Budget deficit a major factor in SFU football cancellation, despite earlier denials

A report from thespecial adviser hired to look into the viability of Simon Fraser University'sfootball program appears to be the final nail in the coffin of the varsity team that was suddenly eliminated five months ago, provoking a huge outcry.

Most surprising is the revelation that the department overseeing varsity sports at SFUhas major money problems, with an estimated operational deficit of $1.7 million this year if football wasn't cancelled.

"There are significant concerns about the operations of the department of athletics and recreation including rising budget deficits and a lack of capacity to support its current programming," says the report, which was released Monday.

Players and alumni were blindsided in early April by the newsthat SFU president Joy Johnson hadfolded the teamdue to "ongoing uncertainty."

On the same day, SFU's senior director of athletics and recreation,Theresa Hanson, told playersthe decision was not financially motivated.Hanson left SFU four months later.

The report says there is noclear, unencumbered path for the reinstatement of SFU football in the U.S., where it played formost of its 57 years inexistence, or in Canada.

It said the best opportunity for SFU to revive football would bethrough the Canada West Conference of U Sports, however the school would have to seek an exemption or agree to move other varsity sports teams to U Sports, incurring "operational complexities and costs."

The report was prepared by Bob Copeland, senior vice-president of McLaren Global Sport Solutions, who was brought on as a special advisor by SFU in Juneto explore futurefootball options.

Player Gideone Kremlersaid he was disappointed the report didn't clearly outline stepsSFU could take to bring back football. He also wonders why SFUleaders weren't transparent about financial problems.

"We were told quite simply money wasn't an issue," said Kremler, who wassupposed to be vying for the starting quarterback position this season. "It's hard to say that they necessarily lied to us, but I feel lied to."

The demise of SFU leaves UBC as the only university in the province with a football program.

According to Football Canada president Jim Mullin, SFU has assetsincluding a $3 million football endowment fund raised by alumni and $500,000 of football equipment that needs to be put aside and possibly dispersed to another B.C. universityas incentive to start a program.

Mullin said he was shocked to learn from the reportthat SFU athletics hasno strategic plan.

"What I took away from this report is that the athletics department at Simon Fraser is a mess right now that led to this decision with football back in April," he said.

The vice-provost who oversees athletics said university leaders were still digesting the 136-page report. ButRummana Khan Hemani vowed that SFU was committed to supporting the remaining 16 varsity teams.

"We've been doing the work to understand where there might be opportunities for leveraging existing resources and how are we going to address the fact that costs have been growing, not just in athletics, but across frankly every sector," she said.

The axing of the team provoked outrage from thegreater football community, while a dozen high-profile player graduates from the universityincluding Lui Passaglia demanded their names be removed from the SFU Sports Hall of Fame.

A pledge drive spearheaded by B.C. Lions owner Amar Doman raised close to $800,000 to help save the program.