CFL Congress gets started soon

CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE CONGRESS COMES TO HAMILTON


Biggest league gathering outside of Grey Cup is important to CFL's success: Cohon

Hamilton, ON - (February 20, 2009) - The Canadian Football League Congress is coming to Hamilton March 3rd and 4th.

"Congress is the biggest league gathering we have, outside of Grey Cup, and we're excited about bringing it to downtown Hamilton ," Commissioner Mark Cohon said here today.

"It involves almost every group that works for the CFL, from head coaches, general managers and athletic therapists, to ticketing experts, marketing executives and team presidents," he said.

"It's where we plan for the upcoming football season; share best business practices, and develop new ideas. And with our league on the upswing, but the economy struggling, what we do at Congress this year is particularly important to our success this year."

This year's Congress includes the CFL's 2008 Coach of the Year luncheon on March 3rd, featuring nominees John Hufnagel of the Grey Cup Champion Calgary Stampeders, Ken Miller of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Marc Trestman of the Montreal Alouettes.

It also includes on March 4th a meeting of the CFL's rules committee which will, for the first time, have the opportunity to consider input from fans, who have been asked to submit their suggestions for rule changes by visiting www.cfl.ca/rules or by sending an email to rules@cfl.ca.

" Hamilton welcomes the CFL Congress. The roots of Canadian football run deep in Hamilton and are almost as old as the city itself," said Fred Eisenberger, the Mayor of Hamilton.

"As home to both the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and North America 's oldest professional sports franchise, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, we are thrilled to host the men and women who work to make the CFL a success."

David Adames, Executive Director of Tourism Hamilton, added: "The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the CFL are cornerstones of Hamilton's sports culture. So we at Tourism Hamilton are delighted that the CFL chose to host the 2009 CFL Congress in Hamilton and we're ready to welcome its delegates to Tigertown!"

In addition to Congress, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the CFL's Head Coaches are hosting a special media reception on March 3rd. It will be an opportunity for journalists to talk in a relaxed setting with our top coaches, including some newcomers to the CFL head coaching ranks: Bart Andrus of the Toronto Argonauts, Richie Hall of the Edmonton Eskimos and Mike Kelly of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, as well as Hamilton's Marcel Bellefeuille, who is the Tiger-Cats' head coach this year after filling that post in an interim capacity last season.

More than 150 people are expected to attend CFL Congress. Hamilton 's Sheraton Hotel will host most of the official meeting sessions, while some social events will occur at surrounding venues or the Tiger-Cats' downtown headquarters.