B.C. universities following different revenue playbooks

Business in Vancouver featured UBC’s football program and its promotion efforts, comparing the program to the one at Simon Fraser University.

David Sidoo, a mining and oil and gas entrepreneur and UBC alumnus, discussed the strategy for building up the football program.

“It was premised on the fact that we would build a strong alumni, would raise capital and bring our ideas and business ideas to the university on how to market and create a different kind of culture,” said Sidoo.

UBC football head coach Blake Nill said his intention was to elevate UBC to the level of the highly successful University of Laval.

“I came here on the vision that we could be the University of Laval from the West Coast,” said Nill. “I’m a believer that [governing body Canadian Interuniversity Sport] can be revenue-generating. You just have to have the vision that it can be.”