How long has it been since the CFL was in Moncton? Your humble narrator attended the last Touchdown Atlantic in 2013.
The 2013 version struggled to sell out with much speculation that the 2013 version would be the last Touchdown Atlantic ever.
A new commissioner (Randy Ambroisie), decent prospective ownership for an Atlantic Schooners franchise, and a strong desire to have a 10-team league does make a difference.
The CFL folks looked at Halifax, Antigonish, NS, and Saint John before coming back to the Université de Moncton campus.
There isn't a real option in Halifax. We did note last month that the Halifax Wanderers soccer team have a "stadium" in the Commons. The Moncton stadium gives the largest potential capacity of the options.
As we noted in 2013, sitting on the "good side" in Moncton shields you from the sun in the late afternoon, gives you the only concessions, and actual restrooms. Sitting on the "bad side" in Moncton brings you back to watching high school football, no concessions, and a long line for porta-potties.
The ticket prices started out ridiculously high. The price I paid for the worst seat in the house (literally) was much higher than I've paid for much better seats in actual CFL stadiums. The prices came down for the 2019 version; those who bought early literally paid the price.
The other "fun" part of that excursion is that you couldn't see the yard markers until the sun went down far enough.
The original starting time for the 2019 Touchdown Atlantic was 7:30 pm ADT. The kickoff has been moved to 1 pm ADT.
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The 2013 version featured the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and their well-traveled fans against the Montréal Alouettes, who were supposed to have Anthony Calvillo. I remember running into a lot of Tiger-Cats fans in downtown Moncton. There wasn't a lot in downtown Moncton so the black and gold were easier to spot.
The game itself featured CFL uniforms from coast-to-coast. I remember Ottawa Rough Riders jerseys; the RedBlacks didn't start until 2014. That was a fun experience seeing a rainbow of CFL support.
CFL travels have sent me to every league city
CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage
This region would support an actual team. Rooting for out-of-region teams is nice but doesn't have the same feel. The Montréal Alouettes are a logical draw for their relative proximity but also for the French-speaking people of New Brunswick who would watch the CFL on RDS. The Alouettes are not as good as they were in 2013 but better than they have been in recent times. Toronto, the team sacrificing a home game, is by all definitions the worst CFL team in 2019.
This is the Argos second game of the CFL season against a fellow East opponent. The Alouettes have been a pleasant surprise.
The temptation would be to make this a regional team similar to the Green Bay Packers playing some of their game in Milwaukee. Halifax needs to justify 10 home dates for a stadium.
Shannon Park would be a great site for a new Halifax stadium that could be used for multiple purposes. The imagery of the ferries crossing from Halifax to the skyline being seen on national TV (and even into the United States) is something people in Halifax should look forward to seeing.
The Touchdown Atlantic is a good way to remind Canadians of this part of their country. The Atlantic Schooners would showcase the sports passion of people in the Maritimes. For the first time, the Touchdown Atlantic game will air on U.S. television.
TSN and RDS will show the 2019 Touchdown Atlantic game. ESPNews will carry the TSN feed in the United States.
photos credit: me; CFL
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