BC Rugby – Vancouver, BC – May 1, 2017: The highly anticipated 2017 BC Rugby Club Finals will take place this Saturday, May 6th at Exhibition Park in Abbotsford. On the line is the opportunity for teams to be named 2017 BC Rugby Club Champions in one of nine Men’s and Women’s divisions, from Third Division to Premier League.

These teams have faced each other in grueling matches under tough weather conditions during the 2016-17 season. There are 18 teams competing in this year’s Club Finals, coming from as far as Vancouver Island and Seattle, Washington. Among the players competing in the Finals are National Team athletes such as Westshore RFC’s Barbara Mervin, 2014 Women’s World Cup Silver Medallist, and Burnaby Lake RC’s Admir Cejvanovic, National Men’s 7s and 15s player. The referees named for the Men’s Premier League and Women’s Premier League finals are David Smortchevsky and Kevin Smith, respectively.
 
Teams Competing in Club Finals

Men’s: 
Men’s Premier League Final – Burnaby Lake RC vs UBC 
Men’s Premier Reserve Final – Burnaby Lake RC vs University of Victoria Norsemen 
Men’s Division 1 Final – Surrey Beavers AA vs Nanaimo Hornets RC 
Men’s Division 2 Final – Meraloma RC vs Kamloops RC 
Men’s Division 3A Final – Burnaby Lake RC vs Westshore RFC 
Men’s Division 3B Final – Squamish vs Capilano RFC 

Women’s: 
Women’s Premier League Final, presented by belairdirect – Westshore RFC vs Seattle Saracens 
Women’s Division 1 Final – Vancouver Thunderbirds vs United RC 
Women’s Division 2 Final – Kelowna Crows vs Capilano RFC 

Instead of hosting the Finals at multiple venues, as it was done in previous years, BC Rugby is fortunate to host all games this year in the beautiful Abbotsford Exhibition Park.

Tyler Adams, President of Abbotsford Rugby Club, shares, “Having the BC Rugby Club Provincial finals in Abbotsford is an amazing opportunity to show the province what a great venue we have for hosting this event. Abbotsford RFC has a history of excellence in hosting events and we hope that this is an ongoing partnership with BC Rugby to host the finals in one location.”

Tourism Abbotsford’s Chris Blanchette shares similar enthusiasm, “We’re so thrilled for Abbotsford to host this event. We have such a passionate rugby community here, so hosting the BC Rugby Club Finals is a natural fit, and it further cements Abbotsford as a hotbed for rugby.”  

Headlining the Club Finals will be the Women’s Premier League Final, presented by belairdirect and the Men’s Premier League Final. The Women’s Premier League Final will see Westshore RFC vs Seattle Saracens.

“We’re so pleased to be a part of and support the 2017 BC Rugby Club Finals. We understand the benefit of organized sports to our community, so we’re happy to come together to cheer,” said Henry Blumenthal, belairdirect’s Vice President, Sales and Operation Western Region. “At belairdirect, we give our customers peace of mind by protecting their homes and vehicles, just like the players protect each other on the field. This weekend, the belairdirect knight will have his game-face on and will be ready to offer protection inside and outside of the rugby scrum.”

In the Men’s Premier League Final, Burnaby Lake RC will face UBC. With these same teams competing in last year’s Men’s Premier League Final, these two teams will face each other once again as UBC hopes to hold onto their past 2 consecutive wins.

In addition to the 9 games being played at Club Finals, there will also be a family zone with an inflatable rugby field and other fun activities for young children to enjoy. Spectators can also look forward to food trucks, a belairdirect booth with free giveaways, photos with mascots, a beer garden and more! Everyone is encouraged to come out to the event and support their local teams as well as Rugby in BC.  

Admission is free for attendees 18 or under (high school students will need to show ID for free admission). For adults 19 and up, tickets are $15 each. Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate.

BC Rugby has also arranged shuttle buses for spectators. Buses will pick up spectators from Tsawwassen, Downtown Vancouver and Burnaby. There are limited seats so reserve your spot as soon as possible to secure reliable transportation to the event. Click here for more information and to reserve a seat.

Full site map, schedule and rosters will be made available here. This information will also be made available in the event programs distributed to participants and spectators. 

Several games will be streamed live on bcrugby.com. Media accreditation can be applied for here. 

Follow BC Rugby’s Twitter for live updates during the Finals. 

BC Rugby is looking forward to welcoming all members of the Rugby community to this exciting event. It will surely be a day packed with nonstop rugby action.

More information about BC Rugby

The British Columbia Rugby Union, commonly known as BC Rugby, is the governing body for Rugby in British Columbia and is a Provincial Union of Rugby Canada, the national governing body. Representing over 7,500 individuals registered through around 60 Member Clubs and Associations across the Province, BC Rugby leads and manages the sport with the aim to grow participation and develop excellence in all games of Rugby and in all facets of the sport.

Web: bcrugby.com

Twitter: twitter.com/bcrugbyunion

Facebook: facebook.com/bcrugbyunion

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For further information, please contact:

BC Rugby

Cassie Xiong

Marketing & Communications Manager
cxiong@bcrugby.com

Tel: +1- 604-737-3070