What is the average salary in the Canadian football league?

It is easy to place the Canadian Football League (CFL) at the same level as its American equivalent, the NFL. What very few people know is that Canadian players are paid less than their American counterparts. It was even truer a few years ago when Canadian athletes of the CFL were paid so poorly, they needed offseason jobs to pay the bills.

The last few years have seen a remarked improvement after the minimum salary was increased annually. It still doesn’t come anywhere close to the salaries paid to NFL players but Canadians are seeing six-figure numbers each season.

Average CFL salary

Even with that knowledge, it is hard to determine the average salary of a Canadian CFL player as the various football clubs refrain from publishing their players’ salaries. What they do publish is the salary cap per team which is part of the CFL collective bargaining agreement between the CFL Player Association and the CFL itself, giving us a vague idea of how much a player makes, at least on an annual basis. Knowing the salary cap by team enables us to subtract it by the number of players which usually stands at 56. For 2020, the salary cap stands at $5,300,000.

The result gives us a small idea but in some cases, it is far from accurate as not all players are paid equally. Just like every other sport that involves professionals, players are paid according to their abilities and performance. Experience is also a determining factor, and we can expect footballers who’ve been on the scene to be paid a lot more than a new addition with no experience with the CFL. For 2020, the basic salary for each player has been raised up to $65,000 for Canadian and American players and $54,000 for international footballers.

This is but the basic pay, and as we have already mentioned players might be paid more according to their abilities and past performance. There are also other factors to be taken into consideration when calculating the salary of a CFL player. The above numbers don’t include payment for signing bonuses, performance bonuses, preseason and postseason games.

Bonuses and other benefits

Apart from basic pay, each Canadian CFL player receives a number of bonuses. These might include sign up bonuses and performance bonuses. Players are also entitled to medical insurance and a pension plan, funded by both the player and the respective team. Endorsement deals and events also entitle footballers for payment.

Preseason and Postseason

The season games might be the main events of the league, however, CFL teams are required to participate in a number of the preseason and postseason games. Payment for these events is not included in the main salary, instead, soliciting additional payment for each played game, including training. Payment for these is highly depended on the experience and the number of years spent as a player of the CFL. Thus, someone who’s been playing for over three years is automatically paid more than someone with only one year under his belt. Team performance is also a contributing factor as a great performance comes with its very own team bonus.

Conclusion

Due to the lack of concrete information, it is not easy to determine the average salary of a CFL player. The minimum salary is easily established, but it holds very little relevance when a player’s ability, bonuses and additional game allowances are taken into consideration. Any calculation will be merely an estimate unless the league decides to make public the individual salaries of its players. Again, though, such numbers would exclude the bonuses and any other remuneration.

Nonetheless, this by no means detracts from the enjoyment that professional football brings to each fan. Life is after all bleak when no game is scheduled, and alternative entertainment must be sought. At such times, Canadians might want to find deals at Canadacasino.ca to alleviate some of the boredom, until the next CFL game.