About

Although Sport Clubs and Varsity student-athletes may have similar health and competitive sport goals, UBC Thunderbirds Sport Clubs are completely student-driven and compete in sports not already offered within the varsity program at UBC. Thunderbirds Sport Clubs may have professional coaches and receive administrative and financial support from UBC Athletics and Recreation, however, each club is fully operated by its student leaders. These students are tasked with administrative, financial, and social responsibilities for their respective teams, which include scheduling games and tournaments, handling practices and facility rentals, fundraising, organizing competition travel, and hiring coaches - just to name a few. Sport Club executives and athletes are presented with an excellent opportunity to build leadership, teamwork, and professional skills that can launch their careers after their time at UBC.

While Thunderbirds Sport Clubs and AMS Clubs focus on student leadership and development, UBC Thunderbirds Sport Clubs strives for competitive excellence. With weekly practices, Sport Clubs travel locally, nationally, and internationally to compete against other universities, representing UBC at a highly competitive level. Sport Clubs athletes are challenged with athletic and self-development, enriching their experiences at the University.

With student leadership driving the Sport Clubs and Intramurals programs, UBC Thunderbirds Sport Clubs allows students to compete at an inter-collegiate level. Sport Clubs encourage athletes to be competitive and successful within their athletic domains, while Intramurals allow athletes to try out new sports at the recreational level. For athletes looking for a balance between competition and recreation, Sport Clubs provide the perfect in-between.

UBC Athletics and Recreation will review current sport club programs and will accept applications for the TSC program approximately every two years.

If an AMS Club for your sport exists, we suggest you get involved in the competitive component of their club or the creation of their competitive component.

If an AMS Club for your sport does not exist, we highly suggest you create an AMS Club to prepare for your TSC application.

If you run a highly competitive team on campus and would like to take this next step, please email your inquiries to sport.clubs@ubc.ca.

To be a Sport Clubs athlete, UBC requires each athlete to be registered in 9 credits per term or registered in a UBC-affiliated co-op term. (A player can be registered in fewer than 9 credits if they have fulfilled all their academic requirements and are expecting to graduate in that term.) In addition, they must maintain a cumulative average of 60% in order to remain eligible for athlete status.

While the above teams are only available to UBC Vancouver Students, there are Sport Clubs available at UBC Okanagan. Head to their home page for more information: UBC Okanagan Recreational Sport Clubs

If you would like more information on getting involved with UBC Thunderbirds Sport Clubs, either on an existing team or for a new sport, please contact the team directly through their team email or email sport.clubs@ubc.ca for general inquiries.

The most recent application process for the UBC Thunderbirds Sport Clubs program took place in the Fall of 2025. The next opportunity to apply for the program will be no earlier than 2027.

For more information please refer to the TSC Applications - 2019 Information Package.