As of 2019, the Cascades now have a full varsity sports roster of programs competing in U Sports, the highest level of Canada-based university sport competition. This came after it was announced that the volleyball program would join U Sports in the Canada West conference and the UFV wrestling program would be postponed.
The decision came after eight months of application consideration and multiple meetings with U Sports. Steve Tuckwood, director of athletics and campus recreation, explained that members of the university met about the prospects of such a commitment, given that there would be financial implications if they decided to apply to Canada West.
The volleyball teams will start playing in the U Sports organization next September. For now the largest change UFV has seen in 2019 regarding the program’s switch has been in the budget, with the introduction of coaching salaries for volleyball. Next year, however, full-year salaries for the coaches will come into play, as well as an increased travel budget. This will mean a six-figure increase in budget for the volleyball program for the 2020 fiscal year.
“I think it was about a $150,000 to $175,000 budget increase that will take effect in April, for next September when we begin playing in Canada West,” Tuckwood said.
The budget increase was written and formalized in UFV’s application to join Canada West. This was not required, but was included in order to show the commitment of the university.
A point of contention last year for many UFV wrestling athletes was the postponement of the wrestling program, a program which UFV had competed with in Canada West. According to Tuckwood, the way the program started ultimately led to its eventual closure due to financial reasons.
“The way the program had been operating with central budget was not going to continue, and the reason was, originally when we had a group come to UFV in 2013, asking if they could start a wrestling program in conjunction with the university, significant promises [were] made about financial pieces that would be coming in order to cover costs,” Tuckwood said.
However, by 2015, the university was covering most of the costs. According to Tuckwood, the money for the team never fully materialized, causing the program to go from a slightly subsidized athletic program to one that the university has not accounted for in their budget. Had the university known that the money wasn’t going to come through, Tuckwood said it’s unlikely it would have chosen to start the program.
Tuckwood said that people may look at the recent increases of budget money given to volleyball and say that it isn’t fair; however, it has a lot to do with how athletic programs typically begin. Most develop slowly, giving the university time to make incremental budget changes.
“Well, UFV’s had volleyball in some iteration in the ’90s and in the early 2000s so the university at that time decided it was going to have volleyball. The university at no time said ‘Hey, why don’t we start a wrestling program?’ They had an outside group come and say ‘Hey, why don’t you start a wrestling program. We’ll give you money to operate it,’ which then never came. So, to me it’s two different things,” Tuckwood said.
Tuckwood recognizes that losing the program officially wasn’t the desired outcome for anyone involved, and that in the future he would like to commit resources to wrestling if a situation could be organized and presented to the university.
For now, UFV is growing at a rapid rate, and the athletics budget is being increased, so things are looking good for nearly every program. If you’re a fan of volleyball, you’re in luck. If you’re a wrestling fan, do not despair. Increases in resources for the wrestling program are not out of the question.
