Three months ago, when David Munro was officially named athletic director at the University of New Brunswick Saint John, he was quick to say he wanted to create opportunities for students at varsity, club and recreation levels for the university's 2,800 students.

It's not like Munro didn't have a grasp of the subject matter, having worked at UNBSJ in a variety of roles since 1990, including a long period as assistant and then acting director of the department.

Now that the calendar has turned to 2007, Munro is still talking about developments with his varsity teams, and the increased numbers in the university's club system.

But his discussion is not limited to those areas of potential development.

Someday, Munro feels UNBSJ could expand its sporting affiliation with the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association to include the Canadian Interuniversity Sport, much the same as Mount Allison in Sackville and St. Thomas University in Fredericton do now, with teams at both the CCAA and CIS levels.

"We would like to be like them," said Munro. "They are similar sized schools to us and they have both done it pretty well."

Currently, UNBSJ has varsity programs in men's and women's soccer, basketball and volleyball as well as badminton - all at the CCAA level.

Because the school is part of UNB, the Varsity Reds program in Fredericton takes precedence in terms of CIS involvement. That means if UNB Fredericton is already playing a CIS sport, UNBSJ can't.

However, that leaves one specific area of intrigue - varsity football, where the UNB team in Fredericton folded more than a generation ago and a movement surfaced this past year in Saint John to resurrect the program at Canada Games Stadium.

The UNBSJ Wolves competed in the Maritime Football League this past summer and team officials - citing eight high school feeder programs close to the UNBSJ campus - hope to use this summer's experience as a springboard to eventually launch CIS football in the Port City.

"It is an expensive endeavor that would demand quite a bit of commitment in terms of finances and resources," said Munro. "Things evolve and you never say never to anything. I wouldn't close the door to any CIS participation in any sport."

Munro says that before the concept even came to the drawing board, commitment must be in place for a turf field at Canada Games Stadium.

From there, the university's leaders must have a philosophy that jibes with the introduction of football, a highly visible - yet equally expensive sport for 50-75 players - instead of directing finances toward the evolution of the school's focus on wellness and fitness, a growth area for the university athletic department recently.

"There has been a real movement toward wellness," said Munro. "How can we serve more students better? ...Football at the CIS level demands a great deal of money. It is a big-ticket sport and that's where you get into philosophy."

In addition to the varsity state of affairs (90 athletes), UNBSJ has a number of club teams ranging from rugby and indoor soccer to women's hockey to softball, with more than 100 athletes registered. Programs are funded by the athletes but the clubs afford students a competitive environment without the time and travel demands of varsity action.

Munro feels this is a great opportunity for continued growth - but one he hopes continues in other areas as well.

The UNBSJ men's volleyball team heads to Limoilou, Que. for the Canada East Cup this weekend. The men's and women's volleyball teams open the second half of the regular season next Wednesday at home against St. Thomas. The men's and women's basketball teams are at home this weekend against Holland College of Charlottetown. The badminton squad opens the second half Jan. 13 in Truro.