Niagara Falls: A Guide

By Joseph Simpson August 10, 2026

_{Featured Image: Niagara Falls – Joseph Simpson}

*_{Niagara Falls in winter – Joseph Simpson}*

Niagara Falls, the honeymoon capital of the world! For those who have been before, you might be very surprised to hear that this is the nickname these gargantuine Bunnings water features have managed to hold. In fairness, many people do still go on their honeymoon here, particularly amongst the many both in Canada and south of the border that are not passport holders.

But go somewhere else for your honeymoon, don’t do it here. There are far more romantic places to enjoy in Ontario and New York than Niagara Falls, let alone the rest of their respective countries. But perhaps it once was the spot to celebrate getting hitched? Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother took his wife here after tying the not, and Aaron Burr’s daughter took her husband here too.

This was back in the 1800s, nowadays this beacon of North American tourism (and capitalism), is more of a bucket list place to visit, somewhere to take the kids, or the family. And there is so much more than just the falls to visit! With over two hundred years of tourism in the region, a few more attractions and shops have cropped up, would you believe it?

Read on to find out more about one of Canada and the United States’ biggest attractions, how to get there, do’s and don’ts, and extra gems of information that might help make that trip to the self-avowed honeymoon capital of the world even better.

Getting to Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is located on the border between Canada’s Ontario and the USA’s New York. Nestled along the corridor that separates both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, we will share how to get there from both sides. It’s worth noting that while most of Niagara Falls sits georgraphically within the United States, the best views of the falls are from the Canadian side.

Canada

Reaching Niagara Falls is very simple if you live in Toronto, or are within the Golden Horseshoe region and have access to the GO Trains.

Make your way from wherever in the Greater Toronto Area you reside, to Union Station, or your nearest Lakeshore West line stop, and jump on the Lakeshore West GO Train stopping in Niagara Falls. Make sure that the train does stop at Niagara Falls, as only three trains per day go the full legnth of the line each way. Several Lakeshore West trains terminate in Aldershot, Hamilton, and Oakville. The train takes around 2.5 hours to arrive at the falls and has bathrooms on-board but you’ll need to bring your own snacks or drinks for the ride.

While the train is a bit on the more expensive side, it’s still one of the best ways to reach the falls without a car. If you have time to plan your trip ahead, the best way to see the falls is the GO Weekend Pass which has unlimited travel on any GO busses and trains for the day for only $10.00! The GO Weekend Pass also works for Canadian and Ontario Public Holidays too, bonus!

Go Transit Fees (1x Return Trip)
Adult (Eticket or Credit/Debit Card)	$42.30
Adult (PRESTO)	$36.18
Student (PRESTO)	$21.78
Senior (Eticket or Credit/Debit Card)	$21.20
Senior (PRESTO)	$19.26
GO Weekend Pass (BEST VALUE)	$10.00

After arriving at the Niagara Falls GO station, keep in mind that the falls themselves are not next to the station. You can either pay in cash to take the Niagara Transit busses ($3.50 each way), which will get you to the falls in five-to-ten minutes, taking the 603 or 204 bus and getting off at Victoria Ave, or walking to the falls which takes about 30 minutes. Keep in mind that in addition to this, the walkway to the falls themselves is about fifteen to twenty minutes walk each way, depending on your fitness, and the density of the crowd.

Should you be driving to the falls, the usual soutbound route from Toronto is to take the 403/QEW. Without traffic this usually takes about an hour, to an hour and a half depending on where you are in the GTA. Upon arrival in Niagara Falls, parking is usually paid, and the typical rule-of-thumb is that it’s more expensive the closer to the falls you get, with far away parking lots charging $5 for the day, and closer ones charging between up to $25. Keep in mind these prices fluxuate and may be more expensive on event days.

But I’ve got a secret for you! Some local Ontario knowledge passed onto me is if you don’t mind a ten minute walk, you can get free parking by parking next to the cereal factory, Post Foods Canada. There is several free parking spaces along Lorne Street and Centre Street that mean you’ll only be ten minutes from the action, and you’ll walk right through Clifton Hill (More on Clifton Hill Later)! Should these parking spaces be taken, some of the other residential streets north or westbound often have free parking as well.

Should you be flying in to view the falls, the best international airports to access the falls from (and can still connect with GO Transit) is Hamilton’s John C. Munro (YHM), or Toronto’s Billy Bishop (YTZ), or Pearson (YYZ)

United States

_{Prices marked in USD for this section}
While most Kiwis reading this will be residing in Canada, some of you may be trying to access the falls from the American side. I strongly reccomment you bring your passport (and your Canadian work permit, if applicable!) to view the falls from the Canadian side. The border crossing is very quick off-peak and is one of the few crossings that is relatively easy to walk accross!

The nearest major U.S city is Buffalo, so we’ll use that as a starting point for this guide. The nearest international airports are in Cleveland and of course, New York City. Both cities mentioned connect with Buffalo via Greyhound, and New Yorkers can go straight to the falls via Flixbus.

Accessing the falls can be done via Buffalo’s public transport network, but it takes two hours, and two busses, to cover a very short distance, and runs infrequently. Still, those interested can purchase bus tickets using cash ($8 return, $2 per bus), or their MetGo smart card/app, which caps at $5 per day.

For a faster ride, albiet sometimes a bit more expensive, travellers can take the Flixbus from Buffalo to Niagara Falls which takes about 30 minutes, or the Empire Amtrak service which takes about 45 minutes.

Driving to Niagara Falls from Buffalo takes roughly 25 to 35 minutes depending on traffic.

The Falls

The Niagara Falls are one of the most impressive sights in Canada. While the commercialization of the location has hampered the natural beauty of the region, seeing the falls with your own eyes is now just only one part of the whole experience.

Before diving in, did you know that New Zealand has its own Niagara Falls? Yes, with the same name too (Mānga Piri)! Ironically, these falls, located in the small locality of Niagara to the west of Catlins Forest Park, are possibly the smallest in the region, if not the nation. Visit at your own risk of disappointment!

Viewing the Niagara Falls is best done from the Canadian side, as mentioned, and can be done via walking the Fallsview trail. Starting at Clifton Hill and making your way down to the water’s edge, each way takes about ten minutes, but factoring in stops and lots of other tourists present, it will take you slightly longer. Along the walk there are several small parks that are great spots for a picnic, a stroll, or a rest. Niagara Parks are constantly running free programming in these little areas too! I had the pleasure of watching Canada versus Qatar in this year’s FIFA World Cup from the falls this year. There are also plenty of spots to grab a drink or a bite both toward the middle and end of the trail. While I was surprised to see these weren’t total daylight robbery, expect to pay a bit more than you are used to.

On your walk is also the access to several Niagara Falls activities. The two best known ones would be the Voyage to the falls boat tour (not to be confused with Maid of the Mist, which is the tour operator on the U.S side), and the Zipline to the falls. Both of these bucket-list activities are worth a visit, but keep in mind that they both get very busy, so plan ahead and aim to get there early! Also check their operating times as they vary from season to season.

There are several other brilliant activities that can be done in and around the falls and the best way to experience them is the Niagara Falls Pass. This pass, as with others mentioned in this article, bundle activities together for 22% – 52% in savings. The passes feature either all of, or select attractions of, this list:

Journey Behind the Fall (Day or Night)
Niagara Takes Flight
White Water WalkWhirlpool Aero Car
Butterfly Conservatory
Niagara Parks Power Station
Self-Guided Admission (Day or Night)
Floral Showhouse
All 4 Heritage Sites

Other activities that are close to the falls are almost all provided by Niagara Parks. They are the main tourism and conservation authority in the area and for those who are looking for more green spaces, this is the place to look. One of my favourite places you can enjoy is the Niagara Glen, which takes you along a more isolated part of the river (although keep an eye out for the occasional jet boat), and gives spectacular views of the water and the escarpment. They also run several conservation events, from cleanups to tree planting, which is worth a little look into if that’s more your speed!

_{Niagara Glen & Tree Planting with Niagara Parks – Joseph Simpson}

Clifton Hill

Upon arrival at Niagara Falls, particularly if you take the bus in, or opt for free parking, there’s a high chance you will walk down Centre Street onto Clifton Hill, and your jaw will drop.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the falls, I believe the reputation of them softened the blow they had on my feeble New Zealand worldview. I knew it was the biggest waterfall in the world (in terms of volume of water falling, at about 2.8 million litres every second!) and when I saw them, it blew me away, but nothing prepared me for Clifton Hill.

_{Clifton Hill – Joseph Simpson}

If you’ve ever been to Canada’s Wonderland, or the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), picture one of these places, only it’s a street, a permanent street within a few minutes walk of the falls view trail. Clifton Hill is what late-stage capitalism dreams of. I felt like a kid straight out of a movie. The mix of vibrant and saturated colours, combined with a backdrop of North American brutalist architecture, makes for a spectacle that certainly won’t be replicated anywhere else in the world, or at least not outside of the continent.

Clifton hill is an entertainment district that features several different wortwhile things to see. From great places to eat, including both local diners and chain restaurants, to awesome attractions and shopping opportunities. Highlights for me are the Hershey’s Chocolate World, Hard Rock Cafe, and Coca Cola store, all located on Falls Ave. On Clifton Hill itself are several great souvineir stores, Rainforest Cafe, the Fudge Factory, and several brilliant souvineir stores.

In terms of the attractions, there are so many fun things to do along Clifton hill, from wax museums to mini golf. The prices of these attractions however is very steep if you buy individual passes to each event, so I recommend either finding one of the ticket booths, or heading online to purchase a FUN PASS, or at least one of the other pass options, as they save you around 30% to 50% per attraction!

Niagara-On-The-Lake

Niagara-On-The-Lake is another place that is well-known amongst southern Ontario locals, wine lovers and select international tourists, but criminally under appreciated by everyone else.

This historic township is just a short drive away from the falls (or about an hour and a half by bus), is such a gorgeous and quaint town, you don’t need a long time to see it all, but just like an intersting museum, you can spend hours and only cover a short distance, entering each store or pub or restauarant. There are several historic sights in the region, including several old buildings and fortifications from the War of 1812, most of which are free to visit thanks to the Canada Strong Pass that has run over the past two summers.

Speaking of summer, both the falls and Niagara-On-The-Lake are beautiful any time of year! Summer, autumn, spring or winter, the changing of the seasons is far more noticeable in Canada than New Zealand, largely due to the snow, and the far higher quantity of deciduous trees versus evergreens. The Christmas decorations here make it worth visiting during the winter wonderland!

Vineyards near, and around the falls and Niagara-On-The-Lake are some of the best in Canada and North America. I went to research them, but there are over forty in the area alone, so if this is something you are interested in experiencing check out this link!

Lastly, shopping. The Niagara Outlets are a good spot to find brand labels for great prices, and are close to both Niagara-On-The-Lake and the falls. There’s also a brilliant Bass Pro Shop next to the outlets too! If you’re over the U.S side, there are also outlet shops nearby that are highly rated.

Buffalo (USA)

*_{Old Highmark Stadium, Buffalo Bills versus New York Giants. Ironically, the Buffalo Bills are the only NFL team actually within New York state! – Joseph Simpson}*

It’s only fair we throw our friends south of the border a bone and mention some of the fun things to do in Buffalo too. It is right there, after all! While the USA’s side of the falls has essentially the same amenities as the Canadian side, without the spectacular view, Buffalo is certainly the most intersting city within a short distance of the falls (sorry St. Catharines!).

Buffalo, despite being on the smaller size of a U.S city, is home to two sports teams in the US Major Leagues, namely the Buffalo Bills in the NFL and the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL.

As Canada do not (currently) have a team in the NFL, The Buffalo Bills market themselves as Canada’s team, and have played several matches on the better side of the falls. If you are familliar with Ontario, you’ll know that on certain Sundays when Buffalo is playing home games the border crossing can take slightly longer as Canadian fans jump over to get their football fix! Earlier in the year the Bills moved to a brand new and improved stadium with the same name as their old one, Highmark Stadium, so the photo you can see in this article is unfortunately not true to the current viewing experience, but

Should you be visiting the falls in the Autumn or Winter, and there be no NFL action on, you can catch a Buffalo Sabres game. You might be wondering why bother? Toronto already has a team, the Maple Leafs! Well… if you’ve had a go at buying Leafs tickets in recent history, you’ll know the cheap seats make an All Blacks game back home look like a freebie! The best part about the Buffalo Sabres? They consistently have the cheapest ticket prices in the entire league, and by a large margin too! You can expect to pay half, or sometimes a third, of Maple Leaf’s prices!

Some other significant attractions in Buffalo are:
– Buffalo AKG Art Museum
– Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
– Buffalo Naval Park
– Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

So that’s a kiwis guide, for kiwis, to Niagara Falls. A superb destination no matter what time of year you’re there. What makes it special? Well, the falls are spectacular, but I’d argue it’s all the things to see and do in a little nook separated by two of the worlds largest countries. Plan your visit today!

^{_{Article by Joseph Simpson, 9th August 2026
Want to know more? Reach out to Joseph via our Facebook and Instagram channels}}

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Tags: Niagara Falls Ontario Things to do Toronto

Home News Sports

Ryan Fox Chases History at the 2026 RBC Canadian Open

The 2026 RBC Canadian Open returned to the stunning North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ontario, and Kia Ora Canada was there to follow New Zealand’s own Ryan Fox as he looked to defend the title he won in dramatic fashion just 12 months earlier.

As the reigning champion, Ryan Fox was a major talking point throughout the week. His 2025 victory is permanently recognised with a plaque at the course, celebrating the dramatic playoff battle that saw the Kiwi claim his second PGA Tour title. Fox eventually overcame Sam Burns after four tense extra holes, producing one of the standout moments in recent Canadian Open history.

Spurred on in 2025 by the All Whites after their historic win against Côte d’Ivoire in Toronto a day earlier, Fox went on to produce one of the best runs of his career. Now, with the All Whites once again chasing their own piece of history at the FIFA World Cup Kiwi sporting fans were hoping that inspiration could strike twice.

Saturday’s third round had a fantastic atmosphere. Fox was paired with American Brooks Koepka, one of golf’s biggest names and certainly a fan favourite. The pair attracted big galleries, with plenty of loud cheers – and a few good-natured heckles – from the local Canadian crowd. Koepka was also followed by his wife, Jena Sims, adding to the star power of the group.

It was fantastic to see a scattering of Kiwi supporters around the course. One fan proudly carried a Ryan Fox poster alongside a silver fern flag, earning plenty of smiles from fellow spectators.

Fox delivered another solid performance, carding a two-under-par 68 to finish Round 3 just two shots off the lead and firmly in contention heading into Sunday.

The final round began with heavy rain in the forecast, forcing tournament organisers to adjust tee times and send players out in groups of three to ensure the championship could be completed on schedule.

Fox once again showed his class, producing another steady round of 68, good for two under par on the day. He looked poised for a top-five finish, but two bogeys over the closing holes meant the Kiwi finished tied for eighth, five shots behind winner Bud Cauley.

For Cauley, the victory was a story in itself. The 36-year-old American finally broke through for his maiden PGA Tour title after an incredible 239 starts, earning one of the most emotional wins of the season.

While Fox may not have successfully defended his title, his performance proved once again that he belongs among golf’s elite. Four rounds of composed golf on a demanding course showed that his game is in excellent shape heading into the next major challenge.

That challenge comes immediately at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, where Fox will tee it up at the 2026 U.S. Open. He will be looking to become just the second New Zealander to win the championship, following Michael Campbell’s unforgettable triumph in 2005.

Fox has shown he has the form to contend.

The next week is shaping up as a massive one for New Zealand sport.

Final Leaderboard

Pos	Player	Country	R4	Total
1	Bud Cauley	United States	-5	-17
2	Matt Fitzpatrick	England	-6	-15
3	Viktor Hovland	Norway	-5	-14
T4	Brice Garnett	United States	-2	-13
T4	Jimmy Stanger	United States	-3	-13
T4	Jackson Suber	United States	E	-13
T4	Jesper Svensson	Sweden	-2	-13
T8	Sudarshan Yellamaraju	Canada	-2	-12
T8	Ryan Fox	New Zealand	-2	-12

Home News Sports

New Zealand Pre-Match Parties – Vancouver

New Zealand Football fans are heading to Vancouver in June and we’ve set up 2 new Pre-Match Parties.

Demand was so high that we SOLD OUT the Blarney Stone – so now we’ve opened a second New Zealand Pre-Match Party! Just 90 metres away at The Portside Pub as the Kiwi take over of Gastown continues!

Nau mai, haere mai!

Join fellow Kiwi fans for an unforgettable New Zealand Pre-Match Party at The Portside Pub in Vancouver on Sunday June 21st!

The Flying Kiwis, Kia Ora Vancouver, and Kia Ora Canada are teaming up to bring you the ultimate match-day build-up. Expect a buzzing atmosphere with travelling fans and local Kiwis coming together before heading to the stadium (approx. 15-minute walk).

What’s on:

• NZ music and classic Kiwi tunes
• Food & drink specials
• Giveaways throughout the day including an Oyster Bay prize

📍 Location: The Portside Pub, 7 Alexander St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1E9

We’ll also be coordinating a fan march to the stadium, kicking off approximately 90 minutes before match time – keep an eye on The Flying Kiwis Facebook and Instagram for updates and details.

Don’t have a match ticket? No worries – you’re welcome to stay and watch the game live at The Portside Pub.

A proper pre-match atmosphere you won’t want to miss, Join New Zealand fans from around the world for a day of banter, tunes, and unforgettable memories.

🎟️ Limited capacity, this event will sell out!

Further information and tickets can be found on the links below:

June 21st Pre-Match

June 26th Pre-Match

* This event is strictly R19 due to licensing regulations *

Canada News Sports

The Canadian Football League, the “Rugby League” of American Football

_{Featured Image: Hamilton Tiger Cats host Ottawa Redblacks – Joseph Simpson}

May marks start to preseason for the Canadian Football League (CFL), and with it, probably one of Canada’s best kept secrets. While Hockey and Lacrosse have reputations as quintissential Canadian sports globally, their own version of American Football, is often not heard of outside of North America. Even athletes from the United States who don’t make the cut for the sport’s far better known and competitive NFL, often find out about the league shortly before signing into it. It’s a sport, and a professional league, that is strictly Canadian.

Grassroots Canadian Football

As a newcomer to Canada, I was surprised to find out about the sporting practices at grassroots level differ significantly from the experiences we have back home in New Zealand. The two differences appear to be firstly, that schools often only field one team per gender per sport, don’t make the first XI soccer team? There’s no second XI, you’ll have to go and find a club to play with this year and try again next year. The second is that because of this competitive nature to even making the team, most sports have grassroots pathways that focus strictly on clubs, and have separate options for those not competing at secondary school. A clear example of this is Ice Hockey. Is all of the High School going down to the rink ahead of the big game? You’d be wrong. Hockey is largely played outside of education institutions, the truth is, they’re all off to watch their High School Football Team. How Canadian!

All jokes aside, it is very Canadian, and one of the most well attended sports in North America. In fact, with an average of 20,000 spectators a game, sits in third place only behind the NFL and Major League Baseball in attendance records. That’s right, the CFL has more consistent attendances than Hockey!

_{Calgary Stampeders Linebacker Nicky Farinaccio}

The CFL

Canadian Football is a nine-team competition that spans the width of the nation, with the exception of the anxiously anticipated Atlantic Canada. The season and post-season runs for about six months mostly over the late spring through summer, usually wrapping up as Hockey and Lacrosse take the stage.

For those reading this in Toronto, you will be happy to know that there is a local team bleeding blue and white, the Argos. The often overlooked member of MLSE, Toronto have produced some great results in the recent history, winning the competition in 2022 and 2025. Readers in Vancouver will be also happy to know that their province is home to the BC lions, less happy to know they are, and have been for a long time, frankly, rubbish.

While not hotspots for New Zealanders, some of the teams with the strongest fanbases are in Edmonton, Alberta and Hamilton, Ontario. The Elks and Tiger-Cats respectively have a rich history in the league, with several championships, while recent history hasn’t been kind, their fans remember glory days and whether it’s a great atmosphere, daunting chants, or their rich histories, these two teams have got it all.

But the team to watch seems to be the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the only professional sports team in Regina, and one of only two in the province alongside Sakatoon’s Saskatchewan Rush, the local Lacrosse team. Perhaps its the lack of other things to do in the city, or the fact that the reigning champions have been on fire last season and many more beforehand, but the often forgotten prarie province makes their voice heard every week in Canadian Football.

If you do get a chance to go to a CFL game, I’d highly recommend going to one of the derby matches between rivals, as this is where the atmosphere is at its height. And luckily, all of these fixtures happen at least once a year on Labour day in the iconic Labour Day Classic. In Alberta the Calgary Stampede comes early when the Calgary Stampeders (Yes, that’s their name) host the Edmonton Elks. In Ontario, the Toronto Argos and Hamilton Tiger-Cats is such a fierce rivalry they chant obscenities about eachother even when the opposition is a different team! The french speaking Montreal Alouettes are arguably rivals of all Ontario teams, but Ottawas Redblacks is certainly the team to beat for fans every year. And while quite far away from eachother, Saskatchewan’s Roughriders have also seen a rivalry form against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, as both teams have risen to be dominant forces in the competition at similar times.

The full list of teams are:

British Columbia – BC Lions
Alberta – Calgary Stampeders
Alberta – Edmonton Elks
Saskatchewan – Saskatchewan Roughriders
Manitoba – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Ontario – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Ontario – Ottawa Redblacks
Ontario – Toronto Argos
Quebec – Montreal Alouettes

The Rules

_{The 2025 Grey Cup Final was contested between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes – Canadian Football League}

What excatly makes Canadian Football unique from it’s U.S equivalent is similar to the differences between our favourites Rugby Union and Rugby League. As with League’s limit on phases and a faster uncontested set piece, making for overall a usually quicker game. The CFL’s differences to the NFL acheive a similar result. In the CFL, the limit on “downs” , essentially phases or passages of play, is just three, this makes a more pass-heavy game, with more than one pass far more common than the American game, and makes the attack more aggressive in achieving their 10-yard reset on their downs. There’s also a lot more space to move the ball, with 110 yards of legnth to the main field (compared to NFL’s 100), 65 yards of width (compared to NFL’s 53.5) and a huge end zone of 20 yards (compared to NFL’s 10). The extended end zone also sees far more defensive plays inside, as teams failing to run missed kicks out of thier end zone still concede 1 point. To make up for this extra space, pace, and further defensive challenges, Canadian Football is a twelve-a-side game, although the additional player certainly doesn’t slow down the game in any way. There are several other small differences between the codes.

Personally, I would say, as a huge fan of both codes of rugby, that Canadian football makes up significant ground that make American Football often so difficult to watch for those outside of North America, the increased pace of the game being the most important. While it won’t knock your New Zealand merino wool socks proudly purchased at Mitre 10 off, I personally found my CFL experience at the Tim Hortons Field far more enjoyable than NFL’s Highmark Stadium south of the border.

The rules, just like league and union are in a constant state of flux, but whereas the two rugby code’s lawmakers are constantly trying to out-innovate eachother, Canadian Football’s attitue is more sympathetic to the American code, much to the dismay of locals.

Rules are constantly being tweaked to make the game be more like the NFL. A big part of this is due to the differing dynamics between the codes compared to Union and League. While Union is the dominant international code worldwide, and club code in all of the Northern Hemisphere apart from about five villages in Northern England, League’s NRL is certainly a heavyweight competitor for attention. NRL and Super Rugby are at eachother’s throats over stadium and television viewership and it is not uncommon for cross-code players to float between each competition, with at least one making the switch to either every year.

The CFL-NFL debate

The NFL does not have the global reach of other internationally recognised sports, let alone North American-born sports. While their exhibition games are crowd-bringers, it hasn’t translated into strong grassroots interest or significant development into domestic competitons. Outside of a small number of European countries, most notably, Austria, Great Britain, and Germany (Fun fact: the Austrian Under-20s team in a famous recent upset, beat the USA in the bronze medal match), Canada is the only real country with a strong interest in the sport and the team to back it up. In fact, as of May 2026, the last three Junior football championships, Canada have been champions.

_{Buffalo Bills versus New York Jets – Jim Greenhill}

While NCAA Football will likely always reign supreme as the feeder for the NFL, for foreigners, older players, or undrafted players, there isn’t a huge amount of leagues they can play in that are a high enough level that they can keep within the sights of scouts and coaches, an issue prospects in most other sports don’t have, there isn’t an NFL story just like Marty Banks’ journey from playing deep in the Russian Federation’s heartland before that fateful 2015 Highlanders championship.

Europe’s American Football League, one of the only other professional leagues outside of the U.S and Canada, has seen great instability in it’s short-lived history, with the previous administration of the European League of Football essentially folding due to a team revolt. A new league, largely based around Central Europe, is kicking off this month. Hamburg and Frankfurt’s ineptitude make crossing the Atlantic a risky place for any journeyman American to play their beloved sport. This leaves only one option.

Canada, as the only other country with a strong interest in the sport domestically, have seen more and more players from south of the border cross over to join their teams, combined with the fruits of their junior programme’s labour leading to the highest amount of active Canadian players in the NFL in their history, and NFL interest at an all-time high, with sometimes half the crowd of a Buffalo Bills game coming from Ontario, CFL teams are essentially becoming feeders to the NFL. This puts Canadian rulemakers and directors at a difficult crossroads. Do they cave into the pressure from the NFL and adjust their game to play more similar to the American, or outright abolish their own, rules of the game, becoming vassals? The NFL’s 51st state, if you will. Or will they stay true to their roots, and keep the CFL a game strictly by Canadians, for Canadians? The first option might set off alarm bells in your head, but caving in would likely provide huge amounts of American cash, and see more Canadian’s in the NFL. Heck, Toronto might one day cast off their rose coloured glasses for the Buffalo Bills and cheer for their own NFL team.

My thoughts are this: Right now, Canadian Football are still a quintissentially Canadian sport, and that might be the case forever, or, it might not be. Rather than waiting around to find out, the best thing you can do is purchase a ticket, go down and support your local team, particularly get amongst the great rivalries between the Argos and Tiger-Cats, Alouettes and Redblacks, Elks and Stampeders, and raise a glass to this brilliant game, because all good things must come to an end.

^{_{Article by Joseph Simpson, 16th May 2026
Want to know more? Reach out to Joseph via our Facebook and Instagram channels.}}