Canadian Football League (CFL)
The Canadian Football League (CFL) is a professional league of Canadian football consisting entirely of Canadian teams. The league plays its games according to the rules of Canadian football, which although very similar to the rules of American football used by the National Football League, contains a number of significant differences (see chart below). Both versions owe their evolution to the sport of rugby, which was introduced to North America during the latter half of the 19th century.
The CFL’s signature prize is the Grey Cup, named after Governor General Earl Grey, who originally donated the cup in 1909 to the winner of what was then known the Senior Amateur Football Championship of Canada. Pre-1954 incarnations of the CFL went by different names and included a mixture of amateur, collegiate, and professional players and teams. The formation in 1956 of an umbrella organization known as the Canadian Football Council ushered in the modern era of Canadian football and led to the formation of the CFL as we know it today. Relatively stable during the first few decades of its existence, the CFL made attempts at expansion into the United States during the 1990s. Several U.S. franchises were formed, in cities such as Sacramento, Las Vegas, Shreveport, Baltimore, San Antonio, Birmingham, and Memphis. Despite temporary success for a small handful of these franchises (most notably the Baltimore Stallions, who actually captured a Grey Cup), they all eventually folded, returning the CFL to its all-Canadian status.
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME COMMON DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NFL AND CFL FOOTBALL
| NFL | CFL |
|---|---|
| Playing Area: 100 yards long, 53 yards wide | Playing Area: 110 yards long, 65 yards wide |
| Goal posts located at end line | Goal posts located at goal line |
| Number of players on field: 11 per team | Number of players on field: 12 per team |
| Number of downs: 4 | Number of downs: 3 |
| Defense lines up on nose of football | Defense lines up one yard away from football |
| Only one offensive backfield player allowed in motion before snap and motion cannot be in a forward direction | Any offensive backfield player (except QB) allowed in motion before snap and motion can be in any direction |
| Three time outs per half allowed for each team | One timeout per half allowed for each team |
| No special rule for clocks during last three minutes of each half | Clock stopped after every play during last three minutes of each half |
| Two-point conversion attempted from 2-yard line | Two-point conversion attempted from 5-yard line |
| Two feet inbounds required for a legal pass reception | Only one foot inbounds required for a legal pass reception |
Currently, the CFL has eight teams divided into two 4-team divisions (East Division and West Division). Following is a brief synopsis of the CFL and a listing of all CFL teams:
CFL At-A-Glance
- Season: Late-June through mid-November. On each of the season’s 20 weekends, there are three games played with two teams having a scheduled bye. For each team in the league, this works out to a total of 18 games played and two bye weeks. The format has each team playing two games (1 home game and 1 away) against each team in the opposing division, three games (2 home/1 away or 1 home/2 away) against two of its division rivals, and four games (2 home/2 away) against one particular division rival.
- Teams: 8 (4 East Division, 4 West Division)
- Events:
- Labour Day Classic (games played on Labour Day weekend are always the same: Toronto at Hamilton, Edmonton at Calgary, and Winnipeg at Saskatchewan)
- Championship: The Grey Cup
- Current Grey Cup champion: 2009 - Montreal Alouettes
- Hall of Fame: The Canadian Football Hall of Fame, in Hamilton, Ontario
Canadian Football League Divisions and Teams
East Division
- Hamilton Tiger-Cats - Hamilton, Ontario
- Montreal Alouettes - Montreal, Quebec
- Toronto Argonauts - Toronto, Ontario
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers - Winnipeg, Manitoba
West Division
- British Columbia Lions - Vancouver, BC
- Calgary Stampeders - Calgary, Alberta
- Edmonton Eskimos - Edmonton, Alberta
- Saskatchewan Roughriders - Regina, Saskatchewan
CFL News
| Sportsnet.ca - CFL |
| Stamps WR Bryant named offensive POTW Stampeders wide receiver Romby Bryant was named CFL offensive player of the week Tuesday after his career game in Calgary's 30-7 rout of Edmonton. |
| Week 17 Power Rankings Despite recent struggles, the Als are still the best, but watch out for the surging Blue Bombers in this week's Power Rankings. |
| Bishop keeps Bombers in hunt for playoff spot Michael Bishop threw for a season-high 411 yards and two touchdowns as the Blue Bombers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 41-24 win over the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday. |
| Win over Lions puts Roughriders into playoffs James Patrick intercepted Casey Printers in the end zone in overtime Saturday as the Saskatchewan Roughriders held on to win a wild one, 33-30 over the B.C. Lions. |
| Glenn leads Ticats to win over lowly Argos Kevin Glenn threw for 322 yards and a touchdown to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats past the Toronto Argonauts 26-17 on Friday night. |
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