SFU ends varsity football program

Simon Fraser University (SFU) has announced its varsity football program has ended.

In a statement Tuesday, the university says the decision was made after its affiliate agreement with the Lone Star Conference in the southwestern U.S., in which SFU competes, was not renewed.

“With the recent announcement that the team will not be invited to continue with Lone Star, we don’t have a conference to play in for 2024,” said Provost and Vice President Academic pro tem (interim) Wade Parkhouse.

SFU says it’s making the decision now to “give students time to make other plans for their athletic careers if they so choose.”

According to the university, a number of football programs have been discontinued within the NCAA Division II. SFU is the only Canadian institution that is a member of NCAA Division II.

With the loss of the football program, SFU now has 18 varsity sports in Division II.

Apart from the Burnaby-based school, only two other football programs west of Colorado remained in Division II.

It’s for this reason SFU says it joined the Lone Star Conference, which it signed to as an affiliate member in 2021 for two years.

“In January, they let us know that their council presidents had voted not to renew us for another two years. So this left us in a tough position without a conference to play in. We did quite a bit of work and research and really looked at what other options there were and with all that information the university carefully considered everything and came to that difficult conclusion that football was no longer a feasible sport at Simon Fraser,” SFU Senior Director of Athletics and Recreation Theresa Hanson told CityNews Tuesday.

SFU football players during a game

Simon Fraser University (SFU) has announced its varsity football program is no more. (Courtesy SFU)

SFU says it is providing all student-athletes in the football program with “one-on-one guidance regarding next steps,” adding those who want to explore options outside of SFU will also receive help.

It says it will “honour athletic scholarship commitments for those who choose to remain at SFU and meet eligibility requirements for the 2023-24 school year.”

In a statement, SFU President Joy Johnson said this was a “difficult decision, and not one taken lightly.”

SFU decision to end football program ‘disappointing’: alumnus

The decision to end the football program is being described as disappointing by many, including former BC Lion Giulio Caravatta, who played for SFU in the 1980s.

“To say that it caught me off guard, I would be lying. I was shocked, actually, when I heard that,” he told CityNews of the moment he learned of SFU’s decision.

He says he’s gone through a wave of emotions, one of them being disappointment.

“Another big part for me right away was the kids up there. I know that in the press release today that [SFU] had said they wanted to make the experience as good as they can for the student-athlete up there — well they put those football players and the upcoming football players in the worst possible position,” Caravatta explained, noting spring camp is just finishing up.

“You have to think to yourself, all the universities at this point have finished their recruiting for next year and roster spots and money are pretty much done. For a kid to transfer now to another school is going to be very difficult.”

He says the decision is also a blow to the students who’ve turned down other opportunities to play at SFU — something Caravatta admits is gutting to think about.

“It’s a big deal for them. They worked their whole life to get to this point.”

Hanson says timelines were considered. But she admits, “There’s never a good time to make such a difficult decision or announcement on that decision.”

“Once the decision was made, we really wanted to ensure that we gave the student-athletes as much time as possible so they can really look at their options and transfer to other schools, if that worked for them,” she said.

Hanson adds some students have already begun “moving on to other universities,” just mere hours after the decision went public.

“As a parent of a former student-athlete in the college system, this is devastating news — it’s devastating for the student-athletes, it’s devastating for their families. Those incoming recruits made a decision. They made a very thoughtful decision to come to Simon Fraser University to pursue athletics in the NCAA and academics at our great institution. So this is devastating to them. Like our current student-athletes, we will work with those incoming recruits because some of them might still want to come here,” Hanson explained.

SFU ‘exhausted’ all options: athletics and recreation

As an alumnus, Caravatta tells CityNews he only found out the latest information Monday night — after the decision had been made. Had SFU gone to the community to try to find another way forward, he says he would then have known it did everything it could to keep the tradition alive.

“I know that finding a place to play, and there’s a lot of things at play here, but I think too that if you’re in a position of leadership … you need to try to find answers. One, be transparent and communicate,” Caravatta explained, adding he feels the situation was “very, very poorly handled.'”

“I’m not naïve — I know that football costs money. But at least put it on the table. ‘This is what we need.’ And if we can do it, at least we’re going to get a chance to step up to the plate and grab a bat and take a swing. This way, I feel like we didn’t even get a chance to help out in any way. We just saw a program basically with a pen just get swooshed off the face of the earth.”

However, Hanson says after the Lone Star decision came down in January, key members of the alumni, along with coaching staff, were contacted to talk about all potential options.

“It’s our job to go and talk to the different sporting organizations, which we did. We talked to those in the NCAA, we talked to USports, and we talked to the NAIA, and we looked at all the different conferences and options. And yes, we did not go and consult with all our alumna — it’s a difficult thing to do — but the reason we didn’t is because there was quite a bit of conversation and discussion that we needed to do at our level,” she explained, adding all avenues were “exhausted.”

SFU football players during a game

Simon Fraser University (SFU) has ended its varsity football program. (Courtesy SFU)

USports, she says, wasn’t an option, as SFU “doesn’t meet the current bylaws.” Pursuing an exemption for the football program is “very complex,” “unprecedented,” and comes without any assurances, Hanson adds.

“We are incredibly proud of our football program, and the many athletes, coaches, and alumni who have come through the program and contributed to the legacy of SFU football. We’ve sent over 150 athletes onto the pros, to the CFL, and we’re really proud of that and will always be proud of that,” she said.

The SFU Football Alumni Society is petitioning the university to restore the program, saying on an online forum that it is “taking steps to prevent SFU from canceling the SFU Football Program.”

“Please show your support by signing the petition,” the alumni said.

‘I became a man out here’: Caravatta 

The BC Lions have also weighed in, saying in a statement that it’s “deeply saddened and disappointed” by the news.

“Today’s news impacts several dedicated individuals, in particular the student-athletes, coaches, staff, countless volunteers, parents and, of course, alumni, who tirelessly dedicated themselves to the SFU program,” the club said.

“The long and rich history included a very proud chapter that highlights its bond with our team and league. Lui Passaglia, Rick Klassen, Nick Hebeler, Glen Jackson, Sean Millington and Angus Reid are just a few of the greats who came through SFU, building a tradition that continues today with current Lions Michael Couture and Jordan Herdman-Reed.”

 

The Lions organization says it will continue to support amateur football at all levels.

Meanwhile, Caravatta says the loss of another program goes against work to build the sport up.

“My heart goes out to [the students]. I am very lucky and fortunate — I get a chance now to coach at the high school level and some of the athletes that I’ve coached are on their way up there. I honestly feel sick. I don’t even know what to say to them. I know what the experience at Simon Fraser did for me,” he told CityNews.

“I became a man out here. I learned how to live on my own, I learned how to do a lot of things that make me what I am today. The other big experience is my greatest friends, the guys that are closest to me today, are those friends that I made at SFU — that was in 1986. To think that some of those kids aren’t going to get a chance to have those kinds of relationships that you have when you not only play football, but you play sports … it really, really pains me to think that some of those athletes up there are not going to get that experience.”

Canada West Universities Athletic Association adds, “it is always disheartening to see a program get cut at any institution and the direct impact that these decisions have on the student-athletes, coaches, staff, and alumni.”

SFU says the Athletics Awards and Hall of Fame banquet, which was set for Wednesday, April 5, is being rescheduled for the fall.

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