It is an end of an era for Mosaic Stadium as the Saskatchewan Roughriders play their final home game at the stadium before the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) field changes ahead of next season. When the Green and White take the field Saturday against the Edmonton Elks, it will be the final time fans see their team play a game with uprights at the front of a 20-yard endzone, a 110-yard field and centre at the 55. “Canadian football has always relied on tradition,” CFL on TSN Insider said in an essay bidding farewell to the beloved 55-yard line. “In fact, in a world where so much in sports has changed so unimaginably, the CFL’s sameness has become a part of its charm for at least a portion of its fan base.” On Sept. 22, 2025 the league announced sweeping rule changes. Rule changes such as a shortened play clock and altering of the single point ‘rouge’ were implemented at the beginning of the 2026 season. Others like the field being shortened from 110 yards to 100 yards, end zones shortened from 20 yards to 15 yards and goalposts moved from the goal line to the back of the end zones go into effect beginning in 2027. It is no secret the changes have drawn much attention from many CFL fans. Some going as far to call the changes, an ‘Americanization’ of the uniquely Canadian game. “I for one will not be there next year,” fan Doug Jordan said online. “After sixty years as a CFL fan, many of those as a season ticket holder in Ottawa, I won’t be back. If I wanted American football, I’d watch the NFL.” “Tomorrow, I go to my last Mosaic Stadium game with the unique Canadian field I cherished and loved for my 62 years,” said Rider fan Rod Podbielski in a post to social media. “I was angered, then saddened by why and how the CFL did its ‘modernization’ project, now I am numb. The relationship has changed and I know others feeling the same.” But Naylor does not see it that way. “I continue to be baffled that so many see a game with 3 downs, unlimited motion, 12-players aside, no fair-catch, 65-yards wide and one-yard off-the-ball as ‘Americanized,” Naylor said in a post. Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defensive back, and former Regina Ram, Jaxon Ford has run out to the field of Mosaic Stadium – and across the 55-yard-line – countless times. The Regina product says it will be odd not seeing the familiar ‘C’ between the 50-yard lines next season. “It’s going to be kind of weird not having that 55 there,” Ford told CTV News Friday. “I don’t think it will change too much, but it will feel a little bit different.” Except it is that different feel which, Ford says, he and other long-time CFL fans have come to love. “The end zones are a little bit different, the field goal posts are different,” he added. “And I think that’s what fans kind of gravitate towards; is that being different.” ‘A Canadian symbol’ To Naylor, the 55-yard-line represents more than just a mark on the field. “One change above all others seems to have struck a chord: the removal of the 55-yard line,” his essay went on to say. “Why? Because it’s a Canadian symbol like maple sirup, the beaver, Rocky Mountains or the Mounties.” However, Naylor believes this change is the least impactful of all the changes the CFL has – and will be – implanted. “It doesn’t change strategy one bit,” he said. “No one has ever said, ‘what makes the CFL game great is the 55-yard line.’ It’s all about the symbolism; meaningful to many, but not enough to stand in the way of change – something the league has been resistant towards for so long and is now ready to embrace.” CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston has been adamant the changes are in an aim to increase the number of touchdowns scored and reducing the occurrence of field goal attempts – not necessarily to increase scoring. “The uprights at the back is definitely going to be a big change,” Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther said. Lauther has kicked at CFL goal posts at the front of the endzone for much of his football career, going all the way back to Truro, NS. “I won’t be standing back there anymore on the 55 for a 55-yard field goal,” he explained. “If you add the eight yards plus the 15 [for the endzone], I’ll be standing at a very different part of the field kicking a 55, that’s for sure.” While Lauther knows the role may be different next season, he admits it will not change the job he has: make the kick. “It’s something as a kicker, I don’t really think about because I you don’t want to go into a kick planning to miss,” Lauther said about missed field goal returns. “It’s one of the most exciting parts of the game, and we still have returners up here – it’s a lot more exciting in my opinion.” A final farewell While there is still a postseason yet to be played, when the buzzer ends on this regular season a new era of CFL football will usher in. Under new rules, it is still true the game may look different than it has for a century. “It’s a Canadian thing,” Riders head coach Corey Mace said. “It’s been a part of this game for so long that it’s just anything when you get change, it’s just hard to see it until you’re a part of it.” One thing Mace agrees, is the play on the field will not be any different. “As coaches and the team, we’ll figure out logistically and schematically and how that can benefit us as we move forward, to make sure that we still give our fans something to cheer about,” he said. “That’s what it’ll come down to. But at the end of the day, your favourite players will be putting on the Green and White and representing your province. “The game is still going to be quite the same,” added Ford. “We still have the width, right? But the game is going to be the same and it’s going to be just as exciting.” Lauther had one final message for the Mosaic Stadium ‘55’ ahead of its final CFL game. “I’ll miss you,” he said with a chuckle. “Until you switch the rules, you don’t really know what’s going to happen. I guess you could always switch back, but it’s definitely going to be a different season.” Mosaic Stadium will be a large piece of the next iteration of CFL football as Regina will host the first Grey Cup game with the new field dimensions in 2027.
