Current season, competition or edition: 2024 | |
Sport | Canadian football |
---|---|
Founded | 1974 |
Commissioner | Jim Pankovich |
Divisions | 3 |
No. of teams | 19 teams |
Country | Canada |
Most recent champion(s) | Saskatoon Hilltops (2023) |
Most titles | Saskatoon Hilltops |
Domestic cup(s) | Canadian Bowl |
Official website | cjfl |
The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to professional football careers in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and elsewhere.
Formed May 8, 1974, the CJFL's formal mission statement is: "The Canadian Junior Football League provides the opportunity for young men aged 17 to 22 to participate in highly competitive post-high school football that is unique in Canada. The goal of the league is to foster community involvement and yield a positive environment by teaching discipline, perseverance and cooperation. The benefits of the league are strong camaraderie, national competition and life-long friends."
A handful of standout players are typically signed directly to CFL rosters each season, while U Sports permits up to two years of play in leagues such as the CJFL before a player begins to lose eligibility.
The 9-team Quebec Junior Football League was formerly part of the CJFL, but eventually withdrew and now operates independently. Meanwhile, The Ontario Football Conference (OFC) consists of two divisions: Varsity Division (ages 11 to 19) and Junior Division (ages 17 to 22). [1] While the Junior Division remains affiliated to the CJFL and its teams compete for the Canadian Bowl, the Varsity Division is operated solely by the OFC. [1]
The CJFL has 19 teams as of 2024, including 7 in the B.C. conference, 6 in the Prairie conference, and 6 in the Ontario conference.
Team | City | Stadium | Founded |
---|---|---|---|
Kamloops Broncos | Kamloops, British Columbia | Hillside Stadium | 2007 |
Langley Rams | Langley, British Columbia | McLeod Stadium | 1948 |
Okanagan Sun | Kelowna, British Columbia | Apple Bowl | 1980 |
Prince George Kodiaks | Prince George, British Columbia | Masich Place Stadium | 2022 |
Valley Huskers | Chilliwack, British Columbia | Exhibition Stadium | 1999 |
Vancouver Island Raiders | Nanaimo, British Columbia | NDSS Field | 2005 |
Westshore Rebels | Langford, British Columbia | Starlight Stadium | 1971 |
Team | City | Stadium | Founded |
---|---|---|---|
Calgary Colts | Calgary, Alberta | Shouldice Athletic Park | 1967 |
Edmonton Huskies | Edmonton, Alberta | Clarke Stadium | 1954 |
Edmonton Wildcats | Sherwood Park, Alberta | Emerald Hills Sports Pavilion | 1948 |
Regina Thunder | Regina, Saskatchewan | Mosaic Stadium | 1999 |
Saskatoon Hilltops | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | SMF Field | 1947 |
Winnipeg Rifles | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Maple Grove Park | 1999 |
Team | City | Stadium | Founded |
---|---|---|---|
GTA Grizzlies | Toronto, Ontario | Centennial Park Stadium | 2014 |
Hamilton Hurricanes | Hamilton, Ontario | Tim Hortons Field | 1963 |
London Beefeaters | London, Ontario | City Wide Sports Complex | 1975 |
Quinte Skyhawks | Belleville, Ontario | Mary Ann Sills Park | 2021 |
Ottawa Sooners | Ottawa, Ontario | Keith Harris Stadium | 1960 |
St. Clair Saints | Windsor, Ontario | Acumen Stadium | 1929 |
The Sault College Cougars are expected to debut as an expansion team in the Ontario Conference in the 2025 CJHL season. [2] The team will be based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and operated by Sault College. [3] A proposed expansion franchise for Lethbridge, Alberta, in the Prairie Conference was rejected by the league in 2023. [4]
The Saskatoon Hilltops have won the most national championships since 1974 with 18, followed by the Regina Rams with 11, and the Ottawa Sooners with 4. The national championship is known as the Canadian Bowl. Prior to 1989, league champions were awarded the Armadale Cup. The Leader Post Trophy was awarded under the auspices of the Canadian Amateur Football Association from 1925 through 1973.
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada, alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Teams play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times. The WHL is composed of 22 teams divided into two conferences of two divisions. The Eastern Conference comprises 11 teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, while the Western Conference comprises 11 teams from British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, Canadian university football and Canadian junior football history.
The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.
Pasquale "Wally" Buono is a Canadian ex-football coach currently working as the vice president of football operations, alternate governor and the former head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and one of the most successful head coaches in league history. He spent 22 years as head coach of the Calgary Stampeders and the Lions, which is tied for the most seasons coached all-time. On September 19, 2009, Buono became the CFL's all-time winningest coach when his Lions beat the Toronto Argonauts 23–17, giving him 232 regular-season victories, passing Don Matthews. He retired in 2011 with a CFL record 254 regular-season wins as head coach, to focus on duties as general manager for the Lions. In 2016, Buono came out of retirement to coach the Lions again through the 2018 season. In the final home game of the 2018 season, Buono was honored with the Bob Ackles Award as he was retiring from football with the most wins as a coach.
This is a timeline of events throughout the history of the Western Hockey League (WHL), which dates back to its founding in 1966. The league was founded by a group of team owners and managers in Saskatchewan and Alberta, including Bill Hunter, Scotty Munro, Del Wilson, and Jim Piggott, who thought a larger western league would help western teams compete for the Memorial Cup against teams from the larger associations in Ontario and Quebec. Since the league's founding, it has expanded to include 22 teams across the four Western Canadian provinces along with the Northwest United States, and it has produced 19 Memorial Cup championship teams.
The Saskatoon Hilltops are a junior Canadian football team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Hilltops play in the six-team Prairie Football Conference, which is part of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) and compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. The team was founded in 1921 as a senior team in the Saskatchewan Rugby Football Union, which it played in until 1936. Two years after WWII the team reorganized in 1947. Beginning in 1953, the Hilltops have won 23 Canadian Bowl championships. The Hilltops won six consecutive Canadian Bowls between 2014 and 2019.
The Quebec Junior Football League (QJFL) is a junior Canadian football competition held in Quebec, Canada since 1970, as a successor to the Quebec Juvenile Football League. It began competition as a conference of the Canadian Junior Football League from which it eventually withdrew. Upon withdrawal from the CJFL, the QJFL incorporated teams from the Ottawa, Ontario region and created the league as it stands today. In one form or another, the QJFL can trace its roots back to 1908. Annually the League awards the regular season champions the Cyril T. White Trophy, and the playoff champions the Joe Pistilli Cup, formerly known as the Manson Cup.
The Regina Thunder, originally known as the Prairie Thunder, are a junior football club, based out of Regina, Saskatchewan. The Thunder are a part of the Prairie Football Conference (PFC), which is a six-member conference with teams from all three prairie provinces. The PFC is a member of the Canadian Junior Football League, and participates in national championships with two other conferences, based out of Ontario and British Columbia.
The Edmonton Wildcats are a Canadian football team based in Sherwood Park, Alberta. The Wildcats play in the Prairie Football Conference, which is part of the Canadian Junior Football League and competes for the league championship, the Canadian Bowl. The team was founded in 1948.
The London Beefeaters are a Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) team located in London, Ontario. They play in the Ontario Football Conference (OFC) which is part of the CJFL, and compete annually for the national title known as the Canadian Bowl.
There are professional teams based in Canada in several professional sports leagues. The National Hockey League currently has seven Canadian franchises and is the most popular professional sports league in Canada. The Canadian Football League is the only all-Canadian major professional sports league. Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, and the Professional Women's Hockey League also have Canadian teams.
The Northern Football Conference (NFC) is a semi-professional Canadian football league with franchises based primarily in Ontario, Canada. The league consists of five teams and runs from May until mid-August. It's the oldest running senior amateur football league in Canada.