The City 6 refers to an informal association of college athletic programs in the Philadelphia area. It is not a conference; in fact, the six schools that are members of the City 6 are members of four separate conferences: the Atlantic 10, the Big East

Big East Conference

The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...

, the Colonial Athletic Association

Colonial Athletic Association

The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...

 (CAA), and the Ivy League

Ivy League

The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...

.

The colleges in the City 6 are all of the Philadelphia Big 5

Philadelphia Big 5

The Philadelphia Big 5 is an informal association of college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is not a conference; indeed the five schools that are members of the Big 5 are members of three separate conferences: the Atlantic 10, the Big East, and the Ivy League.The five...

 schools—La Salle University

La Salle Explorers

La Salle Explorers is the name of the athletic teams from La Salle University. The school's 23 varsity sports teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and are a member of the Atlantic Ten Conference. The American football team previously played in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football...

, Saint Joseph's University

Saint Joseph's Hawks

The Saint Joseph's Hawks represent the athletic teams at Saint Joseph's University. The Hawks compete in Division I in the NCAA and the Philadelphia Big 5. The school also has intramurals and extramurals, the latter of which compete with the City 6 . The school is mostly known for its men's...

 (SJU), Temple University

Temple Owls

Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a very long-running athletic program. The school's sports teams are called the Owls, originating from the university's early days as a night school. The current athletic director is Bill Bradshaw....

, the University of Pennsylvania, and Villanova University

Villanova Wildcats

The Villanova Wildcats is the name of the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport except football, where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association .-Men's basketball:The Villanova Wildcats compete in the Big EAST and are currently coached by Jay...

—along with Drexel University

Drexel Dragons

The Drexel Dragons are the athletic teams of Drexel University.The school's athletic program includes eighteen NCAA Division I sports including nine men's and nine women's teams, with most sports teams competing in the Colonial Athletic Association . Drexel's athletic department was ranked first in...

.

Rivalries between these schools are intensified because of this association, as well as the fact that each university is located within a 15-mile radius of one another. The most intense rivalry among the City 6 schools, however, is that between Saint Joseph's and Villanova. This match-up is referred to as the Holy War

Holy War (Villanova vs. St. Joe's)

The Holy War is a basketball rivalry game in the Philadelphia Big 5 between Saint Joseph's University and Villanova University, which is considered the most intense of all the Big 5 games. It's called the "Holy War" because both universities have Roman Catholic religious affiliations: Villanova...

.

Officially, "City 6" refers to the City 6 Extramural

Extramural

Extramural means to study outside, but under the aegis of, a university or other institution. Extramural studies are taken by the student away from the physical campus, and are often used for those unable to attend classes....

 Classic, which features the best intramural

Intramural sports

Intramural sports or intramurals are recreational sports organized within a set geographic area. The term derives from the Latin words intra muros meaning "within walls", and was used to indicate sports matches and contests that took place among teams from "within the walls" of an ancient city...

 teams from each school competing against one another. The classic was founded in 1986 by representatives from Saint Joseph's and Temple. Games between the intramural programs are held at such locations as SJU's Hagan Arena

Hagan Arena

The Michael J. Hagan Arena of Saint Joseph's University is SJU's home court for Men's and Women's basketball. The new arena seats 4,200 which is 1,000 more than the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse seated...

, Penn's Franklin Field

Franklin Field

Franklin Field is the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, field hockey, lacrosse, sprint football, and track and field . It is also used by Penn students for recreation, and for intramural and club sports, including touch football and cricket, and is the site of Penn's graduation...

, and Villanova Stadium

Villanova Stadium

Villanova Stadium is a stadium located on the campus of Villanova University in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, USA.Villanova Stadium was originally built in 1927 and dedicated on October 8, 1927, Villanova Stadium plays host to a wide variety of events including serving as home to the Villanova...

.

The sports that each school competes in are flag football

Flag football

Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...

, volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

, basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, and softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

. Each sport includes competition for men, women, and co-ed.

Over 13,000 intramural participants have competed in City 6 events over the last twenty years.

Varsity basketball

Each spring, the basketball coaches of the six schools sit together and are speakers at the Coaches vs. Cancer Tourney Tip-Off Breakfast, to raise money for the American Cancer Society

American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...

.

Institutions

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Year Joined	Nickname	Conference
Drexel University Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...	University City University City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania University City is the easternmost region of West Philadelphia.The University of Pennsylvania has long been the dominant institution in the area and was instrumental in coining the name University City as part of a 1950s urban-renewal effort...	1891	Private	19,882	1986	Dragons Drexel Dragons The Drexel Dragons are the athletic teams of Drexel University.The school's athletic program includes eighteen NCAA Division I sports including nine men's and nine women's teams, with most sports teams competing in the Colonial Athletic Association . Drexel's athletic department was ranked first in...	CAA
La Salle University La Salle University La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...	Germantown	1863	Private/Catholic	6,012	1995	Explorers La Salle Explorers La Salle Explorers is the name of the athletic teams from La Salle University. The school's 23 varsity sports teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and are a member of the Atlantic Ten Conference. The American football team previously played in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football...	A10
Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic Jesuit university located partially in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia and partially in Lower Merion Township and located in the Pennsylvania Main Line, Pennsylvania, United States.The school was founded in 1851 as Saint...	West Philadelphia West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and... /Lower Merion Township	1851	Private/Catholic	7,542	1982	Hawks Saint Joseph's Hawks The Saint Joseph's Hawks represent the athletic teams at Saint Joseph's University. The Hawks compete in Division I in the NCAA and the Philadelphia Big 5. The school also has intramurals and extramurals, the latter of which compete with the City 6 . The school is mostly known for its men's...	A10
Temple University Temple University Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...	North Philadelphia	1884	Public	31,600	1982	Owls Temple Owls Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a very long-running athletic program. The school's sports teams are called the Owls, originating from the university's early days as a night school. The current athletic director is Bill Bradshaw....	A10
	University City	1740	Private	19,813	1986	Quakers	Ivy
Villanova University Villanova University Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...	Villanova Villanova, Pennsylvania Villanova is a community in the United States Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It straddles Lower Merion Township of Montgomery County and Radnor Township of Delaware County. It is located at the center of the Pennsylvania Main Line, a series of highly affluent Philadelphia suburban towns located...	1842	Private/Catholic	9,535	1986	Wildcats Villanova Wildcats The Villanova Wildcats is the name of the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport except football, where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association .-Men's basketball:The Villanova Wildcats compete in the Big EAST and are currently coached by Jay...	Big East