CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon says ‘there is a will on all levels’ to bring to Moncton an Atlantic Bowl weekend featuring a regular season Canadian Football League game. Officials keen on CFL games in Moncton By ADAM HURAS MONCTON - The next three months will be critical in determining whether the Canadian Football League has a future in Moncton. League commisioner Mark Cohon made a special trip to the province last week and talks with officials were dominated by the idea of "Atlantic Bowl-" a regular season football game each year in Moncton. Cohon, Premier Shawn Graham and Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc met to discuss a multiyear commitment with the Hub City that would create an annual weekend of football. Cohon said in an interview on Monday the plan is promising. He said it would be put into action in 2010, once specifics are nailed down. "We don't set our schedule until the end of the year, but really what we are trying to do over the next three or four months is hammer out all the details with the city," he said. "I think we are on an aggressive timeline, but I think it's realistic in what we are trying to do. I think there is a will on all levels." On the table is a weekend of football featuring two Atlantic Canadian university teams squaring off in a matinee game prior to a regular season CFL game featuring two Eastern Conference rivals. Moncton East MLA Chris Collins, who Cohon invited to last year's Grey Cup along with Graham, said the deal would be for five years. Graham said he has asked Cohon and the league's director of marketing to come to Fredericton for further conversations. He also wants Cohon to view the construction of the Université de Moncton's stadium, which would be the likely location for CFL games. The facility is being built for the World Junior Championships in track and field slated for 2010 and will have a capacity of up to 20,000 spectators. "They are looking for a truly East to West game plan and what is in the development stage right now is an Atlantic Bowl concept where New Brunswick would host a regular season game on a fixed schedule date," Graham said. "A solid business case has to be built, but the preliminary discussions have been very exciting." Graham said that both the league and the province are keen on the idea. Ian Fowler, general manager of Recreation, Parks, Tourism, and Culture for the City of Moncton said the city hopes to have a deal finalized in the first half of this year. "They have a plan which they believe is workable to introduce the game to Atlantic Canada on a regular basis," he said. "This will be the first steps to seeing what the future of the CFL may be for Atlantic Canada. But there is still work to be done and, certainly, business models have to be finalized and put into place that are workable all the way around." The CFL last tested the waters for possible expansion into the Maritimes in 2005, playing one exhibition game in Halifax. At the time, former commissioner Tom Wright was looking at the feasibility of adding a 10th CFL franchise by 2008, but only if a 25,000-seat stadium was in place and the league was convinced there were enough private financial backers. The dream died when financial instability hit other teams in 2006. The CFL recorded increased ticket sales and attendance last season, along with higher television ratings. Cohon said there is now the will to come East with the league. "There is will from the CFL, there is a will from the premier's office and from the mayor to figure out how to make this happen now," he said. "The reason for the meeting was to really sit down with the premier and the mayor of Moncton to talk about the possibly of bringing a CFL regular season game starting in 2010 and to create a regular event to bring the CFL to New Brunswick." |