Rip sfu

[AngeloV]

Looks like Simon Fraser University will at least suspend operations of their football program, as they have no league to play in. According to Jim Mullin, they were rejected in their requests to join the NAIA and Usport.
They should have stuck around last time they were in Usport. I can't blame Usport for not wanting them now. They can't be trusted. Usport should make them sign a long term commitment, and then agree to let them join.

[bannedforlife]

U Sports is saying SFU didn't submit an application to rejoin. This one reeks of politics, like an SFU admin wanted it gone.

[OV Argo]

U Sports is saying SFU didn't submit an application to rejoin. This one reeks of politics, like an SFU admin wanted it gone.

Hope for getting back in U Sports ball down the road perhaps? Doman & the Lions just gave some ca$h to amateur football in BC - he might have some input along with some new leadership at SFU that cares about Canadian football. Pretty costly to travel to all those places in the States for the SFU team? - playing in CanWest makes too much sense.

Might be a short-term windfall for UBC's team if they can scoop a few good SFU players.

[bannedforlife]

Might be a short-term windfall for UBC's team if they can scoop a few good SFU players.

I was surprised to learn their CIS record in the 2000's was about as bad as their won loss record in NCAA Div II and IIRC they were allowed to dole out scholarships. UBC beat them in their last matchup while playing American rules. They might have been living off their rep for developing players from 30-40 years ago.

[shayman]

Who could have predicted that SFU playing football in a conference based mostly in Texas wouldn't work out?

Feeling a little schadenfreude here. SFU's belief that Canadian university sport isn't good enough for them has always rubbed me the wrong way.

[AngeloV]

Who could have predicted that SFU playing football in a conference based mostly in Texas wouldn't work out?

Feeling a little schadenfreude here. SFU's belief that Canadian university sport isn't good enough for them has always rubbed me the wrong way.

Especially since they really struggled in Canada West when last they played in the conference. But BC amateur football has always pissed me off anyway. In high school, they play on a US sized field with US rules.

[bannedforlife]

Feeling a little schadenfreude here. SFU's belief that Canadian university sport isn't good enough for them has always rubbed me the wrong way.

Nobody should be happy or gloating about this. Looking back at their record in CIS, it was very poor so they would have no reason to high hat Canada.

Just found an old article that should explain a few things.

SFU to Leave Canadian Interuniversity Sport for NCAA DII? It needs to be stopped.
Tobi Writes bleacherreport.com August 28, 2009

[bannedforlife]

Looks like the SFU Alumni aren't too happy

‘We’re not going to go away’: B.C. Lions owner Amar Doman urges fans to ‘make some noise’ against cancellation of Simon Fraser football program
3Down Staff 3downnation.com April 6, 2023

Final decision: Simon Fraser A.D. Theresa Hanson didn’t apply to U Sports due to ‘incredibly complex’ process
John Hodge 3downnation.com April 5, 2023

You'll know the political BS is on if U Sports is pressured into granting SFU a one time exemption (which I can see them doing) and SFU makes up some BS and refuses. Then you'll know if SFU wanted that program to be dead.

[bannedforlife]

Injunction to be filed for reinstatement of Simon Frasier University football program
The Canadian Press April 11, 2023

The fight to reinstate Simon Fraser University's football program has become a legal battle.

The Simon Fraser Football Alumni Society will file an injunction against the Burnaby, B.C., school to reinstate its football program. The litigation, originally scheduled to be filed Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court, will now go Thursday with the Alumni Society doing so on behalf of seven players on the team.

"Normally, an injunction is something you seek before the action is taken," said Glen Orris, a Vancouver lawyer and former SFU football player who's also the director of the SFU Football Alumni Society. "The action will be for breach of contract.

"What we're saying is by terminating the program, they're breaching the contract they had with the student-athletes."

The move comes a week after school president Joy Johnson announced Simon Fraser was discontinuing its football program, effective immediately. Johnson added the decision wasn't based upon money, rather the Texas-based Lone Star Conference's announcement it would not renew its football affiliation with Simon Fraser past the 2023 campaign.

Simon Fraser posted a 1-9 record last year. But in March, the football team promoted Eric Taylor to offensive coordinator and hired Samuel Richard as its special-teams coordinator.

SFU is the only Canadian school in the NCAA and has had a football team since 1965.

"I'm hoping the matter will be resolved quickly without having to deal with the legal issues," said Orris, a former receiver at Simon Fraser who also spent three seasons with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "As a lawyer, my view is going to court is your last option when all else fails.

"But the difficulty we're getting here is we don't have any feedback from the university. We've asked the question: 'Is it about money?' They've said, 'No, no, it has nothing to do with money. The issue is we can't find a conference.' Our position is, 'Well, you can find a conference. We can find you one, we've got one.' Canada West hasn't committed but they've been very clear that they would greatly appreciate an application and they'd look upon it favourably."

The school's decision has come under fire because the football team had a place to play this season. What's more, Simon Fraser fielded a football squad in U Sports, the governing body of university sport in Canada, from 2002 to 2009, posting a 16-47-2 record.

Now, hurdles exist for a return to U Sports as the organization's bylaws don't allow members to belong to other conferences. SFU reportedly had a conversation with Canada West officials late last month but an application to join doesn't appear to have been made.

Less than a week later, the school announced the cancellation of its football program. Simon Fraser moved to the Lone Star Conference in 2022.

Simon Fraser's varsity teams have been competing against NCAA Division II schools south of the border since 2010-11. While the football program ceased, Johnson said SFU will continue to field teams in 18 NCAA Division II sports.

Simon Fraser's football team competed within the Division II Great Northwest Atlantic Conference (GNAC) from 2010 to 2021. Before that, it played in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1965 until 2001.

Since the school's decision, there's been much support for SFU football.

Last week, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie issued a letter to U Sports CEO Pierre Arsenault, Canada West managing director Rocky Olfert and all Canadian university athletic directors and head football coaches petitioning that SFU's program be allowed to continue in Canada.

On Tuesday, both Football Canada and the CFL Players' Association followed suit with similar letters condemning the school for its decision and asking the program be reinstated.

"It is beyond devastating that the program ended so abruptly without any outreach or calls for support," CFLPA executive director Brian Ramsay wrote in an email to Johnson. "You, in effect, have ended not just the program but the careers of aspiring athletes to the professional ranks.

"Worse, you allowed spring practices to occur, knowing you had already decided to cancel the program. I am told during those practices; players also suffered severe injuries. There is a huge, untapped groundswell of public support not to have the SFU football program cancelled. The CFLPA is happy to work with you to establish a coalition to find a new conference for the SFU Red Leafs, to salvage the season, and get the athletes back on the field where they can develop their potential and aspire to the professional ranks. You owe your students that much."

Football Canada president Jim Mullin, in a letter to U Sports schools playing football, asked they find a way to allow Simon Fraser to continue playing in Canada.

"Since 1965, SFU has been one of our country's innovators in college football," Mullin said. "Whether it's playing Canadian or American football, they have contributed significantly to the culture and growth of our sport.

"Unfortunately, the current administration of Simon Fraser is not viewing that contribution through the same lens as Football Canada. Please find a path to welcome Simon Fraser football back to Canadian competition and to the 162-year tradition of Canadian football which was started by and is currently led by Canada’s universities."

[OV Argo]

Reading about Mr. Doman's and the SFU alum making efforts to save the football program (plus suit by players?); can't say enough about how impressed I am with Doman as a Canadian who really cares about Canadian football = what a breath of fresh air - for the CFL and Canadian football in general.

Too bad no such type would step-up from the GTA (or anywhere in Ontario for that matter)

[FlyingKite]

This decision seems quite unreasonable, especially since SFU reportedly had a conversation with Canada West officials about joining their conference. The support from the CFL and Football Canada is also encouraging, and I hope it puts pressure on SFU to reconsider its decision.

[bannedforlife]

Pledge day to save SFU football receiving 'tremendous' support, says alumni president
Players and alumni were blindsided when the university suddenly announced it was dropping varsity football
Karin Larsen CBC News April 25, 2023

Simon Fraser University football alumni are running a one-day pledge drive until midnight on Tuesday to rally support for the team that was eliminated by university officials three weeks ago.

SFU Football Alumni Society president Mark Bailey said the response was proof of how much momentum there is to keep the 57-year-old program alive.

"So far it's been tremendous," said Bailey. "The way that the pledging works is because we don't technically have the football program reinstated as of yet there's no money to be collected, so these are essentially commitments from individuals."

Players and alumni say they were blindsided on April 4 when the university announced it was cancelling football effective immediately, even though preparations were already underway for the 2023 season in the Lone Star State Conference of the NCAA. Senior athletics director Theresa Hanson told players the decision wasn't financially motivated.

B.C. Lions owner Amar Doman is leading the pledge drive, promising up to $500,000. He told CBC that SFU has acted "cowardly" and hasn't been forthcoming with stakeholders in its decision to drop football.

"To me, they wanted to kill it ... and I'm not the only one saying that," said Doman. "We were told it's not about funds so I don't want to spend too much time on that. They announced the season is going forward, then two weeks later they pull it, don't really apologize, and just say we're helping the athletes get on their way earlier."

Bailey said a meeting last week with SFU President Joy Johnson "felt positive" at the time. But his sense of the situation changed hours later, when the school issued what he considers an inaccurate press release that stated in part: "All parties agree there is no path forward for SFU to play varsity football in the NCAA. We will not be playing varsity football in the fall of this year."

"It seemed as if things were misconstrued and through their communication that we were aligned with their decision-making," said Bailey. "In my opinion you could call it a tactic from their stance ... It kind of threw off a lot of our student athletes as well as supporters."

CBC has requested an interview with Johnson. A university spokesman said "since court proceedings are now scheduled about this issue, we won't be doing interviews until after those proceedings are completed."

Two weeks ago the alumni society filed an injunction application in B.C. Supreme court on behalf of five scholarship players claiming the school is in breach of contract. If successful, the court could order SFU to revive the program.

In a 25-page response filed in B.C. Supreme Court, SFU claims the plaintiff's evidence "does not support the existence of the alleged contracts at all."

The injunction application hearing is scheduled for May 3.

[bannedforlife]

Football inductees leave SFU Sports Hall of Fame
TSN.ca Staff April 26, 2023

In a show of solidarity with the players and coaching staff of Simon Fraser University, the 11 football-only members of the SFU Sports Hall of Fame have collectively announced that they are walking out from their enshrinement.

“I don’t wish to be affiliated with or have my prior football career ‘bring excellence’ to a university that no longer recognizes collegiate football as a worthwhile entity or endeavour for young amateur athletes throughout British Columbia,” said SFU alumnus and Canadian Football Hall of Famer Lui Passaglia in a statement.

The members announced that they "would be happy to return" when the football program is reinstated, after school president Joy Johnson announced April 4 that Simon Fraser was discontinuing its football program, effective immediately. Johnson added the decision wasn't financially based, rather on the Texas-based Lone Star Conference's announcement it would not renew its football affiliation with Simon Fraser past the 2023 campaign.

The list of inductees withdrawing include Lui Passaglia, Sean Millington, Glen Jackson, Terry Bailey, Doug Brown, Dave Cutler, Wayne Holm, Rick House, Neil McKinlay, Rob McLaren, and Orville Lee. The group does not include teams, multi-sport or deceased inductees.

“My experience at SFU was formative and something I cherished, said Millington in a statement. "It was a very special time. And because of that I can’t support the administration’s decision to take this opportunity away from the next generation.

Inductee Doug Brown aligns with Passaglia on the motivation to stand with the current team.

“The administration has eliminated half of the university football opportunities for our players in BC. We all stand united in saying this is unacceptable and not representative of the Simon Fraser program we represented,” he said.

[bannedforlife]

Simon Fraser alumni submit proposal for reinstated football team to president Dr. Joy Johnson
3Down Staff 3downnation May 5, 2023

[jerrym]

It ain't over till it's over. Both Canadian and American teams have said they would be willing to play enough exhibition games against SFU to create a schedule for the upcoming season. A advisor has also been hired to look at the viability of the football program.

The B.C. Supreme Court has denied the injunction that was filed to prevent the cancellation of Simon Fraser University’s football program but it appears as though the process was well-worth it for those looking to save the team.
Though the school previously indicated that its decision to cancel the program was final, SFU has hired Bob Copeland, the senior vice-president of McLaren Global Sport Solutions, to serve as a special advisor tasked with exploring options for the future of football at the school. Copeland has previously consulted for the CFL as well as U Sports.
Copeland will be tasked with a number of responsibilities, which include evaluating the possibility of SFU playing exhibition football games in 2023, assessing the viability of the program being reinstated in 2024, initiating dialogue with select football governing bodies, and issuing a report that will be shared publicly in September 2023.
“I know this has been a difficult time for many people in our community and I am sorry about the impact and stress that the end of our NCAA football program has caused for those affected, especially football student-athletes, staff, and alumni,” said SFU president Dr. Joy Johnson in a video message.
“I’ve been listening to student-athletes, alumni and the football community and I understand your concerns and desire to find a way forward for football at SFU. … I know that we have some work ahead for all of us to rebuild trust, but that’s the work that we are committed to doing as we move forward.”
SFU has also committed to keeping football student-athletes on scholarship through the completion of their degrees. Previously, the school has only committed to maintaining the scholarships through the 2023-2024 academic year. SFU has also reiterated their willingness to help connect players with new teams if they choose to transfer to another institution.
According to sources, a number of Canadian and American institutions were contacted in recent weeks regarding their interest in playing an exhibition game against SFU in 2023 and enough informal agreements were reached to create a schedule. These agreements are contingent upon the football program being reinstated for the upcoming season.
The Simon Fraser University Football Alumni Society (SFUFAS) indicated that it and SFU have agreed to pursue the goal of joining U Sports in 2024 where the football team would play out of Canada West, though football-only membership in the NAIA also remains an option.
“Dr. Joy Johnson and I had a very productive meeting on Wednesday evening. After Dr. Johnson’s statement today, we are satisfied we can take the first steps toward a new working model for football at SFU,” said SFUFAS president Mark Bailey. “We believe we are on a constructive path to finding a conference to play in 2024 and beyond.”

https://3downnation.com/2023/05/11/s...reinstatement/

[jerrym]

The special adviser brought in to examine whether SFU football should continue, has said no to playing an exhibition schedule in 2023 in an interim report, but the final report to be released in September will examine whether football can continue in 2024 and in the future. To me this all but drives the final nail in the coffin of SFU football as any player with significant talent would be likely to stick around if he has not already left for other teams. Furthermore, if the adviser says football can continue next year, who would accept being recruited to a decimated roster with the prospect of the death of the team still hanging over the them.

SFU athletics announced Tuesday that special adviser Bob Copeland, who was brought in to review all scenarios for football at the school, has nixed the idea of playing an exhibition schedule this fall.

The news release tagged it as an “interim finding,” and explained that Copeland’s final report will be completed this September. “It will address the future of football for 2024 and beyond. This decision today is taken to give student-athletes information they need to make immediate decisions about their own futures. Efforts now are focused on reviewing options for a longer-term, sustainable football program at SFU.”

The SFU Football Alumni Society felt that the team needed to have some sort of schedule this season to give Copeland something to fairly gauge the situation. It would also put them in a better starting spot if the program were fully resurrected for next fall.
Farhan Lalji, the TSN reporter who has been among the more vocal SFU products about the situation from Day 1, displayed his anger about this latest turn on his social media Tuesday: "Hopefully the right decision is eventually made to bring @SFUFootball
back in 2024, but by not having a program now they have made it exponentially harder on all levels going forward. But ultimately this is what they wanted. Hopefully there is eventually some accountability."

https://twitter.com/FarhanLaljiTSN/s...n-sfu-football

[bannedforlife]

U Sports is saying SFU didn't submit an application to rejoin. This one reeks of politics, like an SFU admin wanted it gone.

Theresa Hanson out as athletic director at Simon Fraser University
John Hodge 3downnation.com August 2, 2023

Theresa Hanson is no longer the athletic director at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in what the school has termed a “mutual agreement.” The change is effective immediately.

...

[Mocha]

The report on SFU football and athletics is here:

https://www.mclarenglobalsportsoluti...eport-9-18.pdf

It sounds as though the school might have an excuse to drag their heels about applying for a USports exemption so that only their football team can join. But it also sounds as though all SFU athletics would be in better shape if all teams switched from NCAA to USports. Stay tuned.

[AngeloV]

The report on SFU football and athletics is here:

https://www.mclarenglobalsportsoluti...eport-9-18.pdf

It sounds as though the school might have an excuse to drag their heels about applying for a USports exemption so that only their football team can join. But it also sounds as though all SFU athletics would be in better shape if all teams switched from NCAA to USports. Stay tuned.

I am convinced the only thing that will keep the program alive is to have a private entity fund it. It really is a shame.

[Mocha]

I am convinced the only thing that will keep the program alive is to have a private entity fund it. It really is a shame.

It will be interesting to see what happens. They can cite costs, but then there's quite a lot in donations pledged, so that might not fly so well.

However, it looks near impossible to get something together by 2024 and by then they might just be able to quietly sweep it under the carpet.

On the other hand, if they do consider switching all their athletics to USports, SFU football might have a chance at a comeback down the road.