Football games now $5

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The notion that football is Wilfrid Laurier Universityโ€™s most popular sport is one that has remained true, stretching back to even beyond the 1991 Vanier Cup Championship.

With this summerโ€™s budget cuts, it should come as no surprise that Laurier Athletics has joined the majority of Canadian universities in charging their students to attend regular season football games.

โ€œThere were really two aspects that brought this about, and obviously one of them is the economy being the way it is,โ€ said Ari Grossman, Laurier athleticsโ€™ manager of communications and business operations. โ€œBudget cuts are one thing, but something else we had to deal with was that when students get in for free, itโ€™s not an apparent attraction. But if theyโ€™re holding a ticket thereโ€™s a valueโ€

The $5 entry fee for Laurier students to go to regular season games at Knight-Newbrough Field is the first time such a charge has been issued for a regular season match for any Golden Hawk regular season event. Though it may come as a shock, for some $5 is a small amount to pay for such a high quality event.

โ€œItโ€™s only five bucks,โ€ said third-year Golden Hawk basketball player Christa Mancino. โ€œYouโ€™ve always got to support the boys.โ€

Most, however, seem disgruntled by the news, admitting that the new charge will deter them from attending.

โ€œI had planned on going to all the home games this season,โ€ said third-year business student Steve Kerr. โ€œNow I might go to one, if none at all. It is not worth it to go now that it isnโ€™t free.โ€

-with files from Justin Fauteux


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