Former CFL fullback Bailey Feltmate is heading to Norway to play for the Oslo Vikings.
The 28-year-old retired from the CFL in 2025 in order to become special teams coordinator at Dalhousie University in the Atlantic Football League while also pursuing a nursing degree.
Originally selected in the second round, 17th overall, during the 2020 CFL Draft, Feltmate played four seasons in the league — three with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and one with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In 51 career games, he was credited with four defensive tackles, 43 special teams tackles, and caught one pass for five yards. He played in two Grey Cups, one with each franchise, but came up empty both times.
The six-foot-one, 225-pound native of Moncton, N.B., played collegiately for Acadia University, where he racked up 203 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, three sacks, and three forced fumbles in 31 games. He was twice named a second-team All-Canadian at linebacker.
The Vikings were founded in 1986 and have won 15 national championships during their existence, most recently in 2023. The team is returning to the Norwegian Eliteserien this year after spending the past two years playing in the Swedish Superserien. They are slated to begin play on April 18 against the Lillestrom Starfighters.
Feltmate will not be the only Canadian in Oslo, as he joins fellow defender Chris Cameron-Kogler. Also hailing from Moncton, the pair were teammates with the Axemen in 2018 and 2019, before Cameron-Kogler transferred to Western University. He won a Vanier Cup with the Mustangs in 2021.
