UBC Sport Review - Call to Action

To Friends and Alumni of UBC Men’s Volleyball,

As many of you are aware, the UBC Men’s Volleyball program is in jeopardy. I am writing to you today as we have the power to save it with reinvigorated alumni support for our athletes.

We are in the midst of a Sport Review process led by the UBC Athletics Department in an attempt to sharpen the focus and performance of the varsity athletics program at UBC. Currently, UBC supports 29 varsity athletics teams. The Stage 1 results from this process were announced on January 21st and a group of 16 teams were selected as having passed the Stage 1 review to continue on with Varsity status.

Men’s volleyball was not one of those teams selected.

It is expected that only two to four more teams will retain their varsity status after Stage 2 of the Sport Review.

Based on feedback from the Stage 1 selection process, two key criteria that we fell significantly short in were Alumni engagement and corresponding financial support.

The goals of the Process are to identify those programs that are on sound footing to continue producing results at the highest level on the playing surface while maintaining strong support from the University community, the community at large and the UBC Alumni network.

As a first step, a show of physical support in advance of the decision would go a long way. I would like to invite all of you to attend the upcoming matches this weekend versus Saskatchewan on Friday January 31st and Saturday February 1st at War Memorial Gymnasium. Game times are 8 pm Friday and 7 pm Saturday.  

A group of dedicated Alumni is now working closely with Coach Schick on the preparation of the team’s submission for the second stage in the review process.  In an effort to address these two issues we are engaging in two key initiatives.

The first is to initiate a more formal structure to the Men’s Volleyball Alumni. This structure will help us reinvigorate and re-engage the Alumni network and encourage a stronger relationship between the team and the Alumni.

The second initiative is an Alumni and Friends funding program similar to those already in place for other teams on Campus. We have decided to call this program the “Men’s Volleyball Legacy of Excellence Fund”.

All gifts will benefit the UBC Men's Volleyball team and will be directed to the Men's Volleyball Legacy of Excellence Fund.
 
If you would like to make a one time or monthly gift to the Men’s Volleyball Legacy of Excellence Fund please click here.

Alternatively, a key element for the Sport Review panel is the longevity of funding. We want to be able to show them how committed our supporters are to maintaining a sustainable level of funding into the future. If you prefer to make a pledge (a commitment to donate funds over a period of time) complete this form and email it to chris.ufford@ubc.ca.

The goal of the Men’s Volleyball Legacy of Excellence Fund is to provide the support the team needs to help them get to the next level in their quest for our first National Championship since 1983.

Key aspects of the program are:

•    Monthly or annual automated donations directly from a credit card
•    Funds are set aside specifically for MVB
•    Use of all funds raised will require input from the Men’s Volleyball Alumni and from the coach
•    All donations are tax deductible – tax receipts will be sent annually

A key element for the Sport Review panel is the longevity of funding. We want to be able to show them how committed our supporters are to maintaining a sustainable level of funding into the future. To do this we are asking donors to also sign a forthcoming Pledge Letter indicating the level and term of support. Our initial goal is to have $25,000 committed annually for the next five years by the time the Stage 2 submission is due. We are halfway there already. Even $10 a month will be a huge help towards the continued success of the program.

On behalf of Rich, the team and your fellow Alumni I encourage you to take a look at the link above and help us out to get UBC Men’s Volleyball back on the sure footing it deserves. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

Yours Truly,

UBC Men’s Volleyball Alumni

Ian Gregory            1972-1977
Tom Jones              1974-1977
Rob Brett                1979-1984
Rob Hill                   1986-1991
Bob Smith               1988-1994
Mike Dalziel            1994-1999
Jake Cabott             2000-2005

2013-14 UBC Men's Volleyball Schedule

Friday January 31 vs Saskatchewan, 8pm - War Memorial Gym
Saturday February 1 vs Saskatchewan, 7pm - War Memorial Gym
Friday February 7 at Alberta, 5:30 pm (PST)
Saturday February 8 at Alberta, 4:00 pm (PST)