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British Columbia-based Simon Fraser University is applying for U Sports membership after 15 years of competing against American schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
In a statement released Wednesday, SFU said returning to the Canada West Conference in the Canadian university system will ensure the sustainability of the school's sport and reignite natural rivalries.
SFU, based in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby, has been the only Canadian school to compete at the Division II level of NCAA competition since its application to join the American organization was accepted in 2009.
The school says competition in the United States is no longer sustainable, in part due to financial and logistical constraints.
Ki'Shawn Dorsey came to SFU to pursue his dream of playing football.
SFU's football team, founded in 1965, folded in 2023 after the Texas-based Lone Star Conference decided not to renew its membership.
While a group of players and alumni attempted to file an injunction in the Supreme Court to stop the end of the football program, it the application was rejected.
SFU said its softball, golf and track and field teams would be removed from varsity sports if they were repatriated to U Sports as there are no Canadian championships in those sports and the future of indoor track and field will be under consideration.
Athletics was one of the sports recently discontinued by McGill University.
