University of Bridgeport Plans to Add Ten New Sports

Purple Knights seek to build teams for NCAA Division II men’s lacrosse, women’s and men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and add five new club sports

University of Bridgeport (UB) announced on October 4, 2021, that it plans to add ten new sports, which would bring the total number of NCAA and club sports on campus to 17. In the Fall ’22 semester, UB seeks to begin adding sports including NCAA Division II men’s lacrosse, women’s and men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and an eSports club team. Over the next few years, the University will also add new club sports including men’s and women’s rugby and women’s bowling. It also anticipates fielding a men’s Sprint Football team as early as the Fall ’23 semester.

UB is starting the process of hiring coaches for these new teams so that they may begin recruiting student athletes. In accordance with NCAA rules, athletic scholarships will be available for men’s and women’s track and field athletes as well as men’s lacrosse beginning with the Fall ’22 semester.

I’m proud to share that we are planning to add ten new sports to our department at a time when many schools are cutting their athletic programs. It’s proof of how committed we are to helping our students succeed in all areas of life,” said Jay Moran, vice president of Athletics at the University of Bridgeport. “I look forward to working with our new coaches and student athletes to build these programs into winning teams.”

eSports and Sprint Football are two sports rapidly growing in popularity. The Purple Knights will compete against other schools in Connecticut and beyond in eSports. The UB Sprint Football team is expected to compete in the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) against teams including Army, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania. The CSFL follows the same rules as NCAA football, but players must weigh 178 pounds or less.

“Jay has done a fantastic job reinvigorating the UB Athletics Department in the short time that he has been back on campus,” said Dr. Danielle Wilken, president of the University of Bridgeport. “Athletics are an important part of the spirit of our campus, and the addition of these new teams will help us to attract even more students interested in excelling in both athletics and academics.”