The CFL rules changes are good

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At a press conference in Toronto yesterday, first-year CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston unveiled a suite of rules changes that he called, without exaggeration, "the most significant in decades" for the league.

The new rules will be phased in over the next two seasons. Starting in 2026, the kicking team can no longer score a single point for missed field goals, punts or kickoffs that go through the end zone (the rouge will still be awarded when the returner fails to get the ball out of the end zone or takes a knee). Also, an automatic 35-second play clock will start when the previous play is blown dead, while the benches in all stadiums will be placed on opposite sides of the field to help teams get their substitutions in on time.

The bigger changes arrive in 2027, when the length of the field will be reduced from 110 yards to 100 (the same as the NFL), while the end zones will be tightened from 20 yards to 15. Also, the goalposts will move from the goal-line to the back of the reconfigured end zones.

Johnston, the former president of TSN, which has been the CFL's exclusive broadcaster since 2008, suggested the changes were necessary for survival in an era of declining interest in the league.

"This is all about making our great game even more entertaining," he said in a press release. "We are trading field goals for touchdowns, while improving fan experience in stadiums and at home.

"[The changes] have been thoughtfully and carefully considered. But they are big and bold because that's what's necessary to make our fantastic game even more entertaining, and to win in the