CPL commissioner David Clanachan was on TSN Radio 690 in Montreal on Tuesday, as he joined host Tony Marinaro to chat about the league’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as rumours surrounding expansion into Quebec.

He said that his level of optimism has been growing in recent days, as he fielded questions about the CPL’s ability to emerge from the pandemic.

“When you get on a roll and you start to feel some momentum, and maybe it’s just because spring ‘s really in the air now so people are feeling more optimistic. … It’s easy to get very positive about things,” Clanachan said.

Asked if the CPL is, similar to other sports leagues, looking into the possibility of neutral-site venues for a modified season, Clanachan left the possibility open.

“We’re very interested in understanding how that works,” he said. “Some of the countries over in Europe are ahead of us on the curve, so we’re listening watching and learning whats going on.

He added: “There are a lot of hurdles attached to it, (but) I don’t think anything, truthfully, is insurmountable. … I am very interested to see how this plays itself out.”

The commissioner also mentioned that, if it were to come to that, a number of locations would likely “put up their hand” if asked.

Marinaro also asked about CPL expansion, particularly to the province of Quebec.

“We still have a number (of groups) that are interested, but no one has stepped across the line yet,” he said. “From a league perspective, we believe that the CPL — I’ve always said coast to coast is one thing, but we need a team in the province of Quebec to really be able to put our full and final stamp on an all-Canadian Premier League.”

The full interview is available here.