CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon Answers Expansion Questions

Way back on February 1, I wrote a fantasy article entitled, "If I Could Interview CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon" in which I conducted an imaginary interview where I asked him every possible question that was important to me.

Well the Commissioner's Office saw the article, contacted me, and arranged for the commissioner to answer some of the questions for real, via e-mail.  Below are his answers on the topic of CFL expansion.

Before continuing, I'd like to thank Mr. Jamie Dykstra of the commissioner's office for taking the trouble to contact me, submitting the questions, and arranging this exclusive Bleacher Report interview.

I'd also like to thank Commissioner Cohon for taking time from his busy schedule to read and answer these questions.  Of course, as I mentioned at the end of my imaginary interview, perhaps later sometime we'll do another interview in which he'll update any changes and answer questions on other topics of fan interest. 

Commissioner, you are always welcome to appear on my blog.  Many thanks for your time and trouble.

(P.S. I should try this ploy with other sports personalities and potential employers to get a better job. Or even with some of those "Barely Sports" girls to get a date).

1. What makes a good CFL expansion investor and what costs would he/she have to bear?

A. We owe it to our fans to get expansion right, and not to simply expand for the sake of it. While a lot goes into a successful expansion, there are two main ingredients: the right owners, with a deep commitment to the CFL and resources to match, and the right facility, a stadium that’s large enough for the CFL and up to the standards expected by our fans.

In Ottawa, for example, we now have the right prospective owners in place, and we’ve granted them a conditional franchise. The condition, of course, is reconstruction of Frank Clair Stadium, and they are making tremendous progress on that project. The final vote on the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park, including the stadium, is coming up soon, and we’re optimistic about expanding, or returning, to the national capital within a few years.

2. Does the CFL do any networking with rich Canadian investors about starting new franchises and if so how?

A. Well, part of my job is to build a short list of prospective CFL owners, or at least people who I believe would make tremendous owners, and to stay in touch with those people. I do that on a regular basis.

3. BC is building a "temporary" stadium of 27,500 for only $14 million. What is the difference between a temporary stadium and a permanent one which makes this so cheap to build?

A. I’m not an expert on stadium construction, although I’m learning a lot very quickly, with so many stadium projects underway across our league. (I just returned from the sod turning on a new stadium in Winnipeg, for example.) But I would think the main difference is a permanent stadium is built to last and a temporary stadium is built to fill a need for a limited time. Some of the stadiums we are about to replace or refurbish have been around for decades, and I doubt a temporary stadium would last like that.

4.  If stadiums can be built this cheaply, why doesn’t the CFL pitch this angle to both investors and Canadian non-CFL city officials in hopes of expanding the league?

A. For expansion to succeed for more than a few years, we need a proper stadium that will last for more than a few years, and strong owners who are in for the long haul. It’s not tough to expand, but it’s a challenge to expand successfully, to build a new franchise that not only lasts, but thrives, and we owe it to our fans, and the rest of the teams in the league, to get expansion right.

5. Playing more games in non-CFL Canadian cities like Moncton seems to be a good way of gauging potential markets and attracting investors. Are there plans underway to increase the number of regular season/exhibition games and perhaps even the Grey Cup in non-CFL cities?

A. Right now, we’re just focused on hosting the first regular season game ever in Atlantic Canada this September in Moncton. There is talk of returning to Moncton again in future years, but we’re not looking at other cities in a serious way right now.

One reason why is there has to be the right stadium in place. Few of Canada’s smaller centres have a venue large enough to accommodate a CFL game, even with some temporary seats added. And a Grey Cup requires even more seats. I believe, at this point, we owe it to our existing cities to rotate the Grey Cup through them.

6. Are you satisfied with the size of the CFL right now and if not, how many Canadian franchises would you like to have at present and by 2020?

A. I believe our league works well now. But we are excited about Ottawa returning to the CFL, probably in time for the 2013 season. We’re proud of the foothold we’re establishing this year in Atlantic Canada but a lot more would have to fall in place for there to be more serious discussion of expansion there.

I know many people in the media and within our league talk about the ease and optics of having ten teams in a league balanced between east and west. But I don’t look at it in terms of an ideal number. I look at each situation and measure whether it makes our league stronger.

7. If it were possible to expand the league tomorrow, which non-CFL Canadian cities would you choose to expand to?

A. If we were looking to expand, we would only look to those cities with proper stadiums, and the right owners, in place. There are lots of great football towns in Canada, and we have wonderful fans right across the country, but for expansion to make business sense, you need a modern stadium of proper CFL size, and owners with a deep commitment to our league, and resources to match.

Thanks for your interest in our league, and for sharing these question with me.

Mark Cohon

Commissioner

Canadian Football League