The 2016 Ontario Rugby League season will kick off with a nines tournament held at Esther Shiner Stadium on Sunday, April 24th. It is the first time a nines tournament will be hosted in Ontario with the shortened version of the game continuing to gain in popularity around the world in recent years.

The tournament will be played by the four Ontario teams, Brantford Broncos, Burlington Tigers, Toronto Centurions and Toronto City Saints, as well as any additional teams willing to try their hand in the abbreviated version of the game.

Ontario Rugby League’s President, Jamie Lester, commented “I think it’s a great opportunity to start the season with something different and a little more fun for our players. It will provide both clubs and players a little more freedom to play some good footy without the pressure of competition points which will hopefully showcase a wider variety of skills. We hope the nines tournament to be a successful part of the ORL calendar for many years to come”.

Not only will the event be it’s first in Ontario, but in another exciting first, it will also host an under 17 year old nines open trial. Selected players will have the opportunity to play against British Columbia U17 in August and travel to Jamaica to play in an international match.

To register for the U17 trial please contact ontarioroyalstrlc@gmail.com.