Mayor Michael Fougere would entertain the idea of Regina being a hub city for the CFL.
“I think anything is possible. I think Regina in the outset is situated very well for this. We’re right in the middle of the continent, right in the middle of Western Canada, easy to get to and that beautiful stadium,” Fougere told 980 CJME radio.
“I think we have all the makings of making this happen, as with any other team in the CFL. But I think Regina with its new stadium and its geographic location would be well set to do this.”
Hub cities are hot topics among the NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS as North American pro sports leagues try to figure out the best way to possibly hold games amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. For any sports including the CFL to play in a hub city model or otherwise, strict guidelines would have to be followed.
“There’s a lot of safety issues to be done. There’s a financial implication for it as well. One of them is when you bring in players from the United States in particular, they’ve got to be isolated for 14 days,” Fougere said.
“It’s simply an interesting concept. Let’s have that conversation and see where it goes.”
The CFL regular season was scheduled to kick-off on Thursday, June 11, but Ambrosie has stated the schedule won’t start before the beginning of July. And it will be later as various cities have banned large gatherings throughout the summer until September. Premier Scott Moe said he has not yet been in discussions with the CFL regarding a proposal that would salvage a portion of the 2020 season.
“If that was to be under consideration, there would be collaborative work done between the league, the teams, the community, the province and the chief medical health officers,” Moe said, “likely at the provincial and national level to ensure the safety of the players in limiting their risk of exposure to the virus and many parameters around those who may have to be in the stadium.”
