Sport and school at the same time

Every year a lot of teenagers plan their whole future around being recruited, and very few of them know how the systems on either side of the border actually differ. The mechanics are worth understanding before the decisions get made for you.

Two systems, not one

In Canada, university sport is governed nationally by U SPORTS, while college athletics run under the CCAA. In the United States the NCAA is the largest body, alongside the NAIA and the junior-college system. They differ in eligibility rules, in how financial awards work, and in how recruiting is allowed to happen.

The academic side decides more than the athletic side

Most people who fall out of the process do so on grades, transcripts or paperwork, not on ability. Admission comes first; the team is downstream of it.

Time, not talent, is the scarce resource

A varsity season is a part-time job layered on a full course load, with travel attached. Anyone deciding between programs should be asking what a week looks like in November, not what the highlight reel looks like.

• PathwaysThe main pathways into university and college sport in Canada and the United States, and how they differ.
• EligibilityWhat determines whether a student athlete can play: academic records, amateur status, and immigration paperwork.
• RecruitingContacting coaches, video that is worth watching, and the warning signs of a bad advisor.
• AboutAn independent explainer on student-athlete pathways in Canada and the United States.