LAC LA BICHE - Fans of Portage College Voyageurs sports may have another team to root for in the not-so-distant future.
Jim Knight, athletics and recreation manager for Portage College, confirmed the post-secondary institution is exploring adding another sport offering to the Voyageurs' athletic program. While it has yet to be determined which sport could be added, according to Knight, many people have expressed an interest in seeing volleyball back on the court.
Portage College volleyball teams participated in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) from the 2000-01 season until the 2007-08 season.
“We have had lots of inquiries from our community about bringing back the men’s and women’s volleyball program,” he told Lakeland This Week. “If we do bring back volleyball, we would be hosting it at the Lac La Biche campus.”
The last time a new sport was added to the Portage College Voyageurs' athletics program was the addition of men’s and women’s soccer, and then futsal teams for the 2018-19 season.
Right now, Portage College officials are developing what budgets would look like for not only for the operation of new sports teams, but also for staffing and scholarships.
Knight explained that the college has invested money into the gymnasium at the Lac La Biche campus, with the addition of new bleachers and a 16’ x 9’ video wall/scoreboard.
Bringing on this new sport, Knight continued, is a major financial commitment, and college officials need to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program. This decision, he says, affects students and staff who might move to Lac La Biche to be part of those teams.
“The college cannot go into this endeavour alone… we will be looking for future sponsorships and support for this team to help the college fund this,” he said.
Knight explained that the ACAC has a Nov. 15 application deadline date. Therefore, college officials would have to decide if they are going to commit to the new teams and submit the application.
“If we’re financially able and the application to ACAC is approved, the exhibition season would be 2025-26, and then full competition season in ACAC would be 2026-27,” he explained.
Bringing in a new sport adds many things to the community. For a men’s and women’s team carrying a minimum of 18 student-athletes, that would mean roughly 30 new people coming and living in the Lac La Biche area.
The college would also be hosting teams from across Alberta and Saskatchewan for matches, which in turn puts money into the local economy.
“This also adds to our college student experience and creating excitement on campus and in the community,” he said.
