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History


The Canadian Junior Football League is a national amateur Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada.
 
The CJFL is proudly Canadian and we take pride in our past, present, and future.
 
The first junior championship game was played on November 29, 1908 at the AAA Park in Montreal when the Parkland Canoe Club of Toronto defeated the Montreal AAA by a score of 8-1.
 
The Leader Post Trophy was first challenged in 1925, when the Montreal AAA defeated the Regina Pats.
 
The Canadian Amateur Football Association formally organized junior football in 1972 when Joe Kanuka from Regina was named chairman of the junior football committee.
 
The league became a separate entity in 1974, with the formation of the Canadian Junior Football League. Jerry Joynt from Calgary was elected the first Commissioner.
 
The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players have gone on to professional football careers in the CFL and elsewhere.
 
The CJFL's formal mission statement is: "The Canadian Junior Football League provides the opportunity for young people aged 17 to 22 to participated 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.