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University of Regina director of sport Lisa Robertson details the inner workings of how U Sports and Canada West are handling the CFL rule changes.
"We will work collegially with our colleagues across the country around the field size, whether we're even going to have the discussion or we're going to say nope, Canadian University football is going to play on this field. The rules are a different can of worms, frankly. There are some of the rule changes that could be integrated into our game without changing the field size. Our coaches are going to have a very in-depth discussion coming this November at the Canadian University Football Coaches Association meetings," Robertson said on the 620 CKRM Rider Broadcast Network.
"When we got together as U Sports, there were a couple of coaches on the call. I asked them, 'Do they feel this would impede them preparing their athletes for the next level?' Because we are a feeder into the CFL. They don't believe that's an issue, those particular coaches said. Now, this isn't the entire group. They feel that they can continue to prepare the talent and get them ready for the next level, no matter what the rules are and no matter what the field size. We send kids to the NFL and that's a totally different field and rules."
CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston announced on September 22 there will be new rule changes implemented in the next couple years. In 2026, team benches will be on opposite sides of the field. Instead of the 20-second play clock, there will be a new 35-second one. The rogue will be allowed only if the returner fails to bring the football out of the end zone or takes a knee. That rule replaces the old one under which a rogue was awarded if a missed field goal, kick-off or punt flew or rolled through the end zone. In 2027, all uprights will be moved to the back of the end zone.The end zone length will be reduced from 20 to 15 yards, and the field size will decrease from 110 to 100 yards.
"The 27 U Sports football schools have gotten together, athletic directors, a couple of coaches, we've had some preliminary discussions," Robertson said. "This is really a problem for four schools: it's a problem for Calgary, it's a problem for Manitoba and a problem for us, and then for McGill. Now the McGill situation is a little different, the Alouettes play at McGill Stadium, McGill owns that field, so I'm not sure what will transpire out there."
Robertson elaborated on the financial problems associated with changing the field size and possibly moving goalposts.
"To change over turf, it's in the millions of dollars to change the end zones, to change the uprights. And then they have soccer playing on those same fields. They have rugby playing on those same fields. We have football here, but on their home turf — like our home turf — we have our soccer team playing. The expense is in the hundreds of millions to ask 23 schools to switch over their field," Robertson said.
"They're all in different life cycles. We did an analysis, U Sports asked us, 'Where's your field in its life cycle for switching over?' It's varied, but none of it aligns. My gut says in terms of field size, I think we roll along as is with the current field size. Do we look possibly six, eight years out and start to think about what maybe we could do? Sure. But not on the timeline that the CFL is making the change."
