It brings together over 90 of the top U Sports football players for a week of practices and evaluation, culminating with the annual all-star game.

[1] A national committee of U Sports head coaches selects the participants from a pool of players nominated by their respective universities.

Every U Sports football program is represented by a minimum of three and a maximum of four players who will be eligible for the CFL draft the following year.

[8] CIS changed its name to U Sports in October 2016. Notable past participants of the East–West Bowl who have moved on to have careers in the CFL (Canadian Football League) and/or NFL (National Football League) include: Hec Crighton trophy winners Benoit Groulx of Laval, Daryl Stephenson of Windsor, Andy Fantuz of Western, Jesse Lumsden of McMaster and Tommy Denison of Queen's.

[4] Players are housed by the hosting university for the week and attend daily practices and meetings in which they are constantly evaluated on both their physical football capabilities as well as their mental knowledge and understanding of the game.

[4][12][5] In 2023, the Simon Fraser Red Leafs also had players invited to play in the game following the controversial cancellation of the school's football program.