XFL In Talks With CFL, Will Continue Planning for 2022 Once Discussions Leave Preliminary Stage

[Rangersking669]

Screenshots here: CFL In Preliminary Talks With XFL Via Alouettes

UPDATE: ESPN REPORT

UPDATE: CFL To Explore Opportunities for Alignment With XFL Owners

UPDATE: XFL Not Delaying 2022

[GDAWG]

That's going to be weird since the CFL only plays 3 downs and has a wider field.

[Rangersking669]

That's going to be weird since the CFL only plays 3 downs and has a wider field.

Partnership doesn't mean a merger. The CFL already has a partnership with LFA but they don't play canadian rules

[Tank55]

TORONTO & Greenwich, CT - The Canadian Football League (CFL) and XFL owners Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and RedBird Capital have agreed to work together to identify opportunities for the leagues to collaborate, innovate, and grow the game of football.

Statement from Randy Ambrosie, CFL Commissioner:

“Canada has an exciting game and devoted fans, and our discussion with the XFL provides a tremendous opportunity to build on that strong foundation. We look forward to exploring how we might work with one of the most innovative sports brands in the world to grow the game, engage fans in new ways, and reach new audiences. We look forward to seeing what possibilities our discussions might uncover, and to sharing those with our fans as the process unfolds.”

Statement from Dany Garcia, XFL Chairwoman and Owner:

“Since we first acquired the XFL, we have focused on identifying partners who share our vision and values on and off the field. A vision filled with opportunity, innovation and the highest level of entertainment value for the benefit of our athletes, fans and communities. The CFL has expressed that similar sentiment and jointly we recognize a great opportunity to build exciting innovative football experiences that make the most of each league's unique strengths. I look forward to our continued discussions and we will update the sports community as we have more to share.”

Statement from Jeffrey Pollack, XFL President and CEO:

"We are honored and excited to be in discussions with the CFL. It's clear through our early conversations that we share a passion for football, an expansive sense of possibility, and a deep desire to create more opportunity for players and fans across North America and around the world. Blending the CFL’s rich heritage with our fresh thinking, and the unique reach and experience of our ownership, could be transformative for the game. We look forward to learning more about what's possible together with the CFL and where our shared passion takes us."

https://www.xfl.com/xfl-latest-news/cfl ... xfl-owners

Initial reaction: this feels less like a merger or any sort of inter-league play, and more like an effort to control player and coach cost.

[Rangersking669]

TORONTO & Greenwich, CT - The Canadian Football League (CFL) and XFL owners Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and RedBird Capital have agreed to work together to identify opportunities for the leagues to collaborate, innovate, and grow the game of football.

Statement from Randy Ambrosie, CFL Commissioner:

“Canada has an exciting game and devoted fans, and our discussion with the XFL provides a tremendous opportunity to build on that strong foundation. We look forward to exploring how we might work with one of the most innovative sports brands in the world to grow the game, engage fans in new ways, and reach new audiences. We look forward to seeing what possibilities our discussions might uncover, and to sharing those with our fans as the process unfolds.”

Statement from Dany Garcia, XFL Chairwoman and Owner:

“Since we first acquired the XFL, we have focused on identifying partners who share our vision and values on and off the field. A vision filled with opportunity, innovation and the highest level of entertainment value for the benefit of our athletes, fans and communities. The CFL has expressed that similar sentiment and jointly we recognize a great opportunity to build exciting innovative football experiences that make the most of each league's unique strengths. I look forward to our continued discussions and we will update the sports community as we have more to share.”

Statement from Jeffrey Pollack, XFL President and CEO:

"We are honored and excited to be in discussions with the CFL. It's clear through our early conversations that we share a passion for football, an expansive sense of possibility, and a deep desire to create more opportunity for players and fans across North America and around the world. Blending the CFL’s rich heritage with our fresh thinking, and the unique reach and experience of our ownership, could be transformative for the game. We look forward to learning more about what's possible together with the CFL and where our shared passion takes us."

https://www.xfl.com/xfl-latest-news/cfl ... xfl-owners

Initial reaction: this feels less like a merger or any sort of inter-league play, and more like an effort to control player and coach cost.

Yeah same. But also wouldn't be surprised to see some media collaborations

[GDAWG]

So if it's not a merger, what is it? If I had to guess, it will be working together on global combines.

[MarkNelson]

From the #XFL head office: Planning for the 2022 XFL season has been paused to focus on the conversation with the #CFL.

Also, look for more information in upcoming social media posts.

[MarkNelson]

I have no idea what this is and how it will benefit either partner. Different seasons, different rules, different countries. Mind you, same pool of players and coaches.

On social, CFL fans are going nuts right now. They are expecting a season soon, and the hope was the pandemic will lessen enough for things to return to normal at least part way through the season. This is a blindside to them.

FYI, remember Greg Parks write about all this in response to a question in his last Mailbag column? (was the seed planted? ) https://xflboard.com/news/xfl-mailbag-3 ... -and-more/

[laxtreme56]

We went from crickets, to an explosion overnight. I'm personally excited to see the outcome of this

[Tank55]

Mike Mitchell weighs in:

So what does this all mean for @XFL2022 and the @CFL?

From the sources, I’ve been in contact with. They have told me that none of this is a recent development.

From the moment, the XFL’s new ownership was in place last year. This idea was explored and is now in full motion

The possibilities are endless here and nothing has been finalized between the XFL and CFL.

However, any delay of a 2022 XFL season indicates that this could be more than a standard working arrangement between two leagues, where they would be potentially sharing players etc

It's worth noting that RedBird Capital has been expanding its sports portfolio, here in the states and globally.

With that in mind, from what I have heard. It's not out of the realm of possibility that these XFL-CFL discussions could be leading to something bigger. Not there yet

https://twitter.com/ByMikeMitchell/stat ... 9653252100