Canada’s university football championship is returning to Quebec City for two more years.
On Monday, U SPORTS announced that Laval will host the Vanier Cup in 2018 and 2019 at TELUS-UL Stadium, which has been the site of the U SPORTS football championship four times in the last decade (2009, 2010 2013 and 2015).
"The Rouge et Or athletic department has consistently demonstrated its ability to raise the bar and deliver elite championship events for university sports in Canada," said U SPORTS President and CEO Graham Brown.
The Rouge et Or have claimed a record nine Vanier Cup titles in 11 appearances since first playing in the game in 1999. Last November, Laval lost for only the second time in the championship contest, falling to the Western Mustangs 39-17 in front of 10,754 fans at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont.
The Rouge et Or have also led the country in regular season attendance since the team’s founding, averaging 16,491 spectators in four previous Vanier Cup contests at home.
“It is a great honour for Université Laval to once again host the prestigious Vanier Cup game for the next two years," Rouge et Or athletic director Julie Dionne said in a press release. "The four previous editions held here have been tremendous successes and have allowed the University to shine on a national scale. The entire Sports and Recreation Department team is already working very hard to ensure that student-athletes, coaches, fans and partners enjoy an extraordinary experience when they visit Quebec City next November.”
This year in the Mitchell Bowl, the Canada West (CW) champion visits the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champion, while the Uteck Bowl will see the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) champion host the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) champion. In 2019, both semifinal matchups remain the same, with the opposite conference playing host.
Following Monday’s announcement, 13 U SPORTS championship events will be held across seven provinces in the 2018-19 season.
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