Portfolio Canadian Football League 1995

[big_icky]

​

The history of sport in Canada took a sharp turn in the late 19th century. Two Melbourne-born university chancellors, one in British Columbia and the other in Toronto, popularised the 'Victorian Rules' of football and it overtook rugby as the preferred code. The sport, soon to be re-named 'Imperial Rules' and later 'Commonwealth Rules' as it gained popularity in a number of British colonies, became the favourite summer pasttime across Canada as the 20th century progressed and in 1995 is now the second most popular sport in the country, only behind ice hockey.

As the two homes of the sport, British Columbia and Ontario were the first to develop league competitions, and competed in early inter-provincial matches. The Ontario Football League was founded in 1901, with eight clubs from Ontario and Quebec, and lay claim to being the strongest league in the country, with the British Columbia Football Association, later known as the Western Football League, rivalling it in support and level of play. After World War 2, Canada experienced a period of high economic growth and travel across the country became increasingly easier via road, rail and plane, and during this time more talented footballers from the West were lured to OFL clubs. In 1956, recognising that their competition no longer had the same tyranny of distance to protect it from their stronger counterparts in the east, Western Football League officials made the decision to apply for licenses in the Ontario competition. Four initial clubs would leave the WFL and join a newly rebranded Canadian Football League.

In the four decades since then, the CFL has expanded and protracted on several occasions, admitting new teams from the West while some smaller regional teams from Ontario were forced to disband or merge to stay afloat in an increasingly professional competition. Currently there are 13 clubs in the league, although new broadcast revenue and increased fan support have made expansion in the near future look increasingly likely.

--
I have taken inspiration from various places for each of these teams, mainly being real CFL teams, Canadian universities, and Australian clubs.

 

[big_icky]

Calgary Broncos

---

Fact File
Founded: 1907 (joined CFL in 1956)
Stadium: McMahon Stadium
Capacity: 46,020
Pennants: 4

---

The Calgary Broncos were formed in 1907, originally known as the Bronks, and competed in the short-lived Prairie League before joining the British Columbia Football Association in 1919. They enjoyed moderate success in the West before being selected as one of the four western clubs to join the Canadian Football League in 1956. They enjoy a large fanbase and strong financial health with Calgary home to a booming oil and minerals sector, but success has been hard to come by on-field, winning just four CFL pennants. Their most recent success came in 1979 amid a period of domination for Prairie clubs.

 

[big_icky]

East Toronto Geese

---

Fact File
Founded: 1891 (inaugural member of OFL in 1901)
Stadium: BMO Oval
Capacity: 41,014
Pennants: 8

---

Often overshadowed by their more illustrious neighbours, East Toronto is a proud old club with strong working class support. Born out of the old East Toronto Cricket Club, the Geese were a founding member of the Ontario Football League and one of five teams to have survived in its entirety since 1901. A sustained period of success came in the inter-war years but they initially struggled in the new CFL era and came close to folding or merging on at least two occasions. They most recently broke through for a famous, drought-breaking flag in 1989.

 

[big_icky]

Edmonton Elks

---

Fact File
Founded: 1956 (merger of Edmonton Huskies and Edmonton Maple Leafs, joined CFL same season)
Stadium: Commonwealth Stadium
Capacity: 60,081
Pennants: 7

---

Commonwealth Rules football was played in Edmonton since the early 1900s, with two teams eventually joining the Western Football League. When that league decided to enter teams in the new CFL, the Huskies and Maple Leafs were amalgamated into one club, initially known as the Edmonton Eskimos. The Eskimos grew to become a dominant force in the 1980s, winning five pennants in that decade and earning them the nickname 'The Evil Empire'. In 1992, the club honoured the wishes of the Canadian Inuit population and changed their name to the Elks.

 

[big_icky]

Hamilton Tigers

---

Fact File
Founded: 1883 (inaugural OFL member in 1901)
Stadium: Tim Hortons Oval
Capacity: 28,808
Pennants: 14

---

One of the oldest clubs in the league, Hamilton are a founding club of the OFL and have consistently been one of the strongest clubs in the league, even after the inclusion of western clubs. They have counted on the strong support of the world-famous Tim Hortons restaurant chain, which was founded and based in the city. The Tigers won their most recent pennant in 1993 and are expected to challenge for another in 1995.

 

[big_icky]

Montreal Demons

---

Fact File
Founded: 1871 (inaugural OFL member in 1901)
Stadium: Stade Percival-Molson
Capacity: 23,420
Pennants: 12

---

Montreal are the third oldest team in the league, a founding member of the OFL, and remain the only Quebecoise team to compete in the top flight of Commonwealth football in Canada. They chose their emblems and colours in the early 1900s after a visit from the Melbourne Football Club of Australia, and have remained aligned with them to this day. The Demons have a long and proud history of producing exceptional French-Canadian talent and enjoyed their most successful years in the 1950s, but have not won a pennant since 1959. Youth development in Quebec however looks to be on the up and could bode well for Montreal's home-grown prospects as well as the possibility of a second Quebec team.

 

[big_icky]

Ottawa Senators

---

Fact File
Founded: 1876 (joined OFL in 1912)
Stadium: Frank Clair Stadium
Capacity: 30,927
Pennants: 6

---

The Senators are one of the oldest clubs in Canada but they were not a founding member of the OFL, instead joining alongside Sudbury in the first new admission of clubs in 1912. They have worn maroon and white for the entirety of their existence but their geographical location has seen them to struggle to compete with Montreal and the Toronto area clubs. Their last pennant came in 1973.

 

[big_icky]

Saskatchewan Roughriders

---

Fact File
Founded: 1910 (joined CFL in 1970)
Stadium: Taylor Oval
Capacity: 33,427
Pennants: 2

---

Commonwealth football was relatively late to arrive in Saskatchewan but its residents have become renowned for their intensity and passion for the sport. Originally known as the Regina Roughriders, they became one of the dominant teams in the Western Football League but were not included in the original western expansion of the league. After winning ten of the next twelve WFL pennants, they were admitted to the CFL in 1970 and stunned the nation by winning that pennant in just their second season. The Roughriders have only won one more title since then but have arguably the most committed and loyal fanbase in the country.

 

[big_icky]

Toronto Blues

---

Fact File
Founded: 1868 (inaugural member of OFL in 1901)
Stadium: BMO Oval
Capacity: 41,014
Pennants: 22

---

The Toronto Blues are the equal-oldest and outright most successful club in the history of football in Canada, winning a total of 22 OFL and CFL pennants. They have won at least one pennant in every decade since the formation of the OFL, including the 1994 pennant that they are looking to defend, and their success and prestige makes them one of the easiest teams to hate in the country. The Blues were originally the team of the University of Toronto and they maintain an affiliation to this day.

 

[big_icky]

Vancouver Eagles

---

Fact File
Founded: 1956 (joined CFL same year)
Stadium: BC Place
Capacity: 54,500
Pennants: 8

---

Vancouver was the only completely new club to be admitted to the CFL in its first expansion in 1956, with the British Columbia FA opting to enter a new entity drawing on several strong clubs in the Vancouver area. Football in BC developed concurrently with Ontario and until World War One was considered the strongest province in the country. The Eagles were successful immediately in the national competition, winning four pennants in their first ten seasons, and have more paying members than any other club. The team dominates the sporting landscape of Vancouver.

 

[big_icky]

Victoria Vikings

---

Fact File
Founded: 1919 (joined CFL in 1978)
Stadium: BC Place
Capacity: 54,500
Pennants: 0

---

A second team in BC seemed like a matter of time but a decade of in-fighting within the BCFA delayed Victoria's entry until 1978. The Vikings had been a strong team in the Western Football League for nearly six decades by that time but have been constantly overshadowed by their bigger neighbours, the Vancouver Eagles. They are yet to break through for the ultimate success or even play in a Grand Final.

 

[big_icky]

Western Warriors

---

Fact File
Founded: 1991 (merger of Guelph and Kitchener)
Stadium: Guelph Stadium
Capacity: 11,015
Pennants: 0 (Guelph 2, Kitchener 4)

---

Guelph and Kitchener were both founding members of the OFL in 1901 and both saw numerous regional Ontario teams such as London, Sudbury and Kingston come and go. However, the increased professionalism of the 1980s saw both clubs left behind with neither having won a pennant since the 1950s. The decision was made in 1991 to merge the clubs and become the Western Warriors, who compete with Hamilton Tigers for support in south-west Ontario. There are rumours that the club may look to capture the growing markets of cities immediately to the west of Toronto, such as Brampton and Mississauga.

 

[big_icky]

Winnipeg Bombers

---

Fact File
Founded: 1879 (joined CFL in 1956)
Stadium: Winnipeg Stadium
Capacity: 33,675
Pennants: 4

---

The Winnipeg Bombers joined Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver as one of the four initial western teams in the CFL. Their success has been sporadic since joining, a stark contrast to their dominance of the Western Football League where they capitalised on their relative proximity to Ontario. They share an intense and passionate rivalry with their Prairie neighbours, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

 

[big_icky]

York Lions

---

Fact File
Founded: 1868 (inaugural member of OFL in 1901)
Stadium: BMO Oval
Capacity: 41,014
Pennants: 18

---

York played Toronto in the first recorded Commonwealth Rules game in Australia and the two clubs have been locked in a bitter rivalry ever since. The Lions are the second most successful team in OFL/CFL history with 18 pennants, trailing Toronto's 4. Like their rivals, they owe their heritage to a university team initially and there isn't much of a geographical split between Reds and Blues in the city of Toronto.

 

[big_icky]

 

[big_icky]

 

[Mobbs]

Love this big_icky ! Some references to some aussie rules teams actually in Canada included. Awesome !