By Gilbert Ngabo

Copyright thestar

Longtime CFL fans and historians are keeping an open mind as the league ushers in changes aimed at improving the game without losing its identity.

On Monday, commissioner Stewart Johnston announced significant moves — most of them starting in 2027 — that will include resizing the football field and end zones, moving the goalposts and altering (but not eliminating) the single-point play affectionately known as the rouge.

Johnston said the changes have been in the works for months in consultation with the CFL players’ association and board of governors.

“We understand the passion of our fans,” he said after the announcement. “But I’ve also heard, as I’ve gone market to market, that a lot of our fans are yearning for some change, and I truly believe that this is going to elevate our game.”

Reaction across the country has been mixed.

B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, the CFL’s top Canadian in 2022, told TSN the changes are “garbage.”

“You cannot make adjustments like these and tell me you love the Canadian football game,” a visibly angry Rourke said, while claiming players and coaches weren’t consulted, and accusing the league of trying to mimic the NFL.

“I went down and played in the NFL, and I came back knowing that this is the game for me because of the uniqueness of it, what’s special about it, and we’re getting away from that. And that frankly makes me pissed off.”

In a social media post on X, Lions kicker Sean Whyte suggested changes to the field dimensions will hurt his future directly: “Well, I guess I know when I won’t be needed. It was a fun ride.”

In a statement released Monday afternoon, the players’ association said it was told about the changes after they had been approved by the board: “Our top priority remains the health and safety of our members … the CFLPA will carefully review every aspect of any changes to ensure they do not compromise player well-being in any way.”

CFL supporter and longtime Argonauts historian Paul Woods welcomes some of the other announced changes, including the introduction of an automatic 35-second play clock to replace the current 20-second clock that starts when game officials decide. He’s also in favour of the decision to move teams to opposite sides of the field (starting in 2026) to facilitate substitutions and limit potential sideline run-ins between opponents.

“The challenge is that they’re going to have to reconfigure some stadiums,” said Woods, noting the east sideline at BMO Field is very close to the stands, so the field will have to move to make room for the addition of a team bench.

A season-ticket holder behind the Argos bench, Woods added that he’s worried the new arrangement could move the home team to the east side, closer to their locker room: “I would hate to lose sitting behind the Argos’ bench, but I wouldn’t want to sit on the east side because you’d bake over there.”

He’s also seeking clarity on changes to the rouge. The CFL wants to alter the rule to avoid having games decided by a single point off a missed field goal, punt or kickoff through the end zone.

“It seems to suggest that the receiving team could simply watch (the ball) land in the end zone and then roll through, and as long as they don’t touch it they won’t be giving up a point. I don’t really like that,” Woods said. “I love kick returns. A ball returned out of the end zone is a very exciting play.”

Bob Irving, former sportscaster and play-by-play announcer for Winnipeg Blue Bombers, agrees: “I think if you move the ball far enough down the field and you miss the field goal, but it still goes through the end zone, I think you’ve reached a point where maybe you deserve a point, you know what I mean?”

Irving added that many of the changes appear to be driven by a desire for more touchdowns, and that he’s glad they didn’t mess with basics such as three downs and Canadian/American roster ratios.

“I don’t like the shortening of the field. The rest of the changes, I understand the argument for them … I think our game is fantastic, and I don’t think it needed a lot of changing. Whatever problems the league has are not with the product on the field.”