Clifford Starke formally announces intention to buy Alouettes

CTV Montreal: A new Als owner? Clifford Starke has formally announced his intention to buy the Alouettes.

When the Montreal Alouettes kick off next season, they may be doing it while owned by somebody other than Robert Wetenhall for the first time in the team’s current iteration.

On Thursday, Montreal businessman Clifford Starke confirmed rumours that he intends to acquire the Canadian Football League Franchise.

“In a period of uncertainty in respects to the future of the Alouettes, I would formally like to announce my intention to pursue the necessary steps in order to purchase the team, whatever those steps may be, while respecting the process of the Canadian Football League,” Starke said in a statement. “It is my desire and goal to bring the Grey Cup back to where it belongs – Montreal.”

The Alouettes returned to the CFL in 1997 after the original team folded in 1981 when Wetenhall acquired what was then the Baltimore Stallions and moved them to Montreal.

The team saw success under his leadership, winning three Grey Cup championships, but the team has struggled in recent years, missing the playoffs for four seasons in a row and failing to post a winning record since 2012.

“I sat and watched throughout my formative years the power of the Alouettes organization, not only within the stadium, but also throughout the community and Quebec as a whole,” said Starke. “I sat beside the Alouettes Icon Larry Smith and had aspirations of being Michael Soles and Ben Cahoon. I stood for hours to watch the 2002 Grey Cup parade with over a million other Québécoisfilled with Alouette pride.”