It was announced on July 21 that the Oakland University Club Football team will finally make its mark and move to Oakland’s main campus. This is the first time in the history of the university that there is a football team that will be playing on campus.

“It is a dream come true”, said team president Christopher Polite. “Not only for the current and past players of our team who have worked so hard for this opportunity, but even more for the surrounding community and the student body.”

Rumors have circled for years as to why the team has never played on campus. One of the most popular was that Matilda Dodge Wilson was against contact sports, another was that Oakland doesn’t qualify to have a football team. However, there simply aren’t enough resources to have a NCAA football program.

However, the football club remains successful. Within the past four years, the team has won two National Championships and in 2016, 13 All-Americans and 8 Academic All-Americans. Some other awards include:

2014 NCFA Great Lakes East Champions
2014 NCFA Great Lakes Conference Champions
2014 NCFA National Champions
2016 Great Lakes Conference Champions
2016 NCFA National Champions

Their competitive skill-level has given them a good following during off campus games played in Auburn Hills. But, the team has wanted to be on campus for years. In June, the Student Activities Fund Assessment Committee; which is made up of representatives from Club Sports, the Center for Student Activities, the Student Life and Lecture Board, Oakland University Student Congress, the Student Activities Funding Board, The Oakland Post, WXOU, the Student Program Board and Student Video Productions; voted to give the football club $10,000 for its portable goal posts, which can be rolled on and off the football field.

The posts can be removed in the event that the soccer teams need the field, as that is the teams’ designated backup field. But, the football club is allowed to paint football lines on the field and keep the goal posts up for its games. The first official home game for the team will be Sept. 16, from 7-9 p.m. at the upper fields.

The teams schedule, videos, images and announcements can be found on their Facebook page, as well as their website. If students want to see the team in action before their first official home game in mid September, they will be playing a flag football game against Oakland University faculty on Sept. 9, at 4 p.m. The proceeds of this game will go toward charity.

“Through our performance, on and off the field we hope to achieve the goal of simply being just another reason why students and alumni should be proud to be a Golden Grizzly,” Polite said.

You can catch their home games on:

September 16 vs the Michigan Patriots

October 14 vs Easter Michigan

October 21 vs UM- Flint

October 28 vs Michigan State