Photo courtesy: David Friederich/B.C. Lions
The Canadian Football League and National Football League have renewed the officiating development program that ran from 2016 to 2019.
Were excited for this collaborative opportunity with the NFL, said CFL vice-president of officiating Darren Hackwood in a statement. The quality of officiating reflects the strength of the game. Having more repetitions at the professional level is a key driver of performance as we grow the officiating community throughout North America.
Two crews of CFL officials will take part in NFL training camp joint practices starting on August 13. No NFL officials will travel to Canada this year but the two leagues will explore future opportunities for a northward exchange in the future.
Football is a global sport and officiating is an integral component, said NFL vice-president of officiating training and development Ramon George. The NFL and the CFL are two leagues with one standard. This partnership unites us with a shared officiating mission of accuracy, integrity and excellence.
The following officials will work a joint practice between the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings.
- Marc Cobb | Line of scrimmage | Brantford, Ont.
- Iain Cropper | Deep side | Saskatoon
- Ryan Lange | Deep middle | Edmonton
- Ritchie Miller | Umpire | Winnipeg
- Dan Mulvihill | Line of scrimmage | Regina
- Kevin Riopel | Deep side | Repentigny, Que.
- Andrew Wakefield | Referee | Toronto
The following officials will work a joint practice between the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.
- Thomas Cesari | Line of scrimmage | Kirkland, Que.
- Dan Fleischhaker | Deep side | Regina
- Jason Maggio | Deep middle | Burlington, Ont.
- Justin McInnes | Referee | Edmonton
- Kyle Mikulik | Umpire | Winnipeg
- Christopher Shapka | Line of scrimmage | Comox, B.C.
- Rob Skaggs | Deep side | Edmonton
