Riders grade out well in 2025 CFLPA report card

The CFL Players’ Association report cards are out for 2025, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are near the top of the class across the board.

It’s the second year the CFLPA has put out the results of their player survey following the season.

Saskatchewan’s lowest grade was a C when it came to the treatment of families. The highest grade for the team came in the team travel category, where it received an A. The Riders were given an A-minus for coaching staff, football operations, strength and conditioning as well as training camp. They received a B-grade for ownership & business operations, facilities and equipment as well as therapy and medical staff. The club received a B-minus for nutrition and diet.

One of the anonymous comments on the Riders was, “Issues with community appearance money. Issues with multiple players,” and “Appearances were not offered at the rate expected, very slow.”

However, there were two comments about the improvement for the organization, such as, “Great improvements in nutrition, coaching, family events, strength training, so many improvements.”

Overall, some of the key takeaways were improvements in a number of areas, including strength and conditioning and nutrition across the league.

However, there are still a number of areas that need improvement.

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The CFLPA indicated the most commented thing in the survey was the accommodations for visiting players in Edmonton. There were also concerns around non-football services and appearance compensation, with members raising concerns about accessibility and opportunity for those services. The report card indicates in some cases, they aren’t being delivered consistently.

Concerns also remain when it comes to athletic therapy resources, with departments often understaffed.

One of the comments related to the B.C. Lions involved nutrition, for which the team scored an F.

“Small meals on the plane after the game. The overall nutrition of our team is very below par and what it should be for a professional football team. This needs major improvement,” the comment said.

Montreal scored an F grade when it came to the treatment of families.

“Family support and treatment on game days is non-existent and in my opinion needs the most. improvement of any category,” a comment said.

In a release, the CFLPA indicated the report cards, “present valuable insights, provided by players, about their respective clubs to not only assist one another in making informed free agency decisions but also to contribute to raising standards for conditions across the league.”

In the release, the CFLPA said “The 78-question survey was distributed online to all players on CFL rosters (Active, Practice and IR) at the time, ensuring every eligible member had an opportunity to participate and have their voice heard. The responses were collected anonymously, and a total of 381 players shared their experiences regarding their club’s workplace environment and conditions.”

That is down from the 495 who filled out the survey last time.

You can view the entire report card on the CFLPA website.