Inside the CFL: Stamps have right man at helm to return to Grey Cup legacy

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on August 7, 2025.

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uring Jay McNeil’s 14-year career (1994-2007) as an offensive lineman with the Calgary Stampeders, he played in four Grey Cups, winning two, was a CFL all-star three times and made the Western Division dream team six times.

In 2005 and 2006 his teammates awarded him the President’s Ring, which is presented annually to the player best combining excellence on the field with leadership, inspiration and motivational skills. After retirement the Kent State, University of New Brunswick graduate forged a successful career in the oil patch.

On Jan. 23, 2024 he took on perhaps his greatest challenge yet when he was hired as president of the Calgary Stampeders. He’s a great guy, he doesn’t need the money, he’ll be 55 this month, so what possessed him to take on an enterprise as unstable as professional football?

“Obviously, I love the Calgary Stampeders for so many reasons,” he said. “On a personal level, everything I have today and everything I have from a career and family standpoint, my love of Calgary, I owe to the Calgary Stampeders and to the game of football and the CFL.

“So the opportunity to come back and join the team, there wasn’t a whole lot to think about when the offer came.”

During much of McNeil’s playing career, team attendance averaged between 30,000 and 35,000 fans per game. Last year, the first time the Red and White missed the playoffs since 2004, attendance averaged 21,151. Just 10 seasons ago, the figure was 30,346. The shrinking season ticket base features an older demographic. The biggest challenge is getting young people to buy in to what the Stamps are selling.

“From a business plan perspective, ” the president explained, “the way sports are consumed by a younger demographic is different. Whether on social media or coming to a game, things have changed and we have to change with it.

“How do we tell our story? The media has changed. We don’t have several newspapers telling our story every day. We need to make sure we are doing the best we can to tell our story. How do you connect with different demographics? How do we get younger people to come to a game and follow the team? That’s the challenge.

“Technology has changed everything. We don’t necessarily have the resources that the NFL or NHL has, so how do we connect with different demographics? That’s the business challenge.

“The challenge on the field is all about winning the Grey Cup. This year we’ve had so much turnover of coaches and players. How do we get them to come together and buy in? I think Dave (Dickenson) and his staff have done a tremendous job. You can see on the sidelines how players believe in each other, how they fight for each other. I’m really excited about where we’re going.

“Winning the Grey Cup does really impact the community. That can be the coolest thing about it. So does losing. You can feel that the last couple of years when we were 6-12 and 5-12-1. Fast forward to where we are today. You can feel the community starting to talk about the Stampeders. Things have changed, there is something going on here. Hopefully we can continue that build up.”

After starting the season with wins over Hamilton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Saskatchewan, the injury bug bit the club and they’ve lost to Ottawa and Montreal. But with only two games this month (vs. Winnipeg and Saskatchewan), they should be healthy and formidable down the stretch.

That will help ticket sales.

What also helps is what McNeil has stressed in the community.

“I’m most proud of our 337 community appearances by our players last year, 60 school visits, 68 charities we support and 40 amateur football programs.”

The in-game experience is so important these days. With the former great Stampeder in charge, McMahon Stadium has become a fun place to be. With ownership’s (the Calgary Flames) blessing the team is devoting more resources to marketing.

“I’m really excited about where we are going as an organization because we are doing the right things,” McNeil enthused. “We are really focused on making this the best we can.”

The icing on the cake will be winning the Grey Cup. They have a realistic chance of doing so. They certainly have the right man at the top.

Graham Kelly has covered the CFL for the Medicine Hat News for 53 years. Feedback for this column can be emailed to sports@medicinehatnews.com.