University of Alberta’s Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic to close after decades of service
Posted September 9, 2025 9:14 am.
After serving athletes and the public since 1988, including the Oilers and Elks, the Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic at University of Alberta will shut its doors in January, marking the end of an era in Edmonton sports health.
The clinic opened in the basement at the main campus — a place where elite athletes with nagging injuries could get rehab and physiotherapy. It was considered historic to have clinic services in one spot.
But now teams have their own training staff, including the University of Alberta. Average Edmontonians were also coming to the clinic for multiple years, including the last three. The clinic was operating at massive losses, and no provincial funding was used for the clinic since 2020.
The university has decided to shut down in the new year, cutting more than 20 jobs.
“What was groundbreaking and deserves credit for setting precedent has really been adopted by other clinics both within Edmonton and across Canada,” said Katherine Huising, U of A’s associate vice-president of campus services.
U of A says current clients are getting directed to other clinics ahead of the closure in 2026.
