Photo courtesy: CFL
The CFL league office and its nine teams made a combined $4.6 million investment in amateur football in 2025, the league touted in a press release on Tuesday.
The release indicates this money was donated along with over 3,000 hours spent sharing the game with youth, women, and Indigenous communities. 728 school visits were conducted alongside other community events, helping the league collectively reach 233,700 youth throughout the year.
The league also indicated that coaches, players, mascots, and team personnel spent more than 9,100 hours participating in community events. Many of these events targeted key initiatives, including boosting literacy, ensuring food security, combatting gender-based violence, standing against bullying, and other such causes.
“Football has the power to shape character, create belonging and open doors for young people,” said CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston in a statement.
“The CFL and our clubs are proud to deepen our support for community programs and to strengthen the path from amateur football to high performance. We are committed to ensuring every young athlete in Canada has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive through football.”
For a full breakdown of each team’s contributions, see the following entries from the league’s press release.
League office
The Quarterback Internship welcomed a new cohort of pivots to continue their development at CFL training camps. The league renewed its commitments to amateur and U Sports officiating development, the East-West Bowl, and Football Canada to help grow the game. The league’s partnership with Physical and Health Education Canada furthered its mission of providing knowledge and resources needed to teach the game, registering more than 100 new educators last year to increase the program’s six-year total reach to 1.58 million students.
The Women in Football Program presented by KPMG and the Diversity in Football Program presented by Securian Canada returned for a fourth year, providing an opportunity for 18 new participants to continue their journeys with the game at the professional level. OK Tire, in partnership with Blackhawk Tires and the CFL, raised $54,000 through Touchdowns for Communities, to support the provincial football organizations as they grow of female programming, flag football, and grassroots development.
Partnerships with Capital Power and the Kativik Regional Government brought flag football youth clinics to Alberta, Ontario, and Nunavik. Off the field, Capital Power served as the Official Partner of the league’s Truth and Reconciliation Donation Program, matching the maximum of $30,000 in sales of the 2025 New Era sideline collection, with proceeds going to the Indigenous Youth Roots organization.
Montreal Alouettes
In consultation with boards of education across the Greater Montreal Area, the Alouettes shifted the focus of their Together at School program to centre on anti-bullying – an issue that was identified by educators as affecting more students. Eight players, who had been trained on the subject, visited 29 high schools to share their own experiences and insights, while learning more about the issues that young people face.
For a second straight year, Montreal conducted the Videotron Flag Football Clinic with more than 300 youth aged 10-17 taking part, including 60 per cent of registrants being girls. The entire team took part, meeting with young fans, sharing their experiences, and supervising various drills and activities.
Ottawa Redblacks
The Redblacks Courageous Conversations program brings players, professional athletes and community sports leaders to local schools to lead discussions on diversity, race, and inclusion through panel presentations and authentic conversations. In 2025, the program reached over 2,000 students across the National Capital Region.
In support of minor football, the Redblacks hosted their annual Coaching Clinic as an in-person networking and educational event for local coaches to learn from Football Operations staff. The Redblacks Mentorship Program, facilitated by the OSEG Foundation in partnership with Carlington Community Health Centre, connected players with at-risk youth from vulnerable communities to encourage personal growth, learn life skills and to develop a strong sense of self.
Redblacks players spent over 260 hours as mentors throughout the season. Through a partnership with Coaching Boys into Men, Redblacks players were trained as ambassadors to support the delivery of the program’s evidence-based curriculum, equipping local coaches and young athletes with the tools to lead conversations around respect, gender equality, and the prevention of gender-based violence.
Toronto Argonauts
Through the Huddle Up program and across 53 school visits, the Argonauts connected with students to promote anti-hazing, while underscoring the importance of positive mental health. In partnership with the Toronto Flag Football League, players connected with over 6,600 youth through community visits and participants were also provided the opportunity to attend home games.
The team extended its financial commitment in the Toronto United Flag Football League in support of the LGTQ2S+ community. The Argonauts launched a partnership with Coaching Boys Into Men before facilitating a connection with Football Ontario, through which the organization’s evidence-based violence prevention program was rolled out to 35 Team Ontario coaches.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The inaugural Hamilton Tiger-Cats Flag Football Invitational was a competitive co-ed tournament celebrating school spirit and the game. With their professional counterparts serving as mentors and leading the delivering the Coaching Boys Into Men gender-based violence awareness curriculum, student participants developed skills, learned about inclusion and sportsmanship, and strengthened relationships between schools.
In collaboration with Niagara Youth Flag Football and Football Niagara, the Ticats also hosted their Flag Football Coaching Clinic, with players and alumni sharing fundamentals, strategies and best practices with local coaches. Following the clinic, young athletes participated in a skills-and-drills session led by current players.
The Play It Forward program returned to further its mission of inspiring and empowering local Indigenous youth through unique experiences with Tiger-Cats players, Dance and Cheer members, and additional leaders in sport from across the region.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
In partnership with the 2025 Grey Cup Festival, the Winnipeg Football Club provided flag football kits and curriculum resources to more than 900 schools across Manitoba. In its second year, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Girls High School Flag Football League saw significant growth, adding nine schools through a new division and reaching nearly 600 total athletes — an increase of 40 per cent over 2024.
The W Flag Football League also expanded, bringing together 46 teams and more than 370 athletes from rural Manitoba for fun, inclusive competition.
Former Blue Bomber Brandon Alexander further strengthened grassroots development in his role as Community Ambassador, dedicating more than 250 hours to outreach and engaging nearly 8,000 youth across the province. The Club launched a U14 team in the Manitoba Minor Football Association and helped to remove financial barriers by covering the registration fees for all 46 athletes, many of whom were new to the sport.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Win with Wellness Presentation Series brings player ambassadors into Grades 4-10 classrooms across the province. The program centres on mental wellness, stress management and building healthy relationships, while promoting open conversations to guide learning and development.
The Rider Reading Program champions literacy for Kindergarten to Grade 3 students, with player ambassadors reading stories, assisting in comprehension and building a love for books.
The team’s Grow the Game initiative strengthens grassroots football by introducing the game to non-traditional football communities. By providing local leagues and young athletes with funding, equipment and organized clinics to nurture skill development, the program opens access and promotes a lifelong passion for the game.
Edmonton Elks
The EE Selects program saw more than 90 athletes from across Northern Alberta receive high-level coaching, access to film study, education on recruiting seminars and more, courtesy of team players, staff, alumni and members of the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
In collaboration with the Northern Alberta Flag Football League, the team hosted the Edmonton Elks Youth Flag Football League – a seven-week program at Commonwealth Stadium, including more than 200 athletes aged five to 15.
The Alberta teachers’ strike disrupted several local high schools during the football season; in response, the team hosted EE Flash Camps – two weeks of free training and programming for those affected. Hosted at Commonwealth, Elks players and community coaches banded together to ensure participants could continue playing the game they love.
Calgary Stampeders
Every Yard Counts saw players, members of the Outriders and Quick Six visit Alberta’s Children’s Hospital before every home game to spend time with young fans. As part of the program, the team also hosted a family at the game with a meet-and-greet after the final whistle.
The PinkPower Game raised awareness for breast cancer, with proceeds from sales of limited-edition merchandise going towards Wellspring Alberta to support programs and resources for cancer patients and their families.
As part of the CGY Crew program, the team visited several schools for one week at a time throughout the school year to teach flag football. At the end of their time together, flag kits were left behind for students to continue their skill development.
B.C. Lions
The Punt, Pass & Kick program provided young athletes aged 6-13 with the opportunity to further skill development, while deepening their passion for the game.
From July through September, the team visited community football programs across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley with one winner from each age group from each association receiving an invitation to compete against their peers in the Punt, Pass, & Kick Finals. The program engaged 1,273 youth last season.
The team’s Play with the Pros clinics saw players teach football fundamentals to hundreds of youth aged 6-12. Through fun, hands-on activities, participants learned about agility, passing, receiving, blocking and tackling. The team held three clinics last season, visiting Nanaimo, Kamloops, and North Vancouver.
