AUS football welcomes new team, new partner, new broadcasts
(HALIFAX, N.S.) – The 2017 Atlantic University Sport football season kicks off this Friday, with the Saint Mary's Huskies hosting the two-time defending champion StFX X-Men in the season opener.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Huskies Stadium. The Huskies look to start the season strong after narrowly missing the postseason in 2016.
This season, official AUS broadcast and webcast partner Bell Aliant will televise a conference football game every Saturday, live on Fibe TV. Bell Aliant subscribers can find the community station TV1 on channel 1.
AUS Football Saturdays on Fibe TV kick off this weekend with the first television broadcast of the season airing Saturday at 2 p.m. on TV1. In a rematch of the 2016 playoff semifinal, the Mount Allison Mounties will host the Acadia Axemen at Alumni Field in Sackville, N.B.
The Mounties downed the Axemen 27-18 to advance to the 2016 Subway AUS Loney Bowl last season, but were ultimately downed by StFX in the conference championship.
The complete AUS football broadcast schedule is below. All regular season and playoff games will once again be available via live webcast at www.AUStv.ca.
This season, the AUS football league expands from four teams to five with the addition of the Bishop's University Gaiters. The expansion marks the first time since 1990 that a new team has entered the AUS football league.
The Gaiters make their Atlantic conference debut Saturday, Sept. 2 when they visit the Acadia Axemen for a 4 p.m. game at Raymond Field in Wolfville, N.S.
"We thought we were excited when we signed the agreement back in January," said Joey Sabo, athletic manager at Bishop's. "However, now that we are on the verge of starting the season we are that much more excited, and are eagerly looking forward to our first game in the AUS."
Bishop's will host their home opener Saturday, Sept. 9 when they play host to the Saint Mary's Huskies at 2 p.m. (3 p.m. AST).
Mount Allison and Bishop's host their respective Homecomings Sept. 23. The Mounties will host the Saint Mary's Huskies that afternoon at 2 p.m. AST while the Gaiters will play host to StFX at 2 p.m. (3 p.m. AST).
StFX's Homecoming takes place the following weekend. The X-Men play host to the Huskies Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. in Antigonish, N.S.
Acadia and Saint Mary's will host their respective Homecomings Oct. 14. The Axemen host StFX at 2 p.m. while the Huskies host Bishop's at 3 p.m.
The Subway AUS Football Championship Semifinal will take place Nov. 4 with the team that places second in the conference standings playing host to the third-place team.
The winner will advance to the Subway AUS Loney Bowl which will be hosted by the first-place team Saturday, Nov. 11.
This year's AUS champion will then move on to host the 2017 U Sports Uteck Bowl, Saturday, Nov. 18, versus the Ontario University Athletics conference champion.
The Uteck Bowl and Mitchell Bowl winners will advance to play each other in the 53rd Vanier Cup on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. EST. The national final will be hosted at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont. Tickets for the Vanier Cup are on sale now through Ticketmaster.
The AUS conference has announced a new partnership with Purolator and its Purolator Tackle Hunger® program for the 2017 football season. This partnership will help raise food and funds for local food organizations.
"We are excited to partner with Atlantic University Sport and look forward to working together throughout the 2017 AUS football season to raise food donations and support those in need within our local communities," said Lisa Gaspar, Marketing Consultant, Corporate Sponsorship, Purolator.
Purolator Tackle Hunger will host a Fan Food Drive at the 2017 Subway AUS Loney Bowl. This game-day initiative will support local food banks and feature the appearance of the Grey Cup. Fans who donate $5 or non-perishable food items will have the opportunity to have their picture taken with the coveted trophy in its 105th year.
The NSLC's Keep it Social initiative has also partnered with AUS for a second season.
Keep it Social will once again be on site at sporting events on AUS member campuses this fall—at marquee games such as home openers and homecomings—to spread their message of responsible consumption to student-athletes and fans.
AUS Football Saturdays on Fibe TV – 2017 TV1 season broadcast schedule:
(All game times AST)
Saturday, August 26: Acadia at Mount Allison – 2 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 2: Bishop's at Acadia – 4 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9: Acadia at StFX – 2 p.m.
*Friday, Sept. 15: Acadia at Saint Mary's – 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 23: Saint Mary's at Mount Allison – 2 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 30: Saint Mary's at StFX – 2 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 7: StFX at Mount Allison – 2 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 14: Bishop's at Saint Mary's – 3 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 21: Saint Mary's at Acadia – 2 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 28: Bishop's at StFX – 3 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 4: Subway AUS Football Championship Semifinal – 3rd place at 2nd place – 2 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 11: Subway AUS Loney Bowl – Semifinal Winner at 1st place – 2 p.m.
*A special Friday night AUS football broadcast will take place in Week 4.
Regular season play for other AUS fall sports—including men's and women's soccer and women's rugby—will begin the weekend of Sept. 8-10. AUS cross country action will kick off the following weekend with the first invitational meet of the season being hosted by St. Thomas and UNB in Fredericton, N.B. on Sept. 16.
Complete 2017-18 AUS regular season and championship schedules—with links to live stats, ticket information and webcasts—are available at www.atlanticuniversitysport.com.
-30-
About Purolator Tackle Hunger®
Hunger is an important issue that affects Canadians across the country. According to Food Bank Canada's 2016 HungerCount report, more than 850,000 Canadians – more than one-third of them children – visit food banks every month. As part of its commitment to helping alleviate hunger in the communities where it operates, Purolator Inc. works closely with its employees, partners, agents, customers and food banks across Canada to collect donations and help raise awareness about the issue of hunger in Canada. Since its inception in 2003, the Purolator Tackle Hunger® program has helped deliver the equivalent of more than 10.5 million pounds of food to food banks across Canada.
About the NSLC's Keep it Social
The NSLC's Keep it Social initiative was developed in partnership with several Nova Scotian universities. Keep it Social is designed to raise awareness and educate university students about the harms of high-risk drinking. The platform aims to effectively communicate what the social consumption of alcohol looks like and remind students that it's always best to 'keep it social'.
About Atlantic University Sport
Atlantic University Sport is responsible for governing interuniversity sport in Atlantic Canada. The conference is comprised of 11 member institutions and over 2,000 student-athletes who compete annually for 18 conference championships in 10 different sports, including basketball, cross country, football, hockey, rugby, soccer, swimming, track & field, volleyball & curling. It is the mission of Atlantic University Sport to enhance the educational experience of students in university through sport programs offered by member institutions working in partnership. Learn more at www.atlanticuniversitysport.com