Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
TORONTO — The Canadian Football League (CFL) is getting set to kick off its slate of Global Combines in an effort to increase the amount of global players as part of the CFL 2.0 initiative.
The first of those combines will take place on Saturday, January 11 in Helsinki, Finland.
GLOBAL COMBINE SCHEDULE
| Date | Location |
| January 11 | Helsinki, Finland |
| January 12 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| January 17 | Paris, France |
| January 25 | Florence, Italy |
| January 25 | Bristol, England |
| January 26 | Frankfurt, Germany |
| February 1-2 | Tokyo and Osaka, Japan |
| February 29 | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| March 7 | Belo Horizonte, Brazil |
| March 15-16 | Mexico City, Mexico |
The combines take place just months after the formation of the Internation Alliance of Gridiron Football during the lead up to the 107th Grey Cup presented by Shaw.
“We are each stronger when we all work and build and dream together,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement. “Our intention is not to replace or infringe upon any existing governing body, as we deeply respect the work already being done on the game’s behalf. Our mission is to create a new forum where we can develop new ways to grow our game to our mutual benefit.”
The international combines will be attended by representatives of the CFL league office and director of global scouting Greg Quick.
The top players will be invited to Toronto from March 26-28 for the 2020 CFL Combine which will feature international prospects competing alongside their young Canadian counterparts from U SPORTS, the NCAA and junior football.
The league’s biggest scouting event will be followed by two separate drafts in the spring – one for global players and one for Canadians.
2020 CFL OFF-SEASON CALENDAR
| Date | Event |
| March 12 | Ontario Regional Combine in Toronto |
| March 13 | East Regional Combine in Montreal |
| March 20 | West Regional Combine in Edmonton |
| March 26-28 | CFL Combine in Toronto |
| April 16 | CFL Global Draft |
| April 30 | CFL National Draft |
In 2019, the CFL featured designated ‘global players’ from countries outside the U.S. and Canada on its nine member clubs – a first for the league. Next season, the number of global players per team will grow from up-to-three to as many as five.
