Football Canada, U Sports not adopting CFL’s new field, rules for 2027

In May, the CFL attended the CUFCA (Canadian University Football Coaches Association) meeting held during the East-West Bowl in Waterloo, Ont. It’s standard for the league to attend CUFCA meetings virtually or in-person. The organization meets twice annually — once during the East-West Bowl, and once during the Vanier Cup.

According to a half-dozen sources who were present, all of whom were granted anonymity, the league sought feedback regarding whether U Sports would prefer a 100-yard or 110-yard field. The consensus amongst coaches was a preference for a 110-yard field, with sources calling it “unanimous” or “almost unanimous.”

The vast majority of U Sports programs play of stitched turf surfaces, which would need to be replaced in order to shorten the field to 100 yards. At an estimated cost of between $1 and $2 million each, this is simply untenable for programs unless the turf has reached the end of its life.

This same issue is also an obstacle for the Canadian Junior Football League. One source indicated that 17 of 19 teams play on artificial turf, though it’s unclear how many are stitched. Most teams play at community-owned fields, which are also used by local amateur programs.

There are four CFL venues that currently share fields with U Sports programs: McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, and Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in Montreal.

Last year, Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller told 3DownNation that it won’t be a problem to convert Winnipeg’s field from 100 yards to 110 yards as needed, since all the lines are painted — not stitched.

“This will not impact university sports at all,” he said at the time. “This is very easy for us to do. It’s just putting in another set of goalposts — a base that could be converted back and forth very easily. We pull it out for soccer all the time. This is not a big change to facilities.”

An industry expert has told 3DownNation that the cost of installing new anchors for the uprights is between $30,000 and $60,000.

The new turf at McMahon Stadium is also painted, not stitched, which should make for an easy transition between the Stampeders and Dinos. However, the collegiate program may not use the facility for much longer.

Since April, the school has reportedly been considering proposals to build a 3,500 to 7,000-seat stadium with a seasonal dome for year-round use. It would host multiple Dinos field sports, including football, soccer, and rugby, while also being open to public use.

$21 million has reportedly been fundraised to support the project, which is scheduled to enter the design phase this fall.

Mosaic Stadium will have new turf installed ahead of the 2027 season, when it’s scheduled to host the 114th Grey Cup. It remains unclear if the surface will be stitched or painted.

Percival Molson Memorial Stadium has stitched turf, though it is currently in need of replacement. In December, an infrastructure review by McGill University deemed the surface “dangerous.” It was installed in 2013.

According to the CFL, it is absorbing the cost of retrofitting shared venues to accommodate its new field dimensions. It would appear this includes the replacement of the turf in Montreal.