Football Program About To Leave The AUS?
+ NSL receives major investment, Canada Skate success, and more
Bishop’s Football back to the RSEQ?
In late 2016, Bishop’s University and the AUS reached an agreement for the Gaiters’ football program to begin competing in the conference starting in the 2017 season. Prior to that, Bishop’s had been a member of the RSEQ since the league’s inception in 2001.
Following a one-year extension in 2024, Bishop’s football’s affiliation with the AUS has now officially expired — a development that opens the door for a potential return to the RSEQ.
However, all signs suggest that the Gaiters aren’t eager to leave.
Instead, it may be the AUS that’s ready to bring this chapter to a close — effectively ending what has been a unique and, in many ways, successful cross-conference experiment.
Why did Bishop’s change conferences to begin with?
Bishop’s football changed conferences due to concerns that they were competing against teams in the RSEQ with budgets up to three times larger than theirs. By moving to the AUS, they would compete against schools of similar size and budget while being more competitive.
Bishop’s went 3–21 over its final three seasons in the RSEQ before departing. In contrast, the program is 36-31 since joining the AUS, including four Loney Bowl appearances. The Gaiters won the Loney Bowl in 2024, which marked the program’s first conference championship win since 1994 and also coincided with their first undefeated season since 1994 - Bishop’s was making strides in the AUS!
Why This? Why Now?
This situation ultimately comes down to three things: emotion, fairness, and money.
The Emotion
Since Bishop’s joined the AUS in 2016, the decision has remained controversial within the conference. Many AUS programs — both football and non-football schools — questioned why a Quebec-based institution was granted access in the first place.
The tension only grew because Bishop’s football program was the lone team to make the move, while the rest of the school’s varsity programs remained in the RSEQ. To some AUS administrators, it created the perception that Bishop’s wasn’t fully committed to the conference, but instead using it as a competitive shortcut — stepping away from the challenges of the RSEQ without fully integrating into the AUS ecosystem.
The Fairness
One of the immediate concerns around Bishop’s joining the AUS — and something Atlantic programs had long feared — was the disparity in recruiting pipelines.
Traditionally, AUS football programs recruit athletes directly out of high school from across Canada. Bishop’s, however, has strong access to Quebec’s CEGEP football system. Similar to the CJFL out west, CEGEP allows players to continue developing for an additional two to three years after high school before entering university.
As a result, many U SPORTS rookies who come out of CEGEP programs, are typically around 20-21 years-old.
Despite these concerns from other AUS programs, Bishop’s early results in the conference suggest the perceived recruiting advantage didn’t immediately translate to dominance. The Gaiters posted records of 1–7, 0–8, 4–4, and 2–4 in their first four AUS seasons.
In fact, they didn’t record their first winning season in the Atlantic until 2022, when they finished 4–3.
As mentioned, the Gaiters didn’t capture their first Loney Bowl until 2024 — a milestone that once again reignited debates around recruiting fairness. However, this moment also served as clear proof that Bishop’s success wasn’t handed to them. It was built over time, through gradual development and program growth, not instant advantage.
The Money
When Bishop’s football left the RSEQ in 2016, a major factor was financial fairness. Realistically, it was difficult for a school with a student population of roughly 2,800 to compete with programs like Laval, Montréal, McGill, and Concordia, who operate with significantly larger budgets and resources.
By moving to the AUS, Bishop’s positioned itself in a conference where schools operated on more comparable financial scales — helping level the competitive playing field and giving the program a more realistic opportunity to grow and sustain success.
However, the narrative has now shifted. Many AUS schools view Bishop’s as having certain financial advantages — while also being a costly and logistically difficult opponent to play.
Bishop’s typically travels by plane for longer road games, while most AUS programs are forced to bus to Lennoxville. For some schools, those trips can take up to two full days due to legal driving restrictions and required rest periods for bus drivers. When you add in hotel stays, meals, and staffing costs, road games against Bishop’s become a significant financial burden. In some cases, AUS schools are making this trip once — and possibly twice — per season, which has made the situation financially unsustainable for several programs.
The conditions to stay in the AUS
The AUS has now made its position clear, outlining specific conditions Bishop’s must meet if they want to remain in the conference.
One of the key conditions reportedly centers on full institutional commitment. If Bishop’s football stays in the AUS, all other varsity programs would also be required to join the conference. This means sports like basketball, hockey, and rugby would leave the RSEQ and compete alongside the football team in the AUS.
Another proposed condition involves Loney Bowl hosting rights. Under this consideration, even if Bishop’s earns the top seed and qualifies to host the conference championship, the Loney Bowl would not be played in Lennoxville. Instead, the game would be relocated to another AUS member school.
Would you like to see Bishop’s stay in the AUS? Or, should they go back to the RSEQ?
Inaugural Northern Super League Champions crowned following big investment in the league
It was a busy weekend for the Northern Super League as they crowned the Vancouver Rise as their inaugural champions this past Saturday.
The Rise defeated AFC Toronto 2-1 at BMO Field in Toronto, becoming the first team to hoist the Diane B. Matheson Cup.
But that isn’t all. Along with the first-ever championship title being awarded, the federal government announced a major investment in the league to support womens sport in Canada.
Quick rundown: The federal government has announced it will commit $5.45 million to support the Northern Super League to grow the already established impact of the womens soccer league in Canada.
Where is the funding going? The funding will be evenly distributed across the six teams, with the majority allocated towards league-wide infrastructure upgrades. In other words, the money will be used to upgrade the facilities of the six NSL teams.
The impact: With more money being allocated towards facilities owned and operated by the NSL, the league will not have to incur scheduling issues by sharing stadiums that are owned and operated by other organizations — a significant problem in its first season. Owners will also invest additional capital to help augment the federal budget and increase overall investment in the league.
What’s next? The NSL has already announced plans to add an additional team come 2027, with markets such as Central and Western Canada being a potential home for the next NSL franchise.
League-wide revenue reached nearly $30 million in its first season, and with additional funding, this number is only expected to grow.
The NSL is growing, and it’s growing fast.
Canada continues skating dominance
Canada continues to stack medals on the international skating scene, leading up to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Canada’s Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha captured silver in the ice dance event at Skate America this past Sunday in Lake Placid, New York. They had a total score of 197.16, falling behind Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who scored 212.58.
Lajoie and Lagha weren’t the only two Canadians to reach the podium. Saint-Jérôme’s Kelly Ann Laurin and Saint-Estache’s Loucas Ethier claimed bronze in the pairs event this past Saturday.
Success wasn’t just had in the rink but on the oval as well.
Saguenay, Quebec, native Valerie Maltais secured a trio of medals this past weekend at the first leg of the Speed Skating World Cup in Salt Lake City — one in the womens 3000m, one in the women’s mass start, and another in the women’s team pursuit alongside fellow Canadians Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann. Maltais finished the mass start in 25.62 seconds and helped post a time of 2:52.40 in the team pursuit, while finishing the 3000m at a personal best 3:56.53.
Quick Hits
🏀 The Carleton Ravens won the FISU 3x3 University World Cup in Brazil. The squad included three former players — Tatyanna Burke, Dorcas Buisa, and Noelle Kilbreath — as well as current Raven Ingrid Matteau. This is the first time a Canadian school has won the University World Cup title.
🏀 Canadian five-star recruit Miles Saddler has committed to play for West Virginia University. Saddler is originally from Brampton, Ontario, but attends school in Scottsdale, Arizona, playing for Bella Vista Prep. He is West Virginia’s highest-ranked recruit in the modern era.
⚾️ Mississauga native Josh Naylor has signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal to remain with the Seattle Mariners. This is the third-largest contract signed by a Canadian-born player, after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($500 million) and Joey Votto ($225 million).
