In a "major piece of strategical advice given" to the
CFL from NFL marketing execs, CFL players will be asked "to
spend much of their spare time travelling to make
appearances at children's practices and games, where the
players will attempt to push tickets," according to Marty
York of the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL. The project will "begin
shortly in Montreal" where members of the Alouettes "will be
expected to start visiting parks in Montreal and the
surrounding area after practice" hoping to target the youth
market. But York notes "there is a problem" as some CFL
players, who have taken pay cuts in recent years, "would
like to be compensated" for their efforts. In other news,
CFL Chair John Tory said that the first two installments of
the NFL's loan to the CFL should arrive by this week. Tory
has stressed that clubs use the funds to market themselves
rather than pay off debt: "We want to put our image in front
of people in a more professional and pervasive way, and this
money could help us accomplish that" (GLOBE & MAIL, 7/16).
