CFL promises update on new website after second annual draft tracker crash

Screenshot: TSN

For the second-straight year, the draft tracker on the CFL’s website crashed partway through the event, making it impossible for prospects, fans, and members of the media to know which players were being selected in real time.

CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston, whose hiring was announced last spring, referenced the failure of last year’s tracker as one of the reasons the league is investing in a new website and smartphone application.

“In today’s world, if you don’t have a modern, reliable digital offering, you won’t succeed,” he said during his State of the League address at the Grey Cup in November.

“On my third day on the job, during the CFL draft, our website went down. During the first preseason game of the year, it went down again. If we want to be considered a major professional sports league, this cannot happen.”

Though it remains unclear when the new website and application will be launched, it appears they remain on track to be released in 2026 with the league committing to a formal update in the relatively near future.

“We will provide updates on the new websites and app ahead of the season. As noted in last year’s State of the League, both are set to launch this year,” wrote a CFL spokesperson in a statement to 3DownNation.

“The tracker did go down late in the draft; however, the issue was isolated to the draft tracker functionality. We remain confident in the stability of the current website until the new platform is launched.

“This incident further underscores why the Board of Governors has made a historic commitment to modernize our digital platforms.”

On Tuesday evening, the draft tracker stopped functioning near the end of the fifth round and did not resume operations until after the event was over.

Teams were still able to announce their selections through social media, though this resulted in picks being revealed out of order. Some were significantly delayed.

CFL teams are set to open rookie camps on May 6, followed by full training camps on May 10.