Quote:
Originally Posted by The Familia
My list of priorities for the new commish would be as follows:
1) Stabilize the Argos: This includes finding a new owner and stadium.
2) Expansion: Get that 10th team either in Halifax or Quebec City.
3) Technology: Revamp the CFL website and App. Need to keep the younger generation on board. I would also push hard for a video game.
4) Product: Ensure the product remains strong. Small rule tweaks, nothing major.
5) Advertising: Need to push hard with advertising and promoting the star players. Commercials, news print ads, banners, etc. The league needs to up its marketing to attract newer and younger fans.
6) Media: Need to get the media in larger cities on board to promote the league and not trash it.
7) Game Day: Ensure the game day atmosphere in all stadiums and cities is top notch. Tailgating, promotions, etc.
8) Big Game Hype: The league does a good job with Labor Day but needs to promote other major weeks such as opening kickoff and Thanksgiving. Also, they need to promote team rivalries. Need to build up the hype and hatred between cities and teams.
|
I don't mean to hijack this thread, but having conversations with some guys in the league and Keon Raymond (CFLPA rep) it appears the league is really starting to take this seriously.
They recognize that they need to attract the younger fans. There's no reason why the CFL can't be as popular as the NFL or NHL in Canada. Better marketing and bringing in technology and making it a better live fan experience would do wonders for the public's perception of the sport. They're tossing around the idea of "Thursday Night Football" since the NFL kind of failed with that one, but putting the emphasis on fans and making it a fun family experience at those games.
Some guys really believe TSN is going to contribute to the downfall of the CFL. Having 1 panel means that there's only ever one voice to the public about the games (unless you seek out the local radio guys). The NFL has multiple panels talking about different games, even if they aren't covering the game. Having more voices talking about the games would allow for more opinions of guys and change public perceptions of players (no longer player A is great/terrible because TSN says so).
Having a NFL style media day leading up to the Grey Cup. The first few years would be low attendance but it would be tough to see people not incorporating that into their Grey Cup trip experience as it gains traction, same thing with the draft. The NFL has come up with a fairly robust business model, it would take some scaling down and altering to make it work for Canadians but a solid framework exists.
These are all things the league has been discussing over the past year(s) and I am really excited to see where the new commissioner takes the league! Perhaps CaptainCrunch or any of you other guys with connections to the league/Stamps have something else to add