The C-F-L ended more than 15 months of uncertainty Monday with a unanimous vote to begin a shortened 14-game 2021 season on August 5. The commitment from all nine members of the board of governors means teams can finalize their plans for modified quarantines and training camps, which are scheduled to begin in early July. Monday’s vote brought to a close months of speculation over whether the league would play at all this season, after it chose to sit out the 2020 season when its efforts to finance a bubble format in Winnipeg fell short. The economics of a 2021 season won’t be good but the league’s prospects began to brighten in recent weeks as COVID-19 caseloads have dropped across Canada and vaccination rates have soared.
“Great news from the CFL! The 2021 season starts on August 5. Will we have fans in the stands in Mosaic Stadium? Yes, if enough of us get vaccinated. Let’s each do our part to reach our target of 70% of all eligible residents getting their first shot in order to remove all limits on gathering sizes. So go get vaccinated and go Riders!”
– Premier Scott Moe
