Saturday’s (7 p.m.) pre-season encounter against the Argos is the focus of the Tiger-Cats Homegrown Game which will feature lots of attractions and activities for young fans, but the celebratory Saturday also includes events at Hamilton Stadium earlier in the day.
At 11 a.m., 75 of the top Grades 9 and 10 high school football prospects from across the country—Newfoundland to Vancouver—will play in the CFL Prospects Game, organized by Canada Football Chat. Run by Cambridge native Lee Barette, now living in Halifax, has provided an important service to Canadian school and amateur football for years, promoting and ranking the nation’s players and teams.
The players are in town for a couple of days and practice at McMaster before suiting up for Saturday’s game at the Ticats’ permanent home field. It will be scouted live by Canadian universities, many of whom are providing coaches for training, and NCAA colleges will scout prospects on-line. It’s the fifth annual game and five participants from the debut match five years ago were selected in this spring’s CFL National draft. A much larger number of draftees is expected this year.
The game will be taped for broadcast Monday (7 p.m.) on TSN, with network personalities Duane Forde, Farhan Lalji and Matt Scianitti who are all working the Ticat-Argo game Saturday, also on the high school broadcast.
The Niagara Nitros, a program for females aged 10 to 16 will play flag football matches at 9 a.m. and also during halftime of the CFL Prospects Game.
