Murray Wood: I'm not a fan of the CFL's rule changes... with one exception
Murray Wood isn't a fan of the suite of rule changes coming to the CFL over the next two years, because it makes the Can...
The Canadian Football League is changing the way the game is played.
Some of the new rules coming into effect over the next two CFL seasons will see modifications to the rouge, field dimensions, endzone size and where the goal posts sit.
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This has been met with some criticism in the amateur ranks in Saskatchewan, and could impact how football is played at the youth, high school, university and junior levels.
The Canadian Junior Football League and U Sports football are models of the Canadian Football League and provide a good portion of talent to the league.
Rule changes to the CFL put these two leagues in a difficult position, and no matter the decision, two head coaches agree that there will be a trickle-down effect from the CFL.
Tom Sargeant, Saskatoon Hilltops head coach, would prefer to keep the CJFL game as it is.
“I love our game the way it is,” he said. “I’m a traditionalist, I’m not one for change, I respect and understand that there are reasons for change … my preference would be status quo.”
But there are a few changes that caught the eye of the head coach.
“One element I see is the safety aspect,” Sargeant said. “By moving the goal post to the back of the end zone, I think there’s a safety feature to all of that.”
Sergeant said he had no issues with shrinking the endzone.
“I think that brings more strategy in the game as we get more into the red zone,” he said. “It really puts defence in a predicament, with a way tighter end zone defences can change how they want to defend.”
The Regina Thunder take on the Winnipeg Rifles at Leibel Field. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
Sergeant is intrigued to see what the CJFL does, because if the league follows in the CFL’s footsteps, it would require changes to the Saskatoon Minor Football field and to Leibel Field in Regina.
“There’s going to be a cost to all this,” he said.
These expensive changes concern Scott MacAulay, the Regina Thunder’s head coach.
“It’s not going to be like ten thousand dollar hits, it’s going to be close to a million dollars,” he said.
Just screwed over amateur football! So many Highschools, university, junior & minor teams play in places like Mosaic Stadium but then also play in smaller stadiums like Leibel Field… they will now have to play two different types of games…
— Scott MacAulay (@ScotchM) September 22, 2025
And we all know 9 CFL games a year…
The change could also leave the Thunder looking for a new home.
“(We’re) given the opportunity and the privilege to be able to play at Leibel field,” he said. “They’re going to have to use those Sundays that we have our games currently, right now, they’re gonna have to use it for their own teams within their own league, because they’re not going to go to Mosaic stadium.”
MacAuley isn’t a fan of the dimension changes and believes it’s going to create a disconnect from the professional game.
The Thunder play one game a year at Mosaic Stadium: the big rivalry match against the Saskatoon Hilltops.
MacAuley said not having that game at Mosaic could cause some financial strain on the Thunder.
“When the Saskatoon Hilltops come to town, we get three thousand people (in attendance),” he said. “It’s a huge revenue maker for our team … it’s a $40,000 revenue stream.”
MacAuley would like to see the CJFL rules stay the same, but added that he expects them to change.
“I like the way the game is,” he said. “Maybe I’m a creature of habit… eventually at some point whatever the CFL is doing is going to trickle down.”
