Moms of SFU football players lobby for program's reinstatement, wonder how well it's understood

A group of moms whose sons' varsity careers were thrown into turmoil with the sudden cancellation of the Simon Fraser University football program has organized to bring a "female lens" to the campaign to save the team.  

The SFU Football Mom Squad has been active on social media, presenting perspectives on the value of football and the role it plays in supporting the university's core values of inclusion, equity and diversity.

In an interview with CBC, a spokeswoman for the group also suggested that a gender bias by female leaders at SFU may have played a role in the decision to cut the predominantly male sport. 

Launa Kremler, a mother of three sons who played for SFU, told CBC as women familiar with the game, they often run into women with misconceptions about the sport.  

"I think that there are a lot of females out there that can watch the game and make assumptions about its potential brutality, or that it's just a man's sport, and then feel like that's something that they can dismiss because it's quote-un-quote old-fashioned or patriarchal," said Kremler.

"So yes, from the mom squad, there's definitely a suspicion that there have been decisions made by a primarily female administration that hasn't taken into account the female perspective on the sport."

In a statement emailed to CBC, SFU said: "The suggestion that the decision was affected by gender bias is not only incorrect but inappropriate.

"The decision to discontinue the SFU varsity football program is about not having a viable place to play in varsity football and was made by the SFU executive team after reviewing all of the available facts. The executive team is made up of three men, three women and the president."

On April 4, SFU president Joy Johnson announced the program had been eliminated in a statement citing "ongoing uncertainty" caused by the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference announcing it was dropping SFU football after the completion of the 2023 season. 

On the same day, SFU senior athletic director Theresa Hanson told players the decision was not financially motivated and called the process to join another conference "very complex." 

The announcement shocked players and supporters who have loudly criticized administrators for pulling the plug on the 57-year-old program one season before the NCAA deal ran out and questioned why no effort was made to apply to other conferences like Canada West.

Kremler said SFU administrators could have avoided the backlash with a more transparent process.

"The real reason I believe there is such an uproar about this is because there was no consultation. There was no conversation with the key stakeholders," she said.

According to Kremler, the mom squad includes members who identify as single parent, Latino, LGBTQ+, First Nations and Black American.  

"We decided the group of us is a really good slice of the pie in terms of demographic representation, and maybe our voices together as collective, impassioned, powerful and professional female voices might add another lens to the importance of the football team at SFU to another group of powerful and passionate females," she said.

The SFU Football Alumni Society met with Johnson and school officials to present a roadmap to keep the team playing in 2023 that included a roster of 80 to 90 players, a funding plan and a nine-game exhibition schedule consisting of four games against U.S. college squads and five versus Canadian university teams, including reigning USport champion Laval.

A pledge drive earlier last week staked by B.C. Lions owner Amar Doman raised over $700,000 for the program, while 11 former SFU star players, including B.C. Lions legend Lui Passaglia, have demanded removal from the SFU Sports Hall of Fame until the program is reinstated.

An injunction application filed by five SFU players claiming breach of contract against the university is being heard on May 1 in B.C. Supreme Court. If successful, the court could order that the program be reinstated.