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revised sport formats

Canada West announces revised sport formats for 2020-21 season

May 11, 2020 | 12:51 PM

EDMONTON–Canada West (CW) announced revised regular season sport formats for the upcoming 2020-21 season as they adapt to health measures in place by provincial health officials.

The CW Board of Directors approved the revised formats, following more than a month of work by the CW Sport Committee and Board.

The new formats will feature fewer games and less travel, along with allowing competition to occur in a condensed period of time should COVID-19 restrictions limit, but not eliminate the amount of time available to complete the 2020-21 season.

“While there remains uncertainty around when university sport will return, the CW Board of Directors has worked diligently to ensure that when it does the conference and our members are prepared to navigate the difficult financial realities ahead of us.”–Clint Hamilton, CW President

Several key principles helped guide the Board’s decision-making process, including, protecting the health and safety of all involved in university sport, providing CW members with conference formats that best ensure their short-term financial viability and long-term sustainability, and ensuring that health authorities in all four provinces provide clearance before members resume any competition.

Playoff formats, along with conference regular season schedules, will be released at a later date.

Break down of the new formats:

MEN’S FOOTBALL (6 teams)
Regular season:
5 games per team (1 game vs. each team)

MEN’S SOCCER (13 teams)

Regular season:
10 games per team
2 divisions
Pacific Division (7 teams): 2 games vs. 4 teams + 1 additional game vs. 2 teams
Prairie Division (6 teams): 2 games vs. 5 teams

WOMEN’S SOCCER (16 teams)
Regular season:
10 games per team
3 divisions
B.C. Division (7 teams): 2 games vs. 4 teams + 1 additional game vs. 2 teams
Alberta Division (5 teams): 3 games vs. 2 teams + 2 games vs. 2 teams
Sask. / Manitoba Division (4 teams): 3 games vs. 2 teams + 4 games vs. 1 team

WOMEN’S RUGBY 15s (5 teams)
Regular season:
Four games per team

WOMEN’S FIELD HOCKEY (3 teams)
Regular season:
8 games per team (two double round-robin tournaments)

FALL & WINTER SPORTS

MEN’S & WOMEN’S HOCKEY (9 teams)

Regular season:
20 games per team (two games vs. each team + additional games based on location)
TWU vs. UBC an additional four games
Alberta & MacEwan (Edmonton) + Calgary & Mount Royal (Calgary)
Two additional games between members in same city
One additional game between each member in other city
Saskatchewan, Regina, & Manitoba
Two additional games vs. each other

MEN’S & WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (17 teams)

Regular season:
16 games per team
Three divisions
B.C. Division (7 teams): 3 games vs. 4 teams + 2 additional games vs. 2 teams
Alberta Division (5 teams): 4 games vs. 4 teams
Sask. / Manitoba Division (5 teams): 4 games vs. 4 teams

MEN’S & WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL (13 men’s and 14 women’s teams)

16 games per team
Three divisions
B.C. Division: 5 teams
Alberta Division: 4 teams
Sask. / Manitoba Division: 4 teams (men’s) & 5 teams (women’s)
Divisions of 5 play each other 4 times
Divisions of 4 play each other 4 times + 4 additional in-division matches

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