2014 CFL season starts Thursday night! The boss is happy, a report below from the commissioner! The fans are happy! I know I'll be watching the games Thursday night, Saturday and Sunday on TSN at home and in a couple of sports bars in Kanata!
"CFL Fans: It's finally here: the start of our regular season. " Mark Cohon CFL Commissioner
To read
http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe4d12777c630d747614&m=feec17767d6d0d&ls=fdab1570716d01747c1d757d6d&l=fe6b17747565027c7410&s=fdf21574776203797d157572&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe1c117871630178721579&r=0From June 13. Yeh! CFL footy is go! No games will be missed including the preseason! Seems like a nice win for the owners!
Message to BC Lions fans about the agreement from Dennis Skulsky President & CEO BC Lions Football Club. Refer to June 13 2.30pm post below.
From June 13 at 11.15am post below. CFLPA ratifies new proposed CBA!
http://cfl.ca/article/cflpa-ratifies-new-proposed-collective-bargaining-agreementA more detailed article here.
http://argonauts.ca/article/syndicated/453389/new-five-year-cba-ratified-by-cfl-and-cflpaSome tweets in regards to the agreement. Refer to June 13 1.00pm post below.
From June 10. "Tone has totally changed since yesterday, now that emotions vanished. MT @CFL_News: #Redblacks poised to grudgingly approve CBA deal. #CFL" @ArashMadani
It must be tough for the players especially the REDBLACKS as they are a new team, keen to bond as mates, impress the coaches and bosses and get as good as they can during training camp and leading up to the first game.
From June 8. CFL, CFLPA reach tentative agreement on deal! This was great news on Saturday night! For a report.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/cfl-cflpa-reach-tentative-agreement-on-deal/From June 4".......It’s time to lead, Mr. Commissioner. Wrap your arms around the players and make this league whole again. Everyone wins." @garylawless
Above is the last sentence of this excellent article entitled "D-day is coming for CFL!"
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/D-day-is-coming-for-CFL-261772841.htmlFrom June 3. It is being reported that player votes are in from 7 of the 9 teams and 98% of these CFL players have voted in favor of a strike. Ooch!
I heard this 98% vote news on TSN1200 radio today. Here is the report by Dave Naylor on TSN.ca
http://ww.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=453856From May 30. "Where are the CFL’s revenues going? Could the league afford to meet the CFLPA’s demands?" Andrew Bucholtz. I heard a excellent interview today on TSN1200 Ottawa radio with Andrew Bucholtz of 55 Yard Line. Here is the article they discussed.
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/cfl-55-yard-line/From May 29. Ooch! CFL strike looms as league rejects last-minute offer from players, union says!
To read a report from today.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/cfl-strike-looms-as-league-rejects-last-minute-offer-from-players-union-says-1.1844061#ixzz338gq5lwrFrom May 27. Talks are due to begin again tomorrow Wed May 28.
Two artcles today! 1) Players want to be partners! CFLPA boss Scott Flory says there's plenty to go around and hopes new talks can help bring labour peace.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/players-want-to-be-partners-260722641.html2) Source: ‘No way’ CFL agrees to revenue sharing.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/source-no-way-cfl-agrees-to-revenue-sharing/From May 22. "Revenue-sharing plan won't fly! CFL needs to improve offer, but players must accept fixed cap this time!" Gary Lawless of winnipegfreepress.com
Refer below May 22 post for I think were some important points and the link to the full article.
From May 22. Tweets from yesterday regarding this topic including tweets from Jim Lang and Christie Buono. Refer below May 22 post.
From May 21. CFL contract talks!
The message below is from the Commissioner of the CFL, Mark Cohon regarding the status of ongoing contract talks with the CFLPA.
Dear CFL Fans:
Thank you for your patience and understanding during our contract talks with our players.
Out of respect for our players and the negotiation process, we have had little to say in public. But now that the talks have reached a critical juncture, I want to provide you, the most important people in the CFL, with an update.
Today, we have directly communicated to CFL players the full details of our offer to them.
It is fair and reasonable. It would increase the average player salary by 12 per cent this season, to $92,917. It would increase the minimum player's salary by 11 per cent this season, to $50,000. It would increase the salary cap by nine per cent this season from $4.4 million to $4.8 million per team. More increases would come over the life of an agreement.
Unfortunately, the union's bargaining team has rejected this offer, and instead put forward an unrealistic proposal which, if adopted, would threaten the very existence of the CFL.
This is why we are now communicating directly to the players. The details of our offer, in a letter from me to the players, are posted on CFL.ca.
You may hear a lot in the media about revenue sharing. Our offer would share increased revenue with our players. But we cannot agree to an approach that would focus solely on our teams' revenues while ignoring their costs and the investments we must make to modernize, stabilize and maximize the CFL.
For example, our teams are directly investing $175 million in new stadiums and stadium improvements. Like your mortgage, these costs have to be financed over several years. We also need to invest in our digital properties, our social media, marketing and ticketing, and the fan experience in our stadiums. We need to serve you better to continue to earn your support and attract new fans.
Like you, we want football. We want training camp to open and our full pre-season and regular season schedule to be played. We don't want a work stoppage.
Like you, we admire and appreciate what our players do on the field and in the community. They deserve to be paid fairly.
But also like you, we love this league. And that means we have a responsibility to you, and future generations of fans, to keep it strong.
Thanks to your support, the CFL is in a better place today than it has been in years. And we have made an offer that reflects this growth.
But we still have work to do to ensure all of our teams can make a profit, which is crucial to attracting the next generation of owners, at the same time we attract new fans. We still have a long way to go to realize our vision of a strong, sustainable league that can succeed in today's rapidly changing business climate, and in every market.
It was a long winter in Canada. And like you, we can't wait for the season to start. But we owe it to everyone who loves the CFL to seek an agreement that's fair to our players and right for our league and its future.
Thank you again for your patience and all you've done to help us grow.
Mark Cohon
Commissioner, Canadian Football League
