The nightmare of the Quebec football fan

La Belle Province football fans will not know where to look on Saturday night, as a clash between the University of Montreal Carabins and the Laval University Rouge et Or will begin practically at the same time. time for the Montreal Alouettes game.

There will also be a duel between two powers of the first collegiate division, the Phénix of André-Grasset and the Spartans of Old Montreal. A situation deplored by the former Carabins quarterback and now Phoenix attack coordinator, Gabriel Cousineau.

“It’s the biggest football weekend since the pandemic began. It could have been a dream weekend, but it’s a bit of a football fan’s nightmare that all three games are at the same time, ”he said when reached by phone on Friday.

Cousineau does not want to point the finger at anyone, but refers to a general lack of communication.

“It’s not nobody’s fault and it’s everyone’s fault at the same time. Of course, the Quebec Student Sport Network (RSEQ) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) have been asked a lot to coordinate. But, if we want participation to increase, while football registrations keep dropping, we must allow young people and amateurs to take full advantage of the offer we have in Quebec. ”

Lack of visibility

Dreaming of a model like the one in place in the United States, where Friday is reserved for high school football, Saturday for college students and Sunday for the NFL, Cousineau knows very well that the reality is different in Quebec. However, he believes that there is a shortfall between the visibility objectives and the means taken to obtain them.

“The CFL certainly has its role to play in the next generation of Canadian football by having a presence in the community,” he added. The RSEQ, which wants to send as many players as possible to the pros to promote its circuits, must allow its young people to attend pro games. ”

Several times in the interview, Cousineau stressed that he wanted Quebec to give itself the means to achieve its ambitions.

“It is by making small changes in our way of doing things that it will allow more players to break through in the pros. We are proud of the guys back home who play in the CFL and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Benjamin St-Juste who have achieved the unthinkable playing in the NFL. It’s important to keep moving forward. ”

A fan

On a more personal note, the pandemic has been confronting for Cousineau. The young 30-something, who decided to make his professional life in football after graduating from college, had no choice but to question his future.

“During the pandemic, I had to sit down and ask myself questions. I even became a baker, ”revealed the man who accepted the position he held at Collège André-Grasset last summer.

Questions quickly took hold, once he set foot on the pitch again this summer.

“When I came back to football, during the Phoenix’s first training session, it immediately reminded me that it’s football that I want to play in life. My goal is to help Quebec football in the long term, ”proclaimed the man whose passion for his sport is definitely well established.