A look back on decades of Alouettes cheerleading after team overhauls program

Douglas Gelevan · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 20, 2026 2:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 20

A new group of cheerleaders is entertaining fans on the sidelines of Alouettes games this season. 

After decades of sourcing the in-game performers through an in-house program, the CFL franchise dropped their dance team, replacing it with the stunt cheer team from the Université de Montréal.

Without necessarily questioning the Carabins cheer team's abilities, some question whether this move does justice to the legacy of the club’s cheer teams that goes back decades. 

There was the baton-tossing Majorettes of the 50s, through the pompom-shaking era of the 60s and 70s, to the sporty knee-high sock laden power ballad era of the 80s, continuing through the calendar girls era of the mid-90s and 2000s, right up to modern day.

In a way, the Alouettes cheerleaders, their style, how they were perceived — whether they got paid — all reflected the societal attitudes of Montreal at the time.

So is this latest change the end to a longtime tradition? Or is it just another step in the evolution? 

WATCH | The legacy of Alouettes cheerleading:

The legacy of the football team's cheerleading program was also the subject of this week's This is Montreal podcast episode.

LISTEN | This is Montreal on the Alouettes and the cheerleading program:

And finally, here's a look at several women who left their mark on the Alouettes cheerleading program over the years.

PHOTOS | Alouettes cheerleaders, then and now: