Following a review of its varsity teams, the University of British Columbia is investing an additional $500,000 per year to boost team success and achieve excellence on the national and international stage.
“We are laying a foundation for a new era for the UBC Thunderbirds,” said UBC President Stephen Toope. “If we stay the course, in years to come we will see more intercollegiate championship titles, a new sense of school spirit and an even stronger sense of community pride.”
The funding will provide a new core group of performance experts to work with varsity teams. This includes an additional athletics director to lead technical performance and coach development, as well as new strength and conditioning, nutritionist and psychologist positions. There will also be an additional sponsorship and marketing professional to build community partnerships and create vibrant new varsity game experiences. The enhanced performance resources will be put into practice in consultation with staff and coaches.
The funding will also provide new equipment to ensure athletes obtain the ultimate benefits from their training.
“We have a strong vision for UBC athletes to achieve their full potential at the intercollegiate, national or professional level,” said Louise Cowin, Vice President Students. “We are going to work with student-athletes and coaches to provide the additional support they need to drive performance.”
Today’s funding announcement adds to an extra $800,000 per year in funding announced in this past academic year. It also builds on major investments in new athletics and recreation facilities in the past four years including the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, the UBC Tennis Centre, the Thunderbird Park and Stadium track and field developments and the Gerald McGavin Rugby Pavilion. More investments are planned in the next two years including a new aquatic centre, national soccer development centre fields and an indoor baseball training centre.
The university is also working with the community to build more support for scholarships and find new sources of revenues to sustain long-term team excellence.