Queen's Gaels

What Queen's Gaels does

Queen's Gaels is the athletics and recreation program of Queen's University, a public university in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, operating as a non-profit department under Executive Director Leslie Dal Cin. The program fields 26+ varsity sports serving over 1,200 student-athletes and engages nearly 80% of the broader student population in sports or recreational activities, with more than 25,000 physical activity opportunities delivered annually across students, staff, faculty, alumni, retirees, and the Kingston community.

The core offering combines a deep facility portfolio with bundled programming. Anchor facilities include the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) at 284 Earl Street with five gymnasiums, Kingston's largest fully accessible pool (38m x 25m), 24,500 sq ft of cardio and strength zones, eight squash courts, and two racquetball courts; ARC South at Mitchell Hall (69 Union Street) with three additional gymnasiums and a 4,000 sq ft High Performance Training Centre; Richardson Stadium (948 Johnson Street) with 8,000+ seating capacity; and specialized outdoor fields (Miklas-McCarney, Nixon, Tindall). Service lines span varsity athletics, aquatics (Lifesaving Society curriculum), group fitness and personal training, intramurals, recreation clubs (archery, climbing, esports, etc.), Q Sports Medicine (athletic therapy, massage, chiropractic, sports medicine physicians), youth high-performance camps, facility rentals, ticketing, and Q Shop merchandise. The GetActive portal and mobile app unify registration, membership, and access.

The business model is a hybrid of institutional funding and user-pay revenue. Direct revenue streams include facility memberships and day passes, program registration fees, ticketing, facility rentals, Q Shop merchandise, and sports medicine services, with differential pricing for student-athletes versus general public (e.g., $30 student athlete therapy vs. $85–$91 general public). Indirect funding flows through university allocations, student fees, sponsorships, and donor contributions. Distribution is anchored on the Queen's University campus, with an online registration portal and mobile app extending reach to the Kingston community. The program competes within U Sports and OUA frameworks and is not separately venture- or equity-funded.

Name

Queen's Gaels

Legal name

Queen's University Athletics & Recreation

Website

https://gogaelsgo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1841

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Queen's Gaels is the athletics and recreation program of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, operating 26+ varsity sports, recreation, fitness, and sports medicine services for 1,200+ student-athletes, the broader student body, and the Kingston community via facilities including the ARC, ARC South, and Richardson Stadium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Athletics and Recreation Services

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

College/University Athletic Departments & Varsity Programs (MPAKACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Collegiate Athletic Conferences & Associations (MPAKACAA), Collegiate & School Athletic Facilities (MPAKAEAJ), Club Sports Programs (EDALAIAB)

Keywords

• University athletics programs
• Recreation facility services
• Sports medicine clinics
• Varsity sport teams
• Youth sports camps

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Facility Memberships and Day Passes: Revenue from memberships and day/week passes for access to the ARC facilities including pool, gymnasiums, fitness zones, and courts for students, staff, faculty, alumni, retirees, and the Kingston community.
2. Program Registration Fees: Fees from swimming lessons, aquatics leadership courses, camps, group fitness classes, personal training, intramurals, and recreational clubs.
3. Ticketing and Event Revenue: Revenue from tickets for varsity games and events at Richardson Stadium and the ARC.
4. Facility Rentals: Rental income from tournaments, corporate team building, birthday parties, meetings, and community reservations.
5. Q Shop Merchandise: Retail sales of Queen's Gaels merchandise and gear.
6. Sports Medicine Services: Revenue from athletic therapy, massage therapy, chiropractic/acupuncture services, bracing, and sports medicine physician consultations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Queen's Gaels operates the athletics and recreation portfolio for Queen's University, delivering U SPORTS varsity sport programs, intramural leagues, sport clubs, group fitness and personal training, aquatics, sports medicine and athletic therapy services, and youth high-performance camps. Programming is delivered through multiple facilities including the Athletics & Recreation Centre, ARC South | Mitchell Hall, Richardson Stadium, turf and grass fields, and is supported by a membership and program registration system accessed online and via a mobile app.

Product overview

Queen's Gaels Athletics & Recreation operates as a comprehensive university athletics department offering a unified portfolio of sports programs and recreational services. The core offering centers on varsity athletics (26+ intercollegiate sports with 1,200+ student-athletes) and world-class facilities including the Athletics & Recreation Centre (ARC), ARC South/Mitchell Hall, Richardson Stadium, and multiple outdoor fields. These facilities support diverse programming: aquatics (swim lessons, leadership courses, lane swims), fitness services (group fitness, personal training), sports medicine (athletic therapy, massage, chiropractic), intramurals, recreation clubs, youth camps (Gaels HP Camps), and the Q Move wellness initiative. A proprietary GetActive portal and mobile app enable membership management, facility reservations, and program registration. The integrated network connects varsity competition, recreational programming, and wellness services under one athletics and recreation umbrella.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Queen's Gaels Varsity Sport Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1200 student-athletes participate in varsity sports
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U SportscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational governing body for university sports in Canada. Queen's Gaels compete in U Sports national tournaments as part of the OUA conference.
• Ontario University Athletics (OUA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial governing body for university athletics in Ontario. The OUA organizes conference schedules, championships, and broadcast coverage through OUA.TV.
• Q Sports MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegrated sports medicine clinic within the ARC providing athletic therapy, massage therapy, sports medicine physicians, and rehabilitation services to student-athletes and community members.
• Kingston Tennis ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome venue for some Queen's tennis matches as the ARC tennis facilities are not available year-round.
• Lifesaving SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQueen's ARC offers swimming lessons and aquatic leadership courses following the Lifesaving Society Swim Program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brock University Badgers: OUA/U Sports peer with parallel varsity athletics, recreation, and youth programming. Comparable institutional scale and competitive positioning within the OUA conference.
• Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks: OUA/U Sports peer institution with overlapping varsity and recreation programs, located in the Ontario corridor. Direct competitor within the same conference structure and recruiting market.
• McMaster University (McMaster Marauders): OUA/U Sports peer institution with parallel varsity athletics, recreation, and intramural programming. Comparable scale, geographic reach within Ontario, and competition profile for student-athlete recruitment.
• Western University (Western Mustangs): Fellow OUA/U Sports athletics program with comparable varsity portfolio, recreation facilities, and youth camp offerings. Competes directly with Queen's Gaels in OUA conference play and shared recruiting geographies.
• University of Toronto Varsity Blues: U Sports/OUA conference peer operating a similar university athletics and recreation program with varsity sports, recreation facilities, and sports medicine. Direct head-to-head competitor for talent, audiences, and championships within the same conference.
• University of Ottawa Gee-Gees: Bilingual OUA/U Sports peer with similar varsity and recreation structure, including facility-based memberships and youth programming. Direct competitor within the OUA conference and broader Canadian university sports landscape.
• University of Guelph (Gryphons): Ontario university athletics program competing in U Sports/OUA with similar varsity sports breadth and on-campus recreation facilities. Direct competitor for Ontario-based student-athletes and OUA championships.
• York University Lions: OUA/U Sports peer institution in the GTA with similar varsity and recreation programming structure. Direct competitor within the same conference and broader market for student-athlete recruitment.
• Carleton University Ravens: Ottawa-based OUA/U Sports peer offering comparable varsity athletics and recreation services. Competes for the same Ontario talent pool and donor base.

Broad incumbents

• University of British Columbia Thunderbirds: Larger U Sports athletics program on the west coast with broader sport breadth, larger venues, and deeper recruiting reach. Comparable institutional model but operates at materially greater scale and in a different conference.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/queensgaels
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/QueensGaels
• Facebookfacebook.com/queensgaels
• Instagraminstagram.com/queensgaels

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Queen's Gaels