From an original pool of more than 100 candidates, four-year CBC executive Jeffrey Orridge was recently named the next commissioner of the Canadian Football League. A New Yorker with experience at Reebok and USA Basketball, Orridge will start with the CFL on April 29. He spoke with staff writer Terry Lefton about his new job.
■ What’s the league’s financial position?
ORRIDGE: Very stable. My predecessor [Mark Cohon] did a great job with a new and substantial media-rights deal. He helped build new stadiums. Now the opportunity is growing revenue by expanding our reach and creating even more relevance. Football may not be a native sport here, but the idea is to make us more accessible. It’s not just addressing the core fans, but also the casual fans and new demographics, particularly the youth market. … That could be from more media — traditional and digital — and getting some of our partners to help expose the game to that younger demo.
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Orridge will take the reins at the CFL on April 29.
Photo by: CFL |
■ Other than three downs and 12 players, what’s different about the CFL?
ORRIDGE: How fundamentally grassroots our league and our players are. Most of our players have jobs in the offseason; that’s a throwback. It makes us unique within pro sports, and I don’t want our athletes to be devalued because their salaries aren’t huge. We need to showcase their athleticism and their accessibility.
■ With nine teams, is expansion a priority?
Ottawa was the last [expansion, in 2014] and a great example of a successful model. As a league, surely we want to keep that momentum going, but future expansion has to make business sense. Ottawa’s renovated stadium [TD Place] was a great stimulus for [mixed-use] development, so that’s a good blueprint.
■ What are the biggest challenges facing the CFL?
ORRIDGE: We can grow our attendance. [The CFL played to around 74 percent of capacity in 2014, and average regular-season attendance has declined by more than 2,900 fans per game over the past two seasons.] We have a nice base of season-ticket holders, but we want to get the word out that we’re a must-see event. Outside the games, there’s room for growth in commercial partnerships and sponsorships. I’d also look to explore our potential outside of Canada. We’re not ready to play in other countries yet, but certainly we want to investigate greater exposure overseas. Certainly, we’ve got to be sure that our [Canadian] base continues to grow, but we should be a more globally recognized brand. … People here continue to talk about the Toronto Argonauts’ situation [where attendance declined last year, and the team’s Rogers Centre lease expires in 2017]. Toronto is such a cosmopolitan city that success of the Argonauts is absolutely essential to the success of the CFL. Whether that will include a change of ownership or a change of venue is something I just don’t know yet.
■ How many people have asked you about being the first black commissioner?
ORRIDGE: More than a few, and while I am proud of my heritage and family, I don’t primarily see myself as a black commissioner. I’m the 13th commissioner of the CFL. I do recognize the responsibility I have and the spotlight that’s on me for a number of reasons. I’d love people to mention first more about how qualified I am, not that I’m black.
