History was made recently when the Canada Rugby League Association was rewarded for the growth & development of the sport in Canada, when the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) accepted the entry of a Canada Women’s Team in the 2017 Rugby League Women’s World Cup! This will be the first time the Women’s World Cup will be ran alongside the Men’s World Cup and the Finals will be played together on the same night in Brisbane, Australia on December 2nd, 2017!
RLWC 2017 chief executive Andrew Hill said of the occasion, “It has always been the Board’s vision to have the Women’s Rugby League World Cup played concurrently with the men’s tournament and through the strong support of the NSW Government, we have been able to create what is a milestone moment for the sport, It’s only fitting these gifted athletes get the opportunity to showcase their skills on a global stage and we see next year’s Women’s Rugby League World Cup as a game charger for the sport.”
The news of Canada’s historic inclusion comes as welcome support for the hard work and achievements made by the CRLA in recent times. CRLA President Paul O’Keefe commented, “This is a historic night for Rugby League in Canada, this is also a great night for Canada’s Female athletes as we can now offer opportunities to represent Canada on the World stage playing Rugby League! We have all seen the incredible Rugby skills of Canadian women across Canada, even as recent as the Olympic Games. There are now two Rugby codes providing real International pathways for female athletes. The 2017 Rugby League World Cup will be another excellent opportunity to show the world’s best what Canadian women can do!”
In 2017, the standalone Women’s Rugby League World Cup will involve six teams from three different continents: Europe (England), North America (Canada) and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea). The final team will come from either Fiji, Tonga, Samoa or the Cook Islands following the Pacific Qualifying Series to be played at St Mary’s in Western Sydney during October 2016.
The draw for the Women’s Rugby League World Cup 2017 will be announced following the Pacific qualifying series, with games scheduled for Sydney and Brisbane. Tickets to the double-header final at Brisbane Stadium on Saturday 2 December 2017 will go on general sale at 10.00am AEST, 27 October 2016.
Don’t miss out on your opportunity to see Rugby League live in Canada as our National Men’s team, ranked 14th in the world take on USA in Toronto on September 24th at Lamport Stadium for the America’s Championship! Tickets available atwww.torontoticket.ca
