OCAA TO BUILD ON SUCCESSFUL WOMEN'S RUGBY SEVENS DEBUT

TORONTO - The newest Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) varsity sport is set to expand next season.

Building off its first-ever campaign, the OCAA will add four additional women's sevens rugby teams for 2017-18, including Algonquin College, Fleming College, Loyalist College and St. Lawrence College (Kingston). The league will increase to nine schools, with all OCAA women's rugby varsity teams now playing under the sevens format.

A tournament-style league schedule will be announced later in 2017. Women's rugby sevens was introduced to OCAA this past September, with Conestoga College, Humber College, Mohawk College, Seneca College and Sheridan College all taking part. Humber won the inaugural OCAA gold medal last month.  

Four tournaments were hosted by each participating school last season, in addition to the championship tournament hosted by Sheridan. The festive atmosphere at these events provided a positive playing experience for all the student-athletes that competed in these matches.

Games consist of two seven-minute halves, played by seven players per side, allowing for multiple matches per day. Rugby Sevens made its Olympic debut last summer in Rio de Janeiro, and was played at the recent Pan American Games in Toronto.

Women's rugby was introduced to the OCAA as a trial varsity sport during the 2010-11 season, becoming a full varsity league in 2011-12. The league was played under a traditional format (with 15 players per side) the following five seasons, including the just-concluded 2016 campaign, with the gold medal being won by Fleming for the second consecutive season.

- OCAA -

ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student-athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 29 members sponsoring 12 varsity sports.

For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com