Blog Post #1: Tentative Schedule, Events Still Unfilled and CTFL Monthly Agenda

Hello athletes, coaches and fans. In this first blog post I will be detailing some of our latest updates in a clear and concise manner. We will first talk about the tentative schedule and then move into what disciplines remain unfilled. Lastly, we will outline the three items that the CTFL will be working on over the next month.

First off, the tentative schedule has been released with the CTFL kicking things off in Montreal on July 21^st with the help of Saint-Laurent Sélect. The following meet will be in London, Ontario on either May 28^th or 29^th hosted by the London Western Track and Field Club. The final prelim will occur in late June (not falling on the dates of nationals) or early July (prior to the championship) in Ottawa, hosted by the Ottawa Lions. The Championship will happen again in Ottawa on July 20^th (During the World Championships) with the help of the Ottawa Lions. The championship will be the only time whereby CTFL athletes and non-CTFL athletes will compete separately. This is because the prelims will be hosted by clubs just as a regular twilight or high-performance meet. Additionally, core athletes should remember that they must compete in at least one preliminary meet as well as the championship (see athlete information for the remaining requirements). Also, the CTFL may look to add one more prelim meet to the schedule to make it even easier for athletes to meet the minimum amounts of meets required to register as a core athlete.

As of March 11^th, all women’s events have at least one spot left unfilled. On the men’s side, only the 200m, 800m and shot put have at least one spot left unfilled. Thus far there are over 160 athletes registered so some events are more competitive than others in terms of draft probability. Also, though there remain spots unfilled, athletes can continue to register under the events that have exceeded the 8-person quota (2 athletes per event, per gender). We anticipate a large influx of registrations in the coming weeks after announcing our schedule. However, in the event that there are not enough athletes to fill the 8-athlete quota, we will either lower the standards slightly a week before the registration closes (registration closes March 31^st) or continue with just those who have already registered.

A look into the top three items that the CTFL is focusing on over the next month:

1. Athlete Registration: As we have released the CTFL’s tentative schedule, we are now focusing on athlete registration as well as answering any questions athletes or coaches may have.
2. Sponsorships: We are now beginning to ramp up our efforts to attract sponsors who will either be sponsoring the CTFL itself, the teams or the events. These sponsors are necessary parts of the league and will be joining an already impressive lineup.
3. Fan and Athlete Interaction: The final aspect that cracks our top three is how to develop ways that fans and athletes can interact with our league. Some of these ideas are more likely to happen than others, however, some examples are: Creating athlete trading cards for all drafted athletes, developing an application to track the standings or host a fantasy draft, creating a strava page, hosting a weekly Instagram live with an athlete, etc.