For the first time since the team’s return to Montreal in 1996, the Alouettes are owned by a Quebecer: Pierre Karl Péladeau.
The president and CEO of Quebecor made the announcement Friday, in a press conference during which he was accompanied by the commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL), Randy Ambrosie.
A press conference on this subject is underway on TVA Sports and on TVA Sports Direct, as well as in the main video here.
Mr. Péladeau bought the club in the metropolis in his own name, which makes him the first Quebec owner of the club since Charles Bronfman. The latter owned the Alouettes, which were renamed the Concordes for a few years, from 1982 until the team’s disbandment following the 1986 season.
“I am a proud Montrealer. I was born in Montreal, in Cartierville. I had the privilege of studying in Montreal. […] I want to say this because the growth of university football in Quebec for decades is very important and it is in this vein that my acquisition of the Alouettes is part, he declared during a press conference. at the Olympic Stadium. I think it’s very important for organizations like Quebecor […] to become more involved in the community.
“It’s not regarding a financial or economic operation, but regarding pride,” he added. My commitment is long term. It’s a vision that will unfold over time.”
The businessman since also the first French-speaking owner of the “Als” since founder Léo Dandurand, who owned the team from 1946 to 1953.
Last December, when rumors concerning the sale of the team resurfaced, Mr. Péladeau confided in his interest in the club to the journalist of the “Journal de Montréal” Marc De Foy. He had specified that he liked the French-speaking face of the organization at the level of football operations. That face is chiefly general manager Danny Maciocia, who has never been shy regarding touting local talent and hiring local staff, coaches and players.
An uninterested succession
On February 14, the CFL placed the Alouettes under trusteeship following the fiasco surrounding the last owners. The Montreal club had been sold to two Ontario businessmen in December 2019, Sid Spiegel and his son-in-law Gary Stern. The first, who owned 75% of the team’s shares, died in 2021 and his estate was never really interested in the Alouettes.
The bickering between the latter and Stern has put several sticks in the wheels of the leaders of the “Sparrows”. At the end of this reign, Maciocia was no longer even allowed to offer contracts to players, which greatly complicated his job when the free agent market opened up.
To come back to Mr. Péladeau, he already has expertise as a sports team owner. In fact, Quebecor Media’s Sports and Entertainment sector owns the Quebec Remparts and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, two teams of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
“Our goal in this process was to put the Alouettes on the path to long-term success, with strong local ownership,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement. This goal has been achieved. It’s a special day for this dealership, as well as for its supporters in Montreal and across Quebec. Pierre Karl’s passion for sport, for entertainment and for his community is remarkable. I know he will do a tremendous job guiding the Alouettes.”