Laurier Athletic Complex, University Stadium and Brantford YMCA

Laurier Recreation says a valid OneCard serves as an Athletics and Recreation membership for all full-time and part-time registered students. You tap it to enter the Athletic Complex and University Stadium. If you don't tap, or don't have your card, you'll be turned away. You get one lost-card entry per semester, after which you need a replacement from the OneCard office.

Waterloo undergraduates pay for this through the Laurier Athletics & Recreation fee, which is $99.03 per term at most in Laurier's 2026-27 incidental fee schedule. Laurier says the fee supports expanding fitness, sport and recreation spaces on the Waterloo campus. It doesn't appear on the Brantford campus fee list.

The Athletic Complex is home to Golden Hawks varsity basketball and swimming, plus most student recreation. It has a three-court gymnasium, an Olympic-length 50-metre pool with six lanes, a Fitness Centre of more than 22,000 square feet, a 25-foot climbing wall, two international squash courts, dance and fitness studios, the Hawk Lounge and two multipurpose classrooms. Laurier says all areas are open to students with the student membership, and some also work as study space.

The Hawk Desk at the entrance handles memberships, rentals, equipment and varsity tickets. It went cashless on May 1, 2026, so bring debit or credit. You can reach it at 548-889-5581. The Fitness Centre's live occupancy is posted in the member portal, which helps you avoid the busiest hours.

Fusion replaced the old laurierathletics.com shop in summer 2026. You sign in at register.laurierathletics.com, or in the FusionGO app, with Laurier single sign-on. Claim the free Group Exercise and Climbing Wall passes there first, then book specific times.

Group Exercise sign-up opens up to 168 hours, or seven days, before each class. Climbing sign-up opens up to 72 hours before each climb. Booking isn't required for either, but Laurier recommends it to guarantee your spot. Since September 8, 2026, Open Gym, Open Field and Open Dome times are posted on the Fusion calendar, not a separate schedule page.

University Stadium sits east of the main campus at 81 Seagram Drive. It's home to Golden Hawks football, lacrosse and rugby, and it has a full-size gym and Knight-Newbrough Field. Laurier's Seagram Drive project has removed the old grandstand, replaced the turf, scoreboard and field lighting, and built new stands for about 3,000 fans. A winterized dome opened on February 1, 2026, which gives field sports winter space on site.

The next phase, a new building with a double gymnasium, still depends on funding and governance approvals. Don't plan around it yet. The stadium is only open when activities are scheduled, so call its Hawk Desk at 548-889-5889 before you go.

Ansley Alumni Field reopened on April 20, 2023, just south of the Athletic Complex at 75 University Avenue West. It hosts varsity soccer and lacrosse, intramural leagues and Open Field time. Varsity hockey plays off campus at Sun Life Financial Arena in the City of Waterloo's Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, about a 15-minute walk away.

Brantford students don't have a Laurier-run gym. They use the Laurier Brantford YMCA, a partnership between Laurier and the YMCA of Hamilton, Burlington and Brantford. It's on the south side of Colborne Street, opposite Harmony Square.

Laurier students who have paid their student fees and hold a valid OneCard can use the facility. Laurier says student access includes all fitness classes, the fitness centre, the pool and open gym. Faculty and staff buy their own memberships.

Parents and friends can't use your student access. The Hawk Desk sells day passes and memberships, and these 2026-27 rates run from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, with HST included. New alumni and community members also pay a one-time $35 initiation fee, and a lost membership card costs $30 to replace. Community members need government-issued ID.