Sarah Mitton competes during the Women's Shot Putt at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 2022 on March 18, 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia. Mitton produced one of the best seasons of her career with the Canadian Track and Field League last season and she will be back competing in the league again for its 2023 season.Maja Hitij/Getty Images
After a successful launch in 2022, the Canadian Track and Field League is set to kick off its second season this weekend, with the talent pool ranging from high-performance university athletes to seasoned Olympians.
The league offers fans the chance to watch different events and to cheer for their favourite athletes.
Founded last year, the CTFL is made up of 232 athletes who were drafted onto four teams – Arctics, Huskies, Spitfires and Bears – where they will compete across 10 disciplines in a series of meets over the summer.
The touring league will look to attract audiences throughout the country, as the season opens in Calgary before heading to Montreal, London, Guelph and ending in Ottawa with the league’s championship meet in August. Throughout the season, athletes, and their teams, will earn points to win individual and group titles.
Quinn Lyness, founder of the CTFL, said the inspiration to create the league came after he realized that athletics doesn’t consistently grab the attention of sport fans across the country.
Once the Olympics have concluded, attention on track and field significantly declines. This is in comparison to leagues such as the NBA and NHL which occur annually and lead to a larger following, Lyness said.
“I was like, ‘why can’t we develop something similar for track and field?’” he said.
Unlike USATF and Athletics Canada, who support athletes with a fixed fee, Lyness said the CTFL is looking to expand the sport in order to help athletes. He said the CTFL will pay athletes a percentage – referencing 40 per cent as an example – of its total revenue. And as the league grows and becomes more successful, that percentage will get larger every year – resulting in more money for athletes.
The league is currently being financed by sponsors, as well as ticket sales from the championship meet.
Ticket sales range within each city, with the smallest audience about 100 people in Montreal last season. The largest was at the championship meet, with 600 fans. Overall, the league averaged 300 spectators for each meet. This year, the goal is to increase attendance across the country, with a target of 1,500 for the championship meet.
Sarah Mitton, Canadian shot-put record holder and ranked second in the world, said she is grateful for the work Lyness is doing to help athletes. Although the Olympian remains grateful to be sponsored by CAN Fund, a Canadian charity assisting athletes, Mitton said the lack of an apparel sponsor means her income is heavily reliant on government financing.
“I do it for the sport because I love it, not because I want to make money,” Mitton explained. “But I definitely think that Canadian Olympians are working extremely hard and deserve equal pay across the board.”
After producing one of the best seasons of her career with the CTFL last season, Mitton said she’s excited to be in the league once again, highlighting her enjoyment of the camaraderie of being on a team.
The drafting process made things more exciting as well, considering it’s not something the sport practises.
“I was watching the first year and just sitting so eagerly waiting for my name to pop up, because I wanted to be on a certain team, but I also wanted to be one of the top draft picks,” Mitton said.
Lyness said the purpose of having teams is to expose fans to different athletes while watching their favourites.
“You might like Andre De Grasse, but Andre is probably going to go to three Olympics total and then he’s done. So, who are you going to follow afterwards?” he said.
Using the example of Roxroy Cato, a 400-metre hurdler, Lyness said fans of Cato will subsequently follow the Bears to track his progress. However, in tracking the team, fans would then be exposed to up-and-coming hurdler David Moulongou, who’s equally impressive in the event.
By the time Cato retires, fans will be just as eager to continue following the team for Moulongou.
“The excitement continues, as opposed to where it is right now,” Lyness said.
Cedrik Flipo will also be returning to the CTFL. Running the 400 and 800 metres, Flipo said he owes much to the league after the previous season paved the way for an opportunity of a lifetime.
“The last meet of the entire season is where I got my personal best in the 800 metres and also allowed me to get a full scholarship to a Division 1 college, the University of Evansville in Indiana,” he said.
The Quebec native first joined the league after Lyness pitched the idea and extended an invitation. This season, Flipo will be assisting the CTFL founder manage the league’s social media, in addition to competing.
Alanzo Ryan is one of the many first-time talents drafted for this season. Competing in the 400 and 800 metres for the Bears, Ryan said he threw his name in the draft for the potential for elite-level competition throughout the summer.
“Obviously it’s going to increase performance,” Ryan said. “Running against Olympians is going to bring out more competitiveness in every athlete, and I think everyone’s just going to run faster because of it.”
Currently, Ryan is one of the many pieces forming the track and field dynasty at the University of Guelph. With one year left to go, he said the league is on its way to bringing excitement back into the sport – a sentiment shared by Flipo and Mitton.
From the 400 and 800 metres to hurdles and the sprints, everyone agrees this draft class is going to bring interesting battles to the CTFL this season.
And they remain grateful for the work Lyness has done and continues to do for Canadian track and field athletes.
“Track and field needs a lot more Quinns in it because this has 100-per-cent changed track and field already in its first year,” Mitton said. “I think he’s got more passion in his pinky than a lot of people have.”
The first meet of the season is in Calgary this weekend.