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| Formation | 1961; 65 years ago (1961) |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Association |
| Headquarters | Richmond Hill, Ontario |
Region served | Canada |
| Membership | 56 schools |
CEO | Pierre Arsenault |
Main organ | Executive Committee |
| Website | usports |
U Sports (stylized asU SPORTS) is the nationalsport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences:Ontario University Athletics (OUA),Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ),Canada West (CW), andAtlantic University Sport (AUS). The equivalent body for organized sports atcolleges in Canada is theCanadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Some institutions are members of both bodies for different sports.
University sport in Canada emerged during the early 20th century through a collection of regional intercollegiate associations. These bodies organized competition in sports such as football, hockey, basketball, and track and field, but there was no single national authority responsible for governance, eligibility standards, or national championships. Regional conferences operated independently, and coordination at the national level remained limited until the early 1960s.[1]
With the collapse of the CIAU Central in the mid-1950s, calls for a new, national governing body for university sport accelerated. Once theRoyal Military College of Canada became a degree granting institution, Major W. J. (Danny) McLeod, athletic director at the RMC directed the establishment of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU) in 1961.[2]
A national framework for university athletics was established in 1961 with the creation of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU). The CIAU aimed to unify university sport across the country by providing standardized eligibility rules, coordinating national championships, and offering a consistent administrative structure. Through the 1970s and 1980s, the organization expanded its championship offerings and formally incorporated a growing number of women’s sports, reflecting broader developments in Canadian and international athletics.[3]
From 1965 to 1967, former McMaster University athletic directorIvor Wynne was the CIAU president.[4] In 1966, he chaired a committee studying whether to allowathletic scholarships in the CIAU, for discussion at the 1967 general meeting.[5] The CIAU decided that scholarships should not be given out solely based on athletic merits, upholding that scholarships were based on academic merits. The CIAU also felt that students who acceptedNational Collegiate Athletic Association scholarships in the United States, would not have qualified for academic standards at Canadian universities.[6] In 1968, Wynne helped propose aPrairie Bowl in Western Canada as part of a national playdown for theCIAU College Bowl.[7]
In 2001, the CIAU rebranded as Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).[8] The change was intended to modernize its identity and improve visibility. During the CIS era, the governing body emphasized more formalized governance practices, expanded commercial and media partnerships, and increased broadcasting of national events. Flagship championships such as the Vanier Cup benefited from greater national exposure during this period.[9]
In October 2016, CIS rebranded as U Sports, to appeal to a broader audience and simplify branding.[10] Since the rebranding, U Sports has prioritized digital media growth, unified championship branding, and enhanced support for athlete recruitment, academic standards, mental health, and gender equity initiatives.[11] The organization today oversees more than twenty national championships across four regional conferences—Canada West,Ontario University Athletics (OUA), theRéseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), andAtlantic University Sport (AUS)—representing over fifty universities and thousands of student-athletes across Canada.[12]
The U Sports member institutions offerathletic scholarships known as Athletic Financial Awards (AFA); subject to minimum academic requirements. The AFA's are capped and may not exceed the value of the tuition and compulsory fees for the student-athlete. Universities also may provide additional non-athletic awards including academic scholarships and needs-based grants for athletes in addition to this cap, provided the additional awards do not include athletic criteria. In 2008–09 one in two U Sports athletes was receiving an athletic scholarship.[13]
Increasingly, U Sports schools are offering booster-support programs, where alumni, parents and/or corporations can donate money to a targeted fund especially designed to off-set a student-athlete's tuition and living costs. TheUniversity of Windsor has anAdopt-A-Lancer program,[14] for example. U Sports has no regulations regarding how much each school can provide to teams through private support. The Université Laval'sRouge et Or football team, winner of seven of the last 12Vanier Cups, is so successful with fund raising that the team trains inFlorida during the spring.[15]
Canadian Hockey League teams offer financial support for their graduates – who attend school within two years of playing major junior – who choose to play for a U Sports school after graduating frommajor junior hockey based on a model where the league will give scholarships commensurate with the seasons they played in the CHL.
Beginning with the 2024–25 season, students could receive athletic scholarships regardless of the grades they received in their final year of high school or CEGEP. U Sports institutions also became required to give at least 45% of their athletic scholarship units to both athletes on men's teams and athletes on women's teams.[16]
U Sports currently awards 21 national championship sports. Sports sanctioned include the following:basketball,cross country,curling,fencing,field hockey (women),football (men),golf,ice hockey,rugby union (women),soccer,swimming,track and field,volleyball, andwrestling.[17]
| No. | Sport | Founded | Teams | Season | Most Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basketball | 1962 | 48 | Fall | Carleton (17) |
| 2 | Curling | 2008 | 16 | Fall | Wilfrid Laurier (4) |
| 3 | Football | 1961 | 27 | Winter | Laval (12) |
| 4 | Ice hockey | 1961 | 35 | Winter | Alberta (16) |
| 5 | Soccer | 1972 | 48 | Fall | UBC (14) |
| 6 | Volleyball | 1966 | 31 | Winter | Manitoba, Winnipeg, Alberta (10) |
| No. | Sport | Founded | Teams | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cross country | 1963 | 34 | Fall |
| 2 | Swimming | 1965 | INC | Winter |
| 3 | Track & field | 1981 | 31 | Winter |
| 4 | Wrestling | 1969 | 15 | Winter |
| No. | Sport | Founded | Teams | Season | Most Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basketball | 1977 | 48 | Fall | Victoria (9) |
| 2 | Curling | 2008 | 16 | Fall | Alberta (5) |
| 3 | Field hockey | 1975 | 10 | Fall | UBC (19) |
| 4 | Ice hockey | 1997 | 35 | Winter | Alberta (8) |
| 5 | Rugby union | 1998 | 26 | Fall | Alberta, St. Francis Xavier (6) |
| 6 | Soccer | 1987 | 52 | Fall | UBC (7) |
| 7 | Volleyball | 1969 | 43 | Winter | UBC (13) |
| No. | Sport | Founded | Teams | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cross country | 1988 | 34 | Fall |
| 2 | Swimming | 1971 | INC | Winter |
| 3 | Track & field | 1981 | 31 | Winter |
| 4 | Wrestling | 1999 | 15 | Winter |
U Sports hosts national championships for the following sports:[18]
| Sport | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball | 1963– | 1987– |
| Cross country | 1963– | 1988– |
| Curling | 2008– | 2008– |
| Field hockey | 1975– | |
| Football | 1965– | |
| Ice hockey | 1963– | 1998– |
| Rugby union | 1998– | |
| Soccer | 1972– | 1987– |
| Swimming | 1965– | 1971– |
| Track & field | 1981– | 1981– |
| Volleyball (indoor) | 1967– | 1971– |
| Wrestling | 1969– | 1999– |
There are 58 member universities in U Sports. These 58 member universities are currently organized into the four following regional associations. In some of these sports, these associations are sometimes referred to as conferences. These conferences also organize regional championships.[19][20][21]
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