GREAT FALLS — The Canadian Football League has announced sweeping rule changes set to take effect in two phases across 2026 and 2027, drawing a mix of curiosity and concern from players and coaches across the league — including Calgary Stampeders head coach and Great Falls native Dave Dickenson.
For 2026, the league will:
- Modify the rouge (single point): Teams will no longer receive a point when a missed field goal goes wide of the uprights or when a punt or kickoff sails through the back or sides of the end zone without being touched by a returner. The rouge still applies if a returner cannot or does not bring the ball out.
- Adopt a 35-second play clock, which starts automatically once the previous play is whistled dead (replacing the current 20-second clock that is manually started by officials).
- Require team benches on opposite sidelines, eliminating lengthy substitution runs across the field.
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For 2027, more dramatic changes take effect:
- The field will be shortened from 110 yards to 100 yards (goal-line to goal-line) while retaining the 65-yard width.
- End zones shrink from 20 yards deep to 15 yards.
- Goalposts will be moved from the goal line to the back of the end zone, removing them from the middle of play and opening up the middle third of the end zone.
League projections suggest these changes could yield 10% more end-zone completions and an extra 60 touchdowns per season. The goalposts — traditionally located on the goal line in the CFL — will move to the back of the end zone.
During a recent Stampeders media availability, Dickenson, a former C.M. Russell and University of Montana standout who has played or coached in the CFL for nearly 30 years, said he understands the league’s goal to modernize the game — but hopes the changes don’t erase what makes Canadian football unique.
“I like our game. I love the motions, I love our three downs, I like the yard off. I like our kicking rules,” Dickenson said. “But we still are employees of the league. I work for other people, and whatever they give us we’ll deal with and try to find an advantage.”
Dickenson said coaches are already studying how the new rules could affect clock management, substitution patterns and special teams strategy once they take effect in 2026.
The CFL says the adjustments are aimed at improving game flow, increasing scoring opportunities and aligning the field with more stadium configurations across Canada.
“I don’t mind change and trying stuff,” Dickenson said. "One thing I caution is when you make too much change, you don’t know which one works. So I want to make sure we don’t get too much change.”
