U Sports football’s relevance is not threatened by decline in numbers
A new wave of U Sports players will make an impact
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The Vanier Cup, the annual U Sports football championship, has been steadily declining in attendance over the past decade.
The official attendance of 7,109 for the 2023 edition falls short of the perennial crowds of 20,000 in the early 2010s, which included a record showing of 37,098 in 2012. It is the lowest attendance since the COVID-19-restricted crowd of 5,840 in 2021.
Moreover, the 2024 Canadian Football League (CFL) draft saw only 47 U Sports players selected out of 74 picks. The U Sports selection comprised roughly 64 per cent of the draft, the lowest since the 57 per cent proportion in 2021.
However, it hasn’t been all bad for U Sports football.
The low attendance and low TV ratings for the 2023 Vanier Cup can be attributed to the game being played in Kingston, Ontario between two teams from Montreal and Vancouver.
Despite both teams boasting considerable fan bases, fans were likely unwilling to travel to attend the game, and simply had better ways to enjoy their weekend.
The increased cost of living has to be taken into consideration, as many Canadians, including myself, are cutting back on entertainment spending.
Regardless, game attendance is off to a hot start in 2024.
The Université Laval Rouge et Or football team set a new team attendance record when 20,903 enthusiasts witnessed their thrilling 23-22 victory over the Montreal Carabins on Sept. 7.
The Rouge et Or had the highest average attendance in all of U Sports in 2023 with 15,281 fans per game. It will always turn heads when the country’s most popular team breaks an attendance record.
In terms of draft prowess, U Sports may not have left as big a mark as it hoped at the CFL draft, but it certainly made a splash down south.
Giovanni Manu, offensive lineman for the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds, was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the 2024 National Football League (NFL) draft.
He became the first U Sports player to get selected in the NFL draft since David Onyemata of the University of Manitoba Bisons in 2016. He is unlikely to suit up for NFL games this year, but his development will be one to watch.
Another UBC offensive lineman, Theo Benedet, went undrafted in the NFL, but immediately signed a contract with the Chicago Bears. U Sports did just fine in 2024 football drafts.
The next CFL draft could be an interesting one for Canadian university football. It has the potential to make headlines at a position where U Sports has been notoriously unsuccessful at producing professional players: quarterback.
The 2025 CFL draft may include several U Sports signal-callers: Jonathan Sénécal from Université de Montréal, Evan Hillock from Western University, Taylor Elgersma from Wilfrid Laurier University and Garrett Rooker from UBC, among others.
University football’s success in Canada has always been cyclical. There is no reason to stress over slight declines in numbers.
U Sports football will be back very soon. In fact, it never left.
This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 2, published September 17, 2024.
