CFL’s move to eliminate padded practices a “great step forward in player safety”

The Canadian Football League (CFL) and Canadian Football League Players Association (CFLPA) jointly announced measures aimed at ensuring player safety.

Highlighting the announcement was the move to remove full contact padded practices immediately and throughout the 2018 season. Prior to this, teams conducted 17 padded practices annually once their training camps concluded.

In a press release, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie offered the reasons for making this move.

“Today, we stand shoulder to shoulder on the important issue of player health and safety,” commented Ambrosie.  “We have developed and agreed upon these changes in the spirit of partnership and in pursuit of a shared goal: making the game we all love safer for the elite athletes who thrill our fans with their skill and talent.”

Football Canada hopes this move supports the implementation of the organization’s long-term athlete development policies.

“The decision by the CFL to eliminate padded practices is a great step forward in player safety,” expressed Aaron Geisler, Manager of Development.  “This will help to reinforce the decisions that Football Canada and its members made in 2016 in its LTAD competition review which focused on player safety and development at the amateur level.”

“The restructuring of the development pathway, limiting the weeks of contact football along with standardized practice schedules are just a few of the changes that are being implemented to provide greater player safety at the amateur level.  We hope that this decision by the CFL will help facilitate those changes in our sport.”

This post is also available in: French