since 2020. That year, the CFL Players Association struck an agreement with the CFL that will allow any player to opt out of their contracts.
Unlike the NFL, the league does not make teams publicize their player salaries. With that said, it is estimated that players make between $60,000 and $100,000.
Introduction: My name is Stevie Stamm, I am a colorful, sparkling, splendid, vast, open, hilarious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
