You may wonder who exactly the Atlantic Schooners are? You have probably never seen them play the Argos or throw a pass at Mosaic Stadium. The Schooners have never played a game but are steeped in urban legend and have surely made their mark with the CFL over the years.  A quick look at the history reveals the Schooners do exist (even though they do not exactly have players).

The Atlantic Schooners came into existence in 1984. The league was set on expansion and Atlantic Canada seemed like the perfect fit. With the inclusion of Atlantic Canada the league would then be coast-to-coast and truly Canadian. The Schooners were slated to play in Halifax the capital city of Nova Scotia. However, rough roads lay ahead for the Schooners.

The Schooners never got the chance to play a single game in the CFL. The Schooner’s place in the league was conditional on the franchise securing a CFL size stadium. Halifax only had the Stadium at St. Mary’s university. The stadium was too small for the CFL. Therefore, before the Schooners played a single game they defaulted.

Urban legends still swirl about the Atlantic Schooners CFL football team. Some people believe that the old scoreboard used by the New England Patriots was shipped to Halifax to be used at “Schooner Field”. The team never got to the point of having a stadium, but it is said that the scoreboard still rests in a warehouse somewhere in Dartmouth (part of the Halifax regional municipality). Another legend is that the owner of the Schooners had purchased all the turf he would need for the Schooners to play on. Unfortantly, without a stadium for the turf it could not be used. So, according to some, when the owner discovered he had no place to put his turf he simply disposed of it in the ocean. So the Schooners do have a field, it just happens to be underwater, somewhere in the Atlantic.

Recently there has been a push to bring back the Atlantic Schooners. A dedicated group of CFL fans have prowled Grey Cup cities for years raising awareness for there cause. Recently, the Schooners have held there own Grey Cup parties in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Toronto. The Schooners scored a major victory in 2005 when a CFL preseason game was played in Halifax. The game was called Touchdown Atlantic. The game sold out and was a great success. The Schooners now take their victory in Moncton and look to garner more support for Atlantic Canada’s future CFL team.

Current Movement
The Atlantic Schooners have been present at Grey Cup Events for the past 20 years. Led by John Ryerson who gained his passion for CFL Football while living in Regina ( Go Riders Go!) for 16 years prior to moving back to his birthplace Atlantic Canada in 1992.  The Schooners have been present as event attendee's and also event holders over the past 20 years. The mandate of the Schooner movement is to maintain the dream that some day we will play CFL Football somewhere in Atlantic Canada, while at the same time promoting the unique Maritime culture throughout  the rest of Canada.

Grey Cup Calgary 2009
The Schooners, after a one year absence, will be making their presence felt at Grey cup Calgary. The Schooners did not make it to Grey Cup Montreal and were missed by fans who look forward to the Schooner’s annual Down East Kitchen Party. The good news is the Schooners have will be bringing the Kitchen Party West in 2009. The group from Atlantic Canada is looking forward to once again being part of the festivities at Grey Cup. With past parties in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Toronto the Atlantic Canadian contingent is intent on leaving its mark on Alberta.