Lately, I’d been hearing some pretty crazy stories about Varsity Blues athletes paying what I thought were exorbitant amounts of money for pretty basic items like T-shirts and shorts. I began to wonder if coaches had opted for player fees rather than going with the Adopt-a-Blue campaign.

I went to U of T’s Director of Intercollegiate and High Performance Sport, Beth Ali, to figure out what’s really going on.

The Varsity: What’s the difference between Adopt-a-Blue and the Pay-to-Play policy?

Beth Ali: The Adopt-a-Blue program is when varsity athletes participate in fundraising for their teams, based on a pre-determined percentage of the team’s total goal, by asking parents, friends, employers etc to make a donation in support of their team. However, teams can also choose to supplement their programs by having athletes pay an amount to the RSP that is not a donation. In most cases this is to cover a clothing package, personal equipment but sometimes it would pay for an additional exhibition event that could not be covered by IC or the RSP. As far as I know, we do not have a Pay-to-Play policy. There are times when teams may set a fee, paid to the RSP that is not a donation, to cover non competition clothing or personal equipment not covered by the IC budget such as shin guards or mouth guards, but I would not categorize this as Pay-to-Play.

TV: That makes things clearer. Which teams have an Adopt-a-Blue campaign?

BA: Badminton, field hockey, football, men’s hockey, water polo, Nordic Ski, [and] women’s soccer and have been quite successful in fundraising for their programs.

TV: Are there implications of the Adopt-a-Blue program on selection criteria for rosters? What if an Athlete cannot make the target or is in financial need?

BA: There are no implications. If an athlete does not meet the target for adopt a blue or cannot pay for clothing or personal equipment then the coach and the team will find another way to make up the difference.

TV: In that vein, is there financial aid is available to students who might find themselves in that situation?

BA: Yes, we offer work study and athletic scholarships for those who qualify. However, with Adopt-a-Blue we find that many athletes exceed their targeted amount because their network produces excessive donations, so in most cases the overall team goal is still met. In such cases where this does not happen, the coach would need to add an additional fund raising event or look for ways to reduce program costs to cover the difference.

TV: So in actuality, no teams have a Pay-to-Play policy.

BA: As I mentioned, all teams are offered the option of doing Adopt-a-Blue to enhance their budgets. Don’t forget U of T has teams that do not compete in OUA or CIS [that are] defined as Varsity clubs. Their budgets are structured differently. The IC budget covers the honoraria for the coach so the leadership of the program is ensured, plus a stipend to assist with other costs. Athletes in these programs can do Adopt-a-Blue or they can pay club fees which will cover the cost of their programs. The Varsity club teams are mountain biking, fast pitch, and men’s lacrosse. None of these sports are included in the OUA or CIS currently.

TV: In regards to IC funding, what do other universities do?

BA: There are huge variances with this. Some universities charge a varsity athlete fee to all their athletes. Some charge an athlete fee and then depending on where the sport fits in their sport model will determine if athletes have to pay anything further. Some do what we do.

FUN FACTS:

Who pays for the Varsity Blues?

• The intercollegiate (IC) teams are funded through two sources, the IC budget and the Restricted Spending Plan (RSP) budget.

• The IC budget is created based on the anticipated schedules for the upcoming season. The budget from the previous season is used as a reference. OUA and CIS schedules for the next fiscal year are not confirmed until April or May and the university budget process is long completed at that point so estimates are made based on the information we have and for the most part we are in the ball park.

• Once the budget is set, if the coaches or athletes want to enhance their program beyond what the IC budget can provide, they can do so through the RSP budget.

• The revenues generated in the RSP are categorized as fundraising, alumni and friend donations, and Adopt-a-Blue programs.