Winnipeg Rifles


The Winnipeg Rifles are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Rifles are members of the Canadian Junior Football League and play their home games at IG Field, home of the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

History

Junior football in Winnipeg dates back to the 1920s, with the formation of the Manitoba Junior Football League. In 1953, teams from Winnipeg began playing in the CJFL, the most successful being the Winnipeg Rods, who won three championships. Those teams would eventually fold or merge. The Winnipeg Hawkeyes were the last Winnipeg-based team prior to the Rifles, folding in 1996.
In 1999, an effort to bring back a team to Winnipeg was headed by James Ladd. The team began play in the CJFL in 2002, playing out of Canad Inns Stadium. Beginning in 2013, the Rifles began to play out of Investors Group Field.
The team is named after the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Regiment that was founded in 1883.

Games