CFL.ca Staff
MONTREAL -– Hundreds of gridiron players will don their shoulder pads and helmets for the first time this season when the six members of the Quebec University Football League (QUFL) open their respective training camps this Saturday.
Over the coming weeks, teams will be studying playbooks, game film and practicing in preparation for the 2010 season that kicks-off on September 2 when the Sherbrooke Vert & Or travel to Montreal to take on the Carabins on the new turf at CEPSUM Stadium.
Each team will play nine regular season games in 2010, one more than in previous campaigns. The top-four teams in the QUFL standings at the end of the season qualify for the Dunsmore Cup playoffs beginning with the semi-final round on Saturday November 6. The championship final will be contested a week later on Saturday November 13.
Like a year ago, the race to the playoffs should come down to the wire in 2010. Last season, fans were treated to a hotly contested race with the final two playoff berths being decided on the final day of the campaign.
The QUFL has seen an increase in parity on the field in recent years as the league thrives in its production of elite football players. This past spring, ten (10) QUFL players were selected in the Canadian Football League (CFL) Canadian college draft and despite having four fewer teams than its Ontario counterpart, the QUFL tied the OUA for the most players drafted into the pro ranks.
From coast-to-coast
For the second consecutive season, QUFL fans across Canada will be able to watch their favourite teams each week, as Radio-Canada (SRC) returns as the official French language television and web broadcaster of the conference. SRC will show nine regular season games, including the September 18th inter-conference match-up between the Saint Mary’s University Huskies and the Laval Rouge et Or. Exclusive post-season coverage includes the league semi-finals and the Dunsmore Cup.
The network’s schedule continues with the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national semi-final bowl games on November 20 and culminates with the 2010 Desjardins Vanier Cup from Quebec City on November 27.
The play-by-play tandem of announcer Jean St-Onge and analyst Jacques Dussault return for their second season behind the microphone on Radio-Canada and will call every second of exciting QUFL action beginning with the season opening telecast between the powerhouse Laval Rouge et Or and up-and-coming McGill Redmen on Sunday September 5 at 2 pm.
All other games on Radio-Canada air Saturdays at 1 pm.
-With files from QUFL
