I love football.

More specifically, I love Canadian football. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say I am from Saskatchewan, where the Roughriders are always number one, even when they are losing.

So imagine my disappointment when I came to study in Ottawa, only to find an empty stadium at Lansdowne Park. The Renegades had played their last game in 2005. I arrived one year too late. Totally lame.

The Canadian Football League (CFL) and Ottawa have a rocky history. Two franchises — the Ottawa Rough Riders and then the Renegades — have come and gone. So yes, the CFL has failed here twice before, but that doesn’t mean it would fail a third time.

In fact, I’m sure that with the right management, football in Ottawa could be restored to its former glory.

Football is indeed taking another chance in this city — thanks to the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group’s (OSEG) Lansdowne Live  redevelopment proposal. The CFL has granted the group rights to a franchise. They’ve thrown the ball to the city, and now it’s up to council to carry it to the end zone.

A final decision on the plan is expected in June. Lansdowne Live might not have scored its touchdown just yet, but with the help of the city, it’s gained a few yards. Unfortunately, a June deadline adds a lot of time to the clock — time the opposition could use to shut down the plan for good.

Some city councillors and Ottawa residents have expressed their disapproval of Lansdowne Live and the possibility of having another CFL team. For some, they’re simply concerned that Lansdowne is not the best location. Others don’t think it will work based on Ottawa’s shaky sports history — besides football, baseball has also failed here.

But football has faced the same simple problem in Ottawa. The Rough Riders, who were at one time one of the best teams in the league, suffered under mismanagement, losing money until the team finally folded in 1996. The Renegades stormed onto the field in 2002 and faced the same fate. Operations were suspended indefinitely after the 2005 season.

You have to think that the CFL wouldn’t approve a franchise in a place if it’s doomed to fail. After all, when one team in a league is losing money, the entire league loses money. The league believes the OSEG has the right experience to succeed, especially with a guy like Jeff Hunt, owner of the Ottawa 67’s, on board.

And I don’t think anyone should be concerned about finding fans. Even though the Renegades had more losses than wins during their time, they were still able to draw crowds of more than 20,000. I don’t think that much has changed in four years.

The people who went out to those games would be the same people to fill the stadium if a new team steps onto the field. And look at all the people who filtered into pubs across the city Nov. 29 to watch the Grey Cup game — they would go to a CFL game in Ottawa, too.

Let’s not forget that this is not the first time the city has revived a fallen sports franchise. Think of the Ottawa Senators, a reincarnation of a pre-Original-Six-era National Hockey League (NHL) franchise. They finished last place in their first four seasons back, but no one gave up on them, and they are now one of the most profitable teams in the NHL.

Montreal was able to bring a CFL team back for a third time, and if they can do it, Ottawa can do it, too.

Like they say, the third time’s the charm. And I think it very well might be for Ottawa.
But the people of this great city need to give it a fair chance.