The Canadian Football League kicks off a month of CFL Global Combines in Vantaa, Finland, Saturday, January 11 in the first of six CFL combines in Europe.
The CFL and the Finnish American Football Federation, SAJL, will put 15 athletes to the test at the Myyrmäen Jalkapallohalli sports complex.
These combines are set to be held not just throughout Europe but in Mexico, and Japan as well and are designed to assess and measure the size, speed, athletic ability and football skills of top players from outside Canada and the United States who have aspirations of playing professionally in Canada.
The international combines will be attended by representatives of the CFL league office along with the new 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.
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 (on game and practice rosters) will grow from up to three to as many as five.
The schedule for the day in Finland (all times local Finnish time which is 7 hours ahead of Eastern time)
8:30 am: Registration (players)
9 am: CFL presentation
9:30 am: Circuit, heights & weight, Hand and arm measurements, Vertical jump, Bench press
11 am: 40-yard dash, Short shuttle, # cone drill, Broad jump
12:15 pm: Position drills & One on One´s
12:15 pm: OL/DL Drills
12:25 pm: OL/DL One on one´s
12:40 pm: QB, RB/LB Drills
12:50 pm: RB/LB One on one´s (Pass protection, routes)
1:05 pm: WR/DB Drills
1:15 pm: WR/DB One on one´s
1:30 pm: Special Teams drills
1:45 pm: Long Snappers/Punters/Kickers
2:05 pm: Closing comments
LIVESTREAM: CFL-Finland Combine, Saturday, January 11, 11 am (10 am CET, 4 am ET) Click on the link here to watch (Follow the directions which are translated below)
First screen: As a subscriber you will see your favorite series before and without commercials, enjoy the best live sports in Finland and access to a comprehensive library of children’s programs and movies.
Second screen: To start your free trial, fill out your debit card information. You will not be billed until your free trial ends.
The Livestream has been inadvertently geoblocked. Organizers are working on getting it fixed.