Last month the CFL announced that they planned to return to play August 5th, since then there’s been a fury of speculation on if they could hit their target. It’s been over a month since we’ve received any updates from the league, and it seems that parts of Canada aren’t ready to open up yet.
With all the open questions still lingering, the Canadian Football League Players Association (CFLPA) is looking for an official kickoff date from the leagues board of governors. 3DownNation’s Justin Dunk obtained a letter from CFLPA President Solomon Elimimian addressing his concerns on Friday, which you can read below:
We are continuing discussions with the league on both; the start of a season, and the mechanics of modifying the collective agreement to accommodate a COVID-restricted environment. Your bargaining committee is pressing the league to commit to the start date of August 5th, 2021, so you can get your affairs in order and prepare to play football.
With that said, the provincial and federal health authorities have the last word on when we can start training camp and begin a shortened season as there needs to be an allowance for a percentage of fan attendance.
We are also working with the CFL to access the CEWS program for eligible players, and we continue to work with them to ensure a smooth rollout of the payments.
Our communication lines remain open, and we urge you to contact your player reps, executive, and CFLPA office directly if you have any questions or comments.
When the CFL originally announced August 5th as its target, Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said that the league was hoping to have more information by mid-June based on the spread of covid going into the summer. Ontario officials have come out to say that it’s ambitious for the CFL to expect to have fans this season. The league is at a point where they may not be able to afford playing without the extra revenue that fans bring in.
There’s still over two months until the CFL plans to return, so a lot of things can happen in that time. With vaccinations becoming more available, it could be the answer to the CFL seeking action this year.
The XFL is still on the sidelines for 2021 and 2022 pending the conclusion of the discussions with the CFL. A lot of people have asked who needs who more, and it could be a scenario where they both need each other equally.
Do you think the CFL will make its August 5th target? Do you plan on tuning in whenever they do kickoff? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
