Last month the CFL announced that they planned to return August 5th, but since then many have questioned if they could make it happen. Some providences are continuing lockdowns, and in a situation where the league is depending on fans in stands that could be the deal breaker if they play or not.
Tuesday afternoon ProFootballTalk posted that the CFL has informed players and agents that an August 5th return is a go and that training camp will begin July 10th.
The CFL has informed players and agents that the new season will begin on August 5.
Training camp will open on July 10, after a quarantine that commences on July 2. Camp ends on July 31.
When this news started making the rounds, naturally there was a lot of excited and skeptical fans commenting on the situation. TSN’s Dave Naylor has since come out and spoke on the comments from PFT, saying that there is no change in status for the 2021 CFL season.
There is no change in status of the 2021 @CFL season. Still dependant on approval from public health authorities for return-to-play and fans-in-stands. Decision on Aug 5th season start expected around mid-June. https://t.co/2EDr22e7fr
— Dave Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) May 25, 2021
He continues on to say that the season is still dependent on approval from local public health authorities before they can return-to-play.
It’s hard to say who’s right in this situation. Does PFT have some inside knowledge that the regular CFL insiders don’t? My guess is probably not. We’re still a little over two months away from when the CFL is set to return and COVID cases seem to be dropping.
When the CFL originally announced their August 5th return, commissioner Randy Ambrosie said that the league would know more on the return in mid-June. We’re still a few weeks out from that timeline, so we’ll have to keep waiting a little longer before we get any answers from the CFL.
With the XFL on the sidelines for 2021 and possibly 2022 pending the outcomes of their discussions with the CFL, there’s a lot of potential new eyes on the league this year. The CFL knows it’s in their best interest to hit the field in 2021, but without fans it may not be profitable enough to pursue.
When do you think the CFL will return? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
