Durham Chronicle 18-19 Issue 01

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20 The Chronicle October 30 - December 3, 2018 chronicle.durhamcollege.ca
Cam Bickle The Chronicle When news broke that the UOIT Ridgebacks would be adding a varsity basketball program in 2019, many students began to wonder what would come next. UOIT currently fields 16 teams in sports such as hockey, soccer and lacrosse, so it was logical that the school opted to expand into hoops, North America’s secondmost watched sport on TV. However, the sport that ranks ahead of basketball on that list – football – is still absent from the Ridgebacks' roster, and Athletics Director Scott Barker says that won’t be changing anytime soon. “To put it bluntly, it’s not in the cards,” he says. “The honest answer is that it just isn’t a priority.” While Barker admits he would love to see a football team on campus in the near future, he says the challenges the school would face are insurmountable. With roster sizes of nearly 100 players, it would be difficult to draw enough talent to make the team competitive, he says. The smallest school currently employing a Ontario University Athletics (OUA) football program is Carleton University, whose enrolment of 16,000 students would outnumber UOIT by nearly 6,000. The next biggest challenge would be funding. A media report from 2010 indicates the average cost of a university football program was $300,000-$400,000. chronicle.durhamcollege.ca October 30 - December 3, 2018 The Chronicle 21 In addition, the OUA requires each team have a stadium on campus. The average capacity for university stadiums is 5,500 people, it cost the University of Waterloo nearly $10 million to complete its 5,400-capacity Warrior Stadium in 2009. A Ridgebacks football program at UOIT would require extensive renovation of Vaso's Field, the current home of soccer on campus, or a brand new facility, Barker says. “It’s such a premier sport for the OUA, but the costs are astronomical,” Barker says. “It just wouldn’t be a smart decision asking students to financially support it.” The school spent nearly $11 million on the Campus Ice Centre in 2005, indicating the development of a football stadium isn’t impossible, but Barker says there was a Sports No plans to kick off UOIT football Despite its popularity, football simply isn't financially viable for UOIT Vaso's Field, home to the UOIT Ridgebacks and Durham Lords athletics. much higher demand for hockey than there has ever been for football. Another issue mentioned is the lack of a true sports culture amongst alumni compared to other schools, considering UOIT – established in 2002 – is still much younger than its Ontario counterparts. As for the possibility of the school expanding onto the gridiron in the future, he clarified that there has always been some level of interest from the athletics department, but that students should not get their hopes up. Instead, Barker revealed that the department is considering adding varsity volleyball teams in the coming years, while also channeling more funding towards existing Ridgebacks teams. Photograph by Cam Bickle The success of UOIT's existing teams also serves as an example of why they were chosen instead of football, he says, adding that success has helped transform the school into one of the premier sports institutions in the province. “It’s been a bit of an aggressive evolution,” he says, “but I think we’ve been very strategic in bringing on sports that are sustainable.” Barker says students determined to play football on campus should join the intramural flag football league, which he praised, while fans can still watch OUA games without being partial to any teams. The OUA has a membership of 20 universities, 11 of which currently field varsity football programs. The Western Mustangs are the defending champions after winning for a record 31st time in 2017. No varsity hockey on the horizon for the Lords Who would've thought this was possible? Ontario colleges lack teams to start OCAA hockey league. Rachelle Baird The Chronicle It's one of our national pastimes, a sport in which Canadians take pride. But you won't find any varsity hockey being played at Ontario colleges. In fact, there hasn't been varsity hockey in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) since 2004. The last time Durham College (DC) had a varsity hockey team was 1973, says Ken Babcock, DC's director of athletics and recreation. Costs to ice a team are one of The honest answer is that it isn't a priority. the reasons hockey is not played at a college level. Students do not want to pay the fees,and the funds could be used elsewhere, according to Babcock. The demand is also not as high when compared to other sports, he adds. If any sport was to be currently considered to be added at the varsity level it would be cross-country running, curling or badminton, because those sports are also played at a national collegiate level, says Chris Cameron, DC's sports information and special events coordinator. Durham was interested in bringing hockey back in 2004, but not enough colleges were to make it a reality, says Babcock. There needs to be at least five colleges within the OCAA interested in order to bring the sport back at the college level, according to Babcock. Students who want to play hockey, can do so through intramurals or get involved with a community-based team. Since there is no OCAA hockey league and the costs to have a team are high, the possibility of hockey coming back at a varsity level in the near future is slim, Babcock says. While there is no OCAA hockey on campus, there is university hockey being played by the men's and women's teams at UOIT. The Chronicle asked Scott Barker, director of athletics at UOIT, the costs associated with running the Ridgebacks' hockey programs. "We are not at liberty to disclose those costs, however, the budget is developed from a combination of student fees, university operational dollars, team fundraising and sponsorships," says Barker, in an email. The OUA regular season wraps up for the Ridgebacks men's team November 9th against the RMC (Royal Military College) Paladins while the Ridgebacks women's team season ends the following day versus the Ryerson Rams.
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Durham Chronicle 18-19 Issue 01

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