The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to professional football careers in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) and elsewhere. Formed May 8, 1974, the CJFL's formal mission statement is: "The Canadian Junior Football League provides the opportunity for young men aged 17 to 22 to participate in highly competitive post-high school football that is unique in Canada. The goal of the league is to foster community involvement and yield a positive environment by teaching discipline, perseverance and cooperation. The benefits of the league are strong camaraderie, national competition and life-long friends." A handful of standout players are typically signed directly to CFL rosters each season, while

U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...

permits up to two years of play in leagues such as the CJFL before a player begins to lose eligibility. The 9-team Quebec Junior Football League was formerly part of the CJFL, but eventually withdrew and now operates independently. Meanwhile, The Ontario Football Conference (OFC) consists of two divisions: Varsity Division (ages 11 to 19) and Junior Division (ages 17 to 22). While the Junior Division remains affiliated to the CJFL and its teams compete for the Canadian Bowl, the Varsity Division is operated solely by the OFC.

Teams

The CJFL has 19 teams as of 2024, including 7 in the B.C. conference, 6 in the Prairie conference, and 6 in the Ontario conference.

League map

Future expansion

The Sault College Cougars are expected to debut as an expansion team in the Ontario Conference in the 2025 CJFL season. The team will be based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and operated by Sault College. A proposed expansion franchise for

Lethbridge, Alberta Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

, in the Prairie Conference was rejected by the league in 2023.

Defunct teams

* Abbotsford Air Force 1987–2006 ( Abbotsford, B.C.) * Brampton Bears 2009–2011

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

, Ontario) * Brampton Satellites (

, Ontario) * Brantford Bisons (

Brantford Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully indep ...

, Ontario) * Burlington Braves,

Burlington, Ontario Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is a city and List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipality in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region at the west end of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Can ...

) * Burnaby Spartans 1956–1973 (

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

, B.C.) * Calgary Mohawks (

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

, Alberta) * Calgary Cougars (

, Alberta) * Chateauguay Raiders ( Châteauguay, Quebec) *

Cornwall Emards The Cornwall Emards were a team in the Quebec Senior Football League and the Quebec Rugby Football Union in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1958 they lost to the Verdun Shamcats The Verdun Shamcats were a team in the Quebec Rugby Football Union from 195 ...

(

Cornwall, Ontario Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, situated where the provinces of Central Canada, Ontario and Quebec and the U.S. state of New York (state), New York converge. It is Ontario's easternmost city. Although it is the seat of the United ...

) * Fort Garry Lions (

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Manitoba) * Grand River Predators (

Kitchener, Ontario Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional Administrative centre, seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a ...

) * GTA Bears 2012–2013,

, Ontario) * Laval Scorpions (

Laval, Quebec Laval is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is in the southwest of the province, north of Montreal. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third-largest city in the province after Montreal and Quebec City, and the thirteenth largest city in Can ...

) * Niagara Raiders (

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

, Ontario) * North Shore Lions 1947–1954 ( North Vancouver (City and District), B.C.) * North Shore Cougars 1955–1980 ( North Vancouver (City and District), B.C.) * Notre-Dame-de-Grace Maple Leafs (

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec, merged with the Verdun Invictus, renamed to the Verdun Maple Leafs, then the Montreal Junior Alouettes, and finally the Montreal Junior Concordes) * Oshawa Hawkeyes (

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

, Ontario) * Ottawa Junior Riders moved back to the QJFL after 2005) (

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Ontario) * Quebec City Citadelles,

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, Quebec) * Red Deer Packers (

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

, Alberta) * Renfrew Trojans 1974–1993 (1994–2009 as the Vancouver Trojans) (

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, B.C.) * Medicine Hat Rattlers (

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in Southern Alberta, southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff, Alberta, R ...

, Alberta *

Regina Rams The Regina Rams represent the University of Regina, located in Regina, Saskatchewan, in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Rams joined U Sports in 1999 and have competed in the Canada West Conference since then. The program has wo ...

1954–1999 (moved to the CIS) (

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina ( ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 Canadian census, ...

) * Richmond Raiders 1973–1992

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, B.C.) * Rosemount Bombers (

, Quebec) * Sault Ste. Marie Storm ( Sault Ste. Marie), Quebec) * Sherbrooke Blitz, (

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...

, Quebec) * South Shore Cobras, (

St-Hubert St-Hubert BBQ Ltd. is a chain of Canadian casual dining restaurants best known for its rotisserie chicken. St-Hubert is most popular in Quebec and in other French-Canadian areas such as Eastern Ontario and New Brunswick. The chain enjoys the s ...

, Quebec) * St. Hubert Rebelles ( Saint-Hubert), Quebec) * St. Leonard Cougars (

, Quebec) * St. Vital Mustangs (

, Manitoba) * Thunder Bay Giants (

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

, Ontario) * Toronto Junior Argonauts, (

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario) * Tri-City Bulldogs 1991–2004 (Formed from the Vancouver Meralomas)

Coquitlam Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the List of cities in British Columbia, sixth-largest city in the province, with an estimated population of 174,248 in 2024, and one of th ...

, B.C.) * Vancouver Blue Bombers 1947–1977 (

, B.C.) * Vancouver Meralomas 1931–1990 (

, B.C.) *

Verdun Shamcats The Verdun Shamcats were a team in the Quebec Rugby Football Union from 1950 until 1966. The team was formed in July 1950 by the amalgamation of five local Verdun junior teams originally created in 1945, into a single, more competitive team in th ...

(

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

, Quebec) * Ville-Émard Juveniles ( Ville-Émard, Quebec) * Winnipeg Hawkeyes (

, Manitoba) * Winnipeg Rods (

, Manitoba)

Championships

The Saskatoon Hilltops have won the most national championships since 1974 with 18, followed by the

with 11, and the Ottawa Sooners with 4. The national championship is known as the Canadian Bowl. Prior to 1989, league champions were awarded the Armadale Cup. The Leader Post Trophy was awarded under the auspices of the Canadian Amateur Football Association from 1925 through 1973.

Canadian Bowl

* 2024 – Windsor St. Clair Saints * 2023 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2022 – Okanagan Sun * 2021 – Langley Rams * 2020 – Not awarded * 2019 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2018 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2017 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2016 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2015 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2014 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2013 – Regina Thunder * 2012 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2011 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2010 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2009 – Vancouver Island Raiders * 2008 – Vancouver Island Raiders * 2007 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2006 – Vancouver Island Raiders * 2005 – Edmonton Huskies * 2004 – Edmonton Huskies * 2003 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2002 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2001 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 2000 – Okanagan Sun * 1999 – Windsor AKO Fratmen * 1998 – Regina Rams * 1997 – Regina Rams * 1996 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 1995 – Regina Rams * 1994 – Regina Rams * 1993 – Regina Rams * 1992 – Ottawa Sooners * 1991 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 1990 – Calgary Colts * 1989 – Calgary Colts

Armadale Cup (1974–1988)

* 1988 – Okanagan Sun * 1987 – Regina Rams * 1986 – Regina Rams * 1985 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 1984 – Ottawa Sooners * 1983 – Edmonton Wildcats * 1982 – Renfrew Trojans * 1981 – Regina Rams * 1980 – Regina Rams * 1979 – Ottawa Sooners * 1978 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 1977 – Edmonton Wildcats * 1976 – Regina Rams * 1975 – Regina Rams * 1974 – Ottawa Sooners

Leader-Post Trophy

* 1973 – Regina Rams * 1972 – Hamilton Hurricanes * 1971 – Regina Rams * 1970 – Regina Rams * 1969 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 1968 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 1967 – Edmonton Wildcats * 1966 – Regina Rams * 1965 – Notre-Dame-de-Grace Maple Leafs * 1964 – Edmonton Huskies * 1963 – Edmonton Huskies * 1962 – Edmonton Huskies * 1961 – Winnipeg Rods * 1960 – Montreal Rosemount Bombers * 1959 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 1958 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 1957 – Toronto Parkdale Lions * 1956 – Winnipeg Rods * 1955 – Winnipeg Rods * 1954 – Windsor AKO Fratmen * 1953 – Saskatoon Hilltops * 1952 – Windsor AKO Fratmen * 1951 – Hamilton Jr. Tiger Cats * 1950 – Hamilton Jr. Tiger Cats * 1949 – Hamilton Jr. Wildcats * 1948 – Hamilton Jr. Wildcats * 1947 – Vancouver Blue Bombers * 1925 – Montreal AAA

References

External links

* {{Amateur gridiron football leagues in Canada Canadian Junior Football League Canadian football leagues Sports leagues established in 1974 1974 establishments in Canada