Life after football: CFL alumni offered education opportunities through Sask. Polytech
The Canadian Football League Alumni Association is teaming up with Saskatchewan Polytechnic to provide opportunities for athletes and their spouses to advance their education.
A signing event was held Wednesday morning at Mosaic Stadium to formalize the partnership.
“This is a big day for Saskatchewan Polytechnic,” said Paul Carter, dean of the School of Continuing Education at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. “Our goal is to inspire success in every learning journey. It’s a real opportunity for us to be able to work so closely with the CFL Alumni Association and help players and former players reach their next career goal for a life after football.”
The program will give those eligible access to the School of Continuing Education. It is similar to a program already in place with the CFLPA and Roughriders Alumni, which will benefit more players and their family members. Membership in the CFLAA is optional. There are currently over 2,000 members across Canada and the United States.
“No active player wants to believe that their career is going to be cut short or they’re not going to make the team,” said Andrew Greene, former Saskatchewan Roughrider and Saskatchewan Polytechnic alumnus. “Reality is going to set in. What are they going to do? Work, job, money, life still goes on.”
Greene said he hadn’t completed his degree before he was drafted, but went back and finished it after his football career ended. He also took a project management course at Saskatchewan Polytechnic to further his education.
“Unfortunately in football, there is a 100 per cent injury rate,” said Brett MacNeil, president of the CFLAA. ”Many off-seasons are spent under the surgeon’s knife and then in the treatment room for six months of rehab trying to win your job again come June.”
MacNeil said the program involves career counselling, tuition support, and credit support.
“Everyone wants to talk about career transition while you’re playing, but there are challenges,“ said MacNeil. “If you’re injured during the season, you’re not going to be available in the off-season to maybe take a course or to work towards a new job or even be self-employed. So career transition, particularly through a pandemic where forced retirements are at an all-time high, we need to help these guys out.
“I might go back and take another course now,” Greene said. “You never know.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.