The dramatic changes announced by the Canadian Football League, which will take effect in the 2026 and 2027 seasons, have elicited reactions from fans and stakeholders nationwide.
In Saskatchewan, Roughriders’ president and CEO Craig Reynolds is excited about the possibilities.
“We're trying to evolve and ensure that the product remains entertaining. The goal around the announcement was to keep the game moving, transitioning from less field goals to more touchdowns obviously leads to a better product for our fans.”
Reynolds admits the most impactful change would likely be the moving the goal posts to the back of the end zone.
“Opening up that field, the end zone, when you're in the score zone, the data that the CFL provided indicated there's going to be a significant increase in touchdowns, they believe an increased completion percentage in the end zone. Anytime you can score more touchdowns, with all due respect to our kickers, I think it's a good thing for fans.”
When the CFL announcement was made, Reynolds anticipated a reaction from fans, and thus far, he says it has been mixed.
“A lot of support for the reasons behind trying to increase scoring and then there are concerns around any change to our game. We expected that, so we'll pass that feedback on to the league and try to get back to our fans.”
Reaction to the changes from CFL traditionalists has been vocal, with many citing the changes are moving towards an American game. Reynolds stated they were mindful of not straying too far away from the present version of the game.
“Our fans are extremely important to us, you have to have that delicate balancing act of adapting and evolving. We’re evolving to a modern sports environment and how people consume products. Touchdowns are things that people consume and highlights are very important now. Adapting to the current environment is important. Still, it's always a delicate balancing act between respecting tradition and what makes our league unique and being willing to evolve.”
The most significant changes that will impact infrastructure across the league are moving goalposts to the back of the end zone and changing the field length from 110 yards to 100 yards. Reynolds stated the configuration change could also provide opportunities to enhance the fan experience.
“When you change the field size, we have additional space and you've seen those successfully executed in other stadiums, whether it's premium seating or things similar to what we have going on in Pill country -- they're very popular. There's potentially some additional opportunities as a result of that.”
Moving forward, Reynolds, a product of the Foam Lake Falcons, acknowledges conversations will need to be had between the league and amateur football to identify ways to work together.
“Those conversations have to take place. I think the major change in the field is one of the major reasons for the delay to 2027. You now have a fair amount of runway to have those conversations with amateur football, which is really, really important.”
In a message to Rider Nation, Reynolds stated the timing is right for the changes.
“This is part of the league looking to evolve at a critical time and I think it's done with the right intentions of trying to increase the number of touchdowns that are scored, which are again the exciting play in the league.”
