WINNIPEG 鈥� Randy Ambrosie knows CFL fans and media have been frustrated by game-statistic glitches and player profiles that have disappeared from the league鈥檚 website.
The CFL commissioner asked for a bit more patience at a press conference in Winnipeg before he took in Thursday night鈥檚 game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions.
鈥淢y message to everyone, it鈥檚 going to be worth it because this is an investment in the long-term future of the CFL,鈥� Ambrosie said.
鈥淚 think this is one of the things we鈥檝e been talking about, transitioning from short-term focus to a long-term mindset. While it鈥檚 been disruptive, I think in the long term we鈥檒l look back on this and say it was well worth the effort.
鈥淎nd I guess a little short-term pain for some great long-term gains.鈥�
Ambrosie said he got an update Thursday and the live-game stats are expected to be better this week. He noted stats crews at games had to be trained to input into a new system.
There should be a 鈥減retty stable system鈥� functioning by early July. After that will be 鈥渁ggregate鈥� player stats for this season up on the website later in July. Historical data will follow.
The CFL entered into a partnership with Genius Sports in December 2021 that included the new technology project. Work has been ongoing since then, he said, noting the old system needed to be shut down so the new platform could be implemented.
鈥淭his is not a failure,鈥� Ambrosie said. 鈥淭his is what happens when you do a full technology reset.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e building not just a replacement for an old system, but you鈥檙e really reinventing the way our stats system works. This is just part of that journey.鈥�
One new feature will include having computer chips in footballs to give fans more information, he added.
鈥淲hat comes out the other side of this is going to be capabilities that, frankly, we couldn鈥檛 have dreamt of in the past,鈥� Ambrosie said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to allow us enhanced stats.鈥�
Ambrosie was in Winnipeg for one of his annual stops in CFL cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2023.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
