The Winnipeg Rifles are a

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

team based in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,60 ...

. The Rifles are members of the

Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profess ...

and play their home games in

Maple Grove Park Maple Grove Rugby Park is an park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Located in the St. Vital neighbourhood, the park is bordered by the Perimeter Highway to the south, St. Mary's Road to the east, and the Red River to the north and west. King' ...

History

Junior football in Winnipeg dates back to the 1920s, with the formation of the Manitoba Junior Football League. In 1953, teams from Winnipeg began playing in the CJFL, the most successful being the Winnipeg Rods, who won three championships. Those teams would eventually fold or merge. The Winnipeg Hawkeyes were the last Winnipeg-based team prior to the Rifles, folding in 1996. In 1999, an effort to bring back a team to Winnipeg was headed by James Ladd (Manitoba Football Hall of Fame inductee). The team began play in the CJFL in 2002, playing out of

Canad Inns Stadium Canad Inns Stadium (also known as Winnipeg Stadium) was a multipurpose stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The stadium was located at the corner of St. James Street and Maroons Road, immediately north of the Polo Park Shopping Centre and th ...

. From 2013 to 2019, the Rifles began to play out of

IG Field IG Field (formerly Investors Group Field) is an outdoor stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The stadium, which opened in 2013, is located on the University of Manitoba campus next to University Stadium. Owned by Triple B Stadium Inc., a consortium ...

. As of the 2021 season, home games are played at Maple Grove Rugby Park in St. Vital. The team is named after the

Royal Winnipeg Rifles The Royal Winnipeg Rifles (R Wpg Rif) are a Primary Reserve one-battalion infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Nicknamed the "Little Black Devils", they are based at Minto Armoury in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are part of 3r ...

Regiment that was founded in 1883.

Games

Image:HilltopsTackled.jpg,

Saskatoon Hilltops The Saskatoon Hilltops are a junior Canadian football team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Hilltops play in the six-team Prairie Football Conference, which is part of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) and compete annually for the ...

-Rifles playoff game on October 10, 2008 File:Rifles23-MG 7158Hilltops-Rifles.jpg, Rifles 9 Hilltops 43 on September 19, 2012 File:Rifles Catch Hilltops Playoff Game 1733.jpg, Winnipeg Rifles 13 - 43

, Playoff game on October 19, 2014 at the

Saskatoon Minor Football Field The Saskatoon Minor Football Field at Gordon Howe Park (formerly known as Gordie Howe Bowl) is a football stadium located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was opened September 30, 1960, built on land repossessed by the city in 1931 for unpa ...

File:Defensive Back 28 Penner, Cam Winnipeg Rifles 1720 copy.jpg, Defensive Back Cam Penner of the Winnipeg Rifles

External links

Winnipeg Rifles official siteCanadian Junior Football League
Sports clubs established in 2002 Canadian Junior Football League teams Canadian football teams in Winnipeg 2002 establishments in Manitoba {{Manitoba-stub