Canadian Interuniversity Sport is getting a new name and logo. In dual press conferences today in Ontario and Quebec, the organization announced it will be re-branded as “U Sports.” This is not the first time the group has changed names as CIS replaced the original handle, Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union, in 2001.
The logo itself is clean and simple: A “U” standing first and foremost for “university” in varsity-style lettering with a maple leaf in the middle, nodding at the 56 Canadian universities the organization represents. The maple leaf was taken from old CIAU letterhead.
The agency that designed the logo is the Vancouver-based Hulse & Durrell, which has been responsible for the brand launches of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Swimming Canada, Curling Canada and Equestrian Canada.
The rebrand extends beyond the name and logo. It also includes a new website—USports.ca—with a focus on mobile-friendly design.
This caps an era of change and transition for the organization. Current CEO Graham Brown was hired in the fall of 2015. Since then the CIS has expanded their national TV coverage with a football game of the week on City TV, signed a two-year deal to have the Vanier Cup played at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, had 53 of its football players selected in the 2016 CFL draft, and had 158 current or former CIS students compete at the Rio Olympics.
Under new leadership they’ve also moved their head office from the University of Ottawa campus to Richmond Hill, Ont.
“The board doesn’t see why CIS can’t be the top sport organization in Canada,” said Brown, the former head of Rugby Canada, when he was hired. “There are great institutions in CIS with great structure and great facilities. The strength of our institutions of higher learning in some way or another should be university sport. We have an opportunity that to this point they haven’t maximized. We have an opportunity to grow our corporate partners and to grow our fan base. Both will happen if we give them a better return on investment.”
Clearly he thinks both the French and English side of the organization coming under one name and moniker is the next step to achieving that goal.
There is a lot of work still to be done for the organization formally known as the CIS. Possible playoff restructuring and out-of-conference games in football, scholarship regulations and roster sizes across conferences are all topics that have been discussed among coaches and athletic directors. The four conferences that make up the organization all have different cultures, but the hope is with a fresh start and a robust digital strategy the entire governing body could work seamlessly to enhance the experience for student athletes and corporate partners nationwide.
Time will tell if “U Sports” makes a bigger splash in the Canadian sports marketplace than its predecessors, but they’re doing everything in their power to get off to a big start.