How many CFL players come from the Toronto area?

The league is chock full of local talent. Here’s where they’re all playing.

Toronto Argonauts running back Daniel Adeboboye carries the ball during the 2022 CFL season. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn)

The CFL is back. That means the return of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and 2022 Grey Cup Champion Toronto Argonauts, but that’s just the beginning of the local angle.

While there is certainly a healthy portion of American and international players in the CFL, league roster rules state that each team must include at least 21 players from Canada.

So, even in a nine-team league, that’s a minimum of 189 Canadians. And it just so happens a good chunk of that homegrown talent hails from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

At the outset of the 2023 season, a total of 48 GTHA-born players own spots on active CFL rosters, from Ottawa Redblacks defensive back to Tiger-Cats offensive lineman .

Read on for more about where these players are from — and where they play now.

Nearly a fifth of the CFL’s GTHA players suit up for the Ticats. (Torontoverse)

Where are the GTHA players playing?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Tiger-Cats are a big employer of hometown talent. Nine of the 48 GTHAers play home games at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field — the highest number in the league.

Three teams — the Argonauts, Calgary Stampeders, and Saskatchewan Roughriders — tie for second in this regard with seven GTHA players each.

The Edmonton Elks, meanwhile, bring up the rear with just two — long snapper and offensive lineman , who both hail from the city of Toronto.

Three of the GTHA’s largest municipalities are well represented in the CFL. (Torontoverse)

Where in the GTHA are these players from?

A total of 12 municipalities have at least one representative in the CFL: Ajax, Aurora, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgina, Halton Hills, Hamilton, Markham, Mississauga, Pickering, and Toronto.

Toronto itself leads the way with 20 representatives, while Brampton and Hamilton tie for second with six.

However, the picture changes when you factor in the population disparity of the various areas.

Thanks to David Mackie, Georgina punches way above its weight. (Torontoverse)

By number of CFL players per 10,000 population, it’s not Toronto that reigns supreme. It’s York region town Georgina, which boasts one player — BC Lions fullback — versus a population of 47,642 residents. That equates to 0.210 players per 10,000 population.

Aurora and Burlington are the next two municipalities by this metric, with 0.161 and 0.160 per 10,000 respectively. Toronto is ninth with 0.072.

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