Commissioner Stewart Johnston taking CFL ‘to a different level’: B.C. Lions owner Amar Doman

Courtesy: CFL.

Commissioner Stewart Johnston can’t seem to go anywhere these days without getting booed by CFL fans, but he’s hearing nothing except applause in Board of Governors meetings.

In an exclusive interview with 3DownNation last week, B.C. Lions owner Amar Doman gave Johnston rave reviews for his performance in his first year on the job, despite the backlash he’s received.

“(Former commissioner Randy Ambrosie) did a great job. I think Stewart has taken us to a different level and is making some tough changes that we all know about,” Doman said. “We’re going to see how those go, and I think the most important thing is we have someone running the business who isn’t afraid to make changes, because if you don’t make changes, you die — I don’t care what business you’re in. Stewart’s making those changes, and we’re all behind them.”

Johnston was hired as CFL commissioner in April 2025 and wasted no time in putting his stamp on the three-down league. In September, he announced major structural changes to the rulebook that will see, among other things, the field shortened to 100 yards and the goalposts moved to the back of the end zone. This April, he took another step, unveiling an expanded playoff format which will see eight of nine franchises compete in the postseason beginning in 2027.

Doman declined to provide details about the meetings where those proposals were first presented, but confirmed previous reports that the Board of Governors voted unanimously in favour of their adoption. While the changes were bold, the ideas didn’t come as a surprise to the commissioner’s bosses. In fact, they were exactly why he was hired.

“When different commissioners and potential commissioners were being interviewed, we wanted to see what the vision was before we hired someone. The vetting process had already been done,” Doman explained. “It wasn’t come in Day 1, and there’s the idea. We sort of knew where we were headed and what we wanted to do as a league. Stewart galvanized all of those things and was the chosen one, and really has delivered immediately.”

“I’ve got to say, we’ve all been pretty impressed by how quickly these changes have come in. We’ve endorsed them, and we’re excited to.”

Annointment by the governors hasn’t earned Johnston many public acolytes, as traditionalist fans have been vocal about their opposition to the changes, even starting petitions to reverse the moves. Doman has seen that resistance first-hand, as a protest banner was hung in BC Place for games late last season, and his club has reported 84 season-ticket cancellations as a direct result of the league changes, though that number pales in comparison to the effect of the FIFA World Cup.

Arguably, the biggest critic has been B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, who butted heads with the commissioner over what he perceived as the forced Americanization of the Canadian game. To his credit, Doman never interfered with his star player’s ability to voice his opinion, but it is clear he doesn’t agree with that characterization of Johnston’s motivations.

“All these guys (saying) ‘We’re Americanizing’ — enough! We’re not. We’re making adjustments,” Doman insisted.  “Give it a chance, guys. Every single league, except the CFL, has made changes, and we are no different. We’re an entertainment business, we’re a sports league, and you make adjustments.”

“We may not all agree with certain things, but if someone’s gonna throw their season tickets in, I think that’s pretty violent, and that’s not maybe great for the league. You might also grab some new fans that come in and say, ‘What is all this noise all about? Let’s come in and have a look.’”

The early returns suggest that has at least been true from an investment standpoint, as Johnston recently secured a new six-year media rights deal for the CFL. The former Bell Media executive kept it in the family by renewing TSN’s commitment to cover the league, while also bringing in the leading sports streaming platform, DAZN, to broadcast one game a week beginning in 2027.

The commissioner confirmed to 3DownNation that the new deal will represent a “significant increase” in broadcast revenue, with some reports valuing it at close to half a billion dollars over its duration. According to Doman, the necessity of that deal was another major reason why Johnston was hired, and he exceeded expectations yet again.

“The broadcast deal for our future was critical. In this changing environment of media that we all know about, it’s very difficult to navigate and be profitable in. It’s changing by the minute. We needed someone there to hold our hand very, very firmly, and also talk about younger eyeballs, different playoff formats, all these different things that all the other leagues are doing,” he explained.

“Stewart did a hell of a job negotiating that. That’s his world, and he knows everybody in that game, and it was negotiated fairly on both sides, and everybody left happy. I think that’s the sign of a good negotiation.”

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Much like his other endeavours, Johnston’s execution of the broadcast contract has been met with vocal criticism from a subset of fans. While the move to DAZN on Saturday nights will expand the CFL’s media footprint and bring three-down football to an international audience of 20 million subscribers, some have balked at the idea of paying a monthly fee to view games.

Doman, who has long advocated for the CFL to get into the streaming space, feels very differently, believing that portion of the deal to be the commissioner’s greatest triumph.

“I’ve got to give Stew credit; that was a big coup to get on DAZN. That’s the way of the future. It’s not about us, guys. It’s kids coming up, and what they watch and how they watch it. That’s who we want to keep the CFL relevant for the next 50 to 75 years,” he said.

“You get some people saying, ‘Oh, now we’re gonna have to pay for a game.’ You are paying for a game anyway if you subscribe to TSN. Some people, I just don’t understand. Everybody’s on subscription now. We’re moving forward.”

Now that the major items have been crossed off Johnston’s to-do list and the CFL is on solid financial footing, attention appears to be shifting back to a topic that has felled many commissioners in the past: expansion. Recent reports out of Quebec City suggest that there is growing momentum behind the idea of a franchise in that market and that talks with investors have been ongoing for the last year.

The commissioner has been careful to set low expectations on that front after watching his predecessor, Ambrosie, flounder once a proposed expansion team in Halifax fell through. Doman was also cautious not to overstep on the topic, but seemed to confirm positive talks were occurring and once again endorsed Johnston’s approach.

“There are some irons in the fire, like there always have been. I think Stewart is a pretty quick study when it comes to who’s got the wherewithal or who doesn’t, and the location. I can tell you that things are moving down the track with a certain party, and let’s see what happens,” he said.

“I’m excited if that happens. If it doesn’t, we just carry on. We want to make sure that if a team sets up, they have the proper wherewithal, the deep pockets, the stadium arrangements. It’s complicated to just get started; you need some pretty good girth. I know Stew is gonna vet that pretty hard, so that we don’t have any false starts.”

If Johnston can successfully usher a 10th CFL team into existence, then all his other perceived sins might be forgiven by fans. Until that point, he can expect more frosty public receptions from diehards who feel that he threatens their traditions and has been cavalier about their opposition — whether or not that assessment is fair.

“The poor guy’s taken a lot of abuse, but that comes with the role,” Doman acknowledged. “His passion for the CFL is second to none. He loves Canadian football and has history in it. Obviously, his time with TSN, the broadcast industry, the broadcast world, he’s so well-connected. He knows everybody in every league, every commissioner, every president. He is connected, and he is up to speed. He is not someone that is out of touch. This guy is in touch, hence the changes.”

Some misguided critics still believe the commissioner has overstepped his mandate and that the governors are unwitting victims who can still be convinced to reverse course. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“We’ve got a commissioner that’s driving these changes that are going to be good for our league for the long term, and we all believe in that,” Doman insisted. “Some fans aren’t going to agree with that; that’s the way life goes. The CFL is going to move forward on the strategy that’s been put in place without any hesitation.”



J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league’s Global initiative.