CTFL Athlete Information

What was the Athlete selection process?

Athletes will be able to register on their own or will contacted either individually or through their clubs. Those who agree to partake in the CTFL will be entered into a pool of eligible prospects. From the prospect pool, the four CTFL teams will select four athletes per event, evenly split between men and women (two men and two women per event for each team) and six utility athletes. Once an athlete is drafted, they will compete for their team they were drafted to. Athletes will only be able to switch teams if they are traded or released which can only be done after the championship has been completed. For athletes this only affects what team you represent at the official CTFL meets.

The CTFL is targeting those athletes in the U25 range, however all athletes are welcome regardless of age pending they meet the leagues minimum eligibility standards.

To be eligible to enter into the CTFL prospect pool, athletes must have achieved the following standards within the past two outdoor seasons (2020 & 2021). These standards are dictated in general by the top 50 performances per event in Canada during the previous season. They are as follows:

 

Official CTFL Athletes

Introduction

Once athletes have been drafted from the pool of potential prospects, they are now a member of the CTFL. There are currently no contracts that need to be signed (this is up for change) nor the need to switch clubs or coaches. Athletes are still members of their current clubs for which they register to receive their athlete ID. Therefore, your CTFL team does not replace your club or coach. The league is designed similarly to how a series of meets would be organized with athletes signing up and then competing. The difference is that athletes are now placed on teams for which they accumulate points and in the end some receive cash prizes.  

Core Athlete vs Utility Athlete: Whats the difference?

Core athletes are those that makeup the majority of the CTFL. Each team will have minimum of 24 (and a maximum of 25) core athletes that are required to partake in at least one preliminary event and the championship. We urge that if athletes can meet this requirement, that they register as "Core" athletes as they will be the featured CTFL athletes and will be eligible for the greatest amount of cash prizes.

Utility athletes will have 7-8 spots per team (depending on the number of core athletes on a team) and can compete in any of the 8 official CTFL events. These spots are meant for athletes that are unable to meet the requirements set out for the "Core" athletes. Reasons for registering as a utility athlete would be due to the inability to make it to the required meets due to logistical constraints or if you plan on making a national team that would cause you to miss the required meets. As there are only 6 spots available per team, we expect that these positions will be more competitive come the draft.

What are the Core Athlete's season requirements?

Core Athletes are required to participate in at least one of the three designated preliminary meets as well as the championship meet to be held in Ottawa on July 20th. In addition, the athlete must compete in at least four meets for their chosen event up to an including the championship meet on July 20th. An example of the minimum requirement is; an athlete competes in one designated CTFL preliminary meet and then competes in two other meets recognized by their provincial athletics organization, and then participates the championship. If an athlete is unable to meet these requirements, we ask that they do not enter the CTFL's prospect pool. 

Should an athlete be drafted to a CTFL team and fails to meet the requirements as listed above, they will be prohibited from competing with the league indefinitely. However, there are some exceptions if the athlete must drop out of the CTFL due to extenuating circumstances such as injury, partaking in a national team event coinciding with the championship date, etc.

In the case of an athlete needing to drop out during the season for whatever reason, the CTFL will keep a pool of reserve athletes for each event. The reserve athletes will be formed from those who go undrafted once the entry draft is complete. Reserve athletes will earn points just as those who they are replacing would, with their points being counted towards their assigned teams total.  

What are the Utility Athlete's season requirements?

Utility athletes must compete in a minimum of four meets before the July 20th championship in their primary event. These athletes top four marks will be included in their total points. Utility athletes are not required to attend any CTFL meets, however if they do, they are still eligible to receive bonus points towards their total (this includes National Track and Field Tour meets as well). Just as with Core athletes, if a Utility athlete is injured, a reserve athlete will take their place for the remainder of the season. 

Utility Athletes will register the same way Core athlete will and will be drafted from the prospect pool. 

What happens if an athlete is injured? 

Should an athlete become injured at some point during the season, they must notify the CTFL as soon as possible. You may be asked to provide some level of proof. Injured athletes are still eligible to win cash prizes if they are in the position necessary within the standings and will receive their share of the team cash prize if they belong to the winning team. 

What singlets will athletes wear?

Athletes are required to wear their designated CTFL singlets while competing at the official CTFL preliminary and championship meets. Singlets will be paid partially by the athletes and partially by the CTFL (see financial aspects for more info). There will also be a sponsor for each team which will be present on the singlets themselves. 

Financial Aspects

As the CTFL is entering its inaugural season, the league's compensation structure is flexible. Currently, athletes will be required to register and pay for their own meets. As this is something that athletes would normally do, we feel it is appropriate. Secondly, a team singlet will need to be worn at all official CTFL meets. The league will require athletes to pay for 50% of the singlet's cost with the league covering the remaining 50%. At the conclusion of the season, athletes will have the option to either keep their singlets or auction them off. Athletes electing to auction their singlets off will be asked to sign the singlet. If an athlete's singlet is sold, they will get their initial 50% cost back, in addition to all of the profit made above the original cost of the singlet. Lastly, travel and accommodation will be at the expense of the athlete. Considering that under normal circumstances athletes would normally pay for these expenses themselves, we have chosen to compensate athletes through prize winnings. 

The final prize winnings will be announced at a later date. The minimum total prize fund will be $7,800. These funds will be distributed in three ways:

1. Top 3 core athletes per event
2. Top 6 of the utility athletes out of the 29 utility athletes
3. The winning team, to be distributed equally amongst its member

In addition, the league will be announcing other opportunities for CTFL athletes to generate income such as, working with our sponsors, being compensated for signing products, potential media interviews, and other branding opportunities. 

As stated previously, all of the financial aspects are at the league's projections for what is the minimum. Hence, depending on the levels of financial support, the league will look to increase the amount of funding athletes can receive either by decreasing the expenses incurred or increasing the prize fund.

Future Seasons

As it is the CTFL's first season, we have chosen to only represent eight of our sport's disciplines. However, with additional financial support, it is possible we add more disciplines for the 2022 season or wait until the 2023 season to include more events. Athletes who are members of the CTFL this season will have the ability to hold their position within the league for next year as long as the team agrees as well. These athletes must declare their intention to remain in the league at the end of the 2022 CTFL season.

For the 2023 season, there will be another entry draft for eligible athletes in order to fill the remaining positions. These open positions would be created through an expansion of the league or an increase in the number of athletes per event.

Final Note for Athletes

As of right now, our funding is based on projections for what we believe to be the minimum level of financial resources we will have at our disposal for the upcoming season. However, it is more than likely that the prize fund will increase substantially before the beginning of the season. In addition, there may be events added prior to the season beginning, so for those athletes who are not currently represented, there is still a chance your event will be added either this upcoming season or in the near future.

We hope you consider partaking in the league as we project it will grow fast, and with it, the benefits to athletes will increase. As previously stated, those who are on CTFL teams this season will benefit from having the ability to remain in the league next year. Therefore, it is in the best interest of athletes who plan to enter the league to do so as soon as possible.

Lastly, the CTFL would like to thank all athletes. This league may be starting off small, but we aim to build upon this upcoming season to help the sport of track and field grow. We believe that the league's model will benefit athletes, with the potential to earn cash prizes and develop your personal brand, all while keeping your expenses low and competing against some of the best in the country.