Winnipeg Rifles

The Winnipeg Rifles is a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Rifles are members of the Canadian Junior Football League and play their home games in Maple Grove Park.

This article is about the football team. For the military unit, see The Royal Winnipeg Rifles.
Winnipeg Rifles
Team logo
Established1999 (1999)
Based inWinnipeg, Manitoba
Home stadiumMaple Grove Park
Head coachGeordie Wilson
General managerLaurie Hoel
LeagueCanadian Junior Football League
DivisionPrairie Football Conference
ColoursBlack, navy blue, gold, silver
WebsiteOfficial website

History
Canad Inns Stadium, where the Rifles played until 2012

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 (Manitoba Football Hall of Fame inductee). The team began play in the CJFL in 2002, playing out of Canad Inns Stadium. From 2013 to 2019, the Rifles began to play out of IG Field. As of the 2021 season, home games are played at Maple Grove Rugby Park in St. Vital.

The team is named after the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Regiment which was founded in 1883.

Games
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