VANCOUVER, British Columbia – When U SPORTS Canada West soccer takes the field for the 2024 season, the setup will be different than in recent seasons.

Having the most travel of any conference and playing an uneven number of games, schedules and competition formats has always been a concern in Canada West, a division with 16 schools competing in women’s soccer and 13 in men’s soccer.

In October. On Dec. 12, athletic directors from member schools will vote on several scheduling options for men’s and women’s soccer, likely bringing changes to the Canada West landscape for future seasons.

in 2024, the women’s teams will play 14 matches, including crossover matches between the Pacific and Paririe divisions throughout the regular season. Meanwhile, the men’s teams play between 11 and 16 matches, including crossover matches.

The month of October. Vote 12 will consider various options for restructuring Canada West football, including the following. However, 49 Sports can report that most schools are leaning toward stopping the inter-divisional regular season in the women’s schedule at 14 games, while the men’s seasons would be reduced to 12 games.

At the same time, the only Alberta team moving to the Pacific Division for women’s soccer would likely continue to do so on an alternating basis.

Main options on the table

• Remove inter-division travel for men’s and women’s football.
• Limit the number of men’s football matches to 12, retaining inter-divisional play.
• Increase the number of men’s soccer matches to 14, halting inter-divisional play.

A Canada West coach said the women’s soccer season could also be limited to 12 games outside of the three main options. Historically, Canada West women’s soccer has played 16 matches.

In the Canada West Operations Manual, Policy No. 8 includes scheduling rules, priority to limiting time spent outside of the classroom, as well as members’ financial responsibilities and competitive balance.

Interdivisional play is often a barrier to all three options. However, there is disagreement between head coaches and athletic directors regarding the best scenario for both genders in Canada West soccer.

However, as Thursday’s vote takes place, the 2024 Canada West men’s and women’s soccer seasons will likely look very different from past regularity.