Article content continued

“You get one or two of these young players on a roster and now you can attract a group of fans interested in following one of their countrymen,” said Ambrosie. “The other side of it is we’re also interested in getting Canadians who might not normally be interested in the CFL but might be interested in somebody who shares their ethnic background, to watch them play in our league.”

The CFL 2.0 strategy is bigger than the league itself, and Ambrosie said he is facilitating negotiations between Mexican and Canadian officials on an international clash of university teams.

“Mexico is quite interested in the possibility of some kind of university game, an exchange with Canada involving one of our university teams. It may even be our Vanier Cup champion,” said Ambrosie. “That could be quite a spectacle.”

Sources in Mexico suggest the game could happen as early as December, though they did not specify a location. Nor was it clear whether the Mexican team would be the champions of the public or private university conference.

Ambrosie said he could envision an annual meeting of champs, alternating between Mexican and Canadian sites. He mentioned B.C. Place Stadium as a potential venue. A domed stadium would obviously be necessary if the game were to take place in December, immediately after the Vanier Cup champs are crowned in November.

“This is a conversation that I’m happy to facilitate with (U Sports president) Graham Brown and the university leadership,” said Ambrosie. “I think it would be exciting to see our Vanier Cup champion. There are all kinds of possibilities.”

U Sports officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the likelihood that the Vanier Cup champs would participate in such a game this year.

“Part of this is not just what we want to do to grow the CFL game,” said Ambrosie, “it’s how we lean in and partner with U Sports as well and help to really drive the growth of our university game and junior game because they are a critical part of our long-term success.”

CFLPA URGES PLAYERS TO SKIP ACTIVITIES WITH CFL OFFICE DURING CBA TALKS

The Canadian Football League Players’ Association has directed its membership to cease participation in “any events or activities with the CFL office” until the two parties conclude negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement.

The directive, made public Monday on Twitter by CFLPA executive director Brian Ramsay, comes in response to CFL teams withholding all off-season signing and roster bonuses from players.