BC Rugby – Vancouver, BC – April 4th, 2016: BC Rugby is pleased to announce a series of Identification Sessions open to any and all U14-20 female and U14-U19 male rugby players aspiring to make the BC Rugby Age-Grade Fifteens Teams.

This summer, BC Rugby Teams will be competing at the pinnacle of Canadian age-grade competition while defending multiple divisional titles at the National Rugby Festival, the U19/20 Canadian Rugby Championships and head-to-head matches against rivals Rugby Ontario.

The first Identification Sessions are scheduled in Victoria (UVic) on April 9th and Vancouver (UBC) on April 10th. Additional age-specific sessions are also planned for the month of May, with further details to be announced soon.

Each Identification Session will provide players with an opportunity to display their talents in a controlled, skills-focused environment, led by the BC Rugby Team Coaches. This opportunity can be of great benefit to those players who want to highlight elements of their game that might be harder to express in a competitive fixture. Included in the sessions will be individual skills assessments and player fitness testing.

New in 2016, baseline concussion testing and PrivIT injury tracking software will be introduced for the first time, with every player being subscribed and monitored. Player welfare will have a significant emphasis throughout the selection process, and a special presentation will be made at each of the April 9th and 10th sessions. Both players and parents are invited and encouraged to attend these presentations.

The price for players to audition in this talent showcase is only $20 per session, which also helps to cover the cost of  new concussion testing and player welfare tools. Players hoping to be selected for the BC Rugby Teams are strongly encouraged to attend at least one of these sessions over the coming months, in order to best promote themselves in front of the BC Rugby Team Coaches.

“These sessions represent an exciting opportunity for any and all players to make an early and positive impression,” said Dean Murten, BC Rugby’s Performance Development Manager. “We want to ensure that all our age-grade athletes are provided with a chance to make themselves known to the BC Rugby Team Coaches and put their best foot forward.”

Other avenues will be available to players unable to attend the upcoming Identification Sessions. BC Rugby Team staff will be in attendance at the BC Girls High School Rugby Provincial Championships, the BC Secondary Schools Rugby Union Provincial Championships and the Provincial Regional Championships in June.

Following the Provincial Regional Championships, squads of 40 players will be invited to BC Rugby Team Selection Camps, with 24-player Teams being announced in July.

More details about the BC Rugby Age-Grade XV Team Selection Policy can be found on bcrugby.com.

During the upcoming Identification Sessions, there will be an important Player Welfare Presentation which parents are encouraged to attend.  A key element of this presentation will be an introduction to PrivIT, a software tool that allows players to confidentially track and share medical history with Team training staff. All athletes participating in the BC Rugby XV Team Programs will be using PrivIT in 2016.  To learn more about this secure software, and how it will be used by BC Rugby, click here.
 

BC Rugby Age-Grade XV Identification Sessions: April 9 in Victoria, April 10 in Vancouver

• U14-U20 Female
• U14-U19 Male

BC Rugby Age-Grade XV Identification Sessions : additional dates and locations to be announced

• Specific age-grade sessions

Provincial Regional Championships: June 24-26 in Burnaby

• U14-U18 Regional Teams, Male and Female

The Canadian Rugby Championships: July 13-19 in Toronto

• U20 Women
• U19 Men

The National Rugby Festival: August 13-19 in Toronto

• U18 Boys & U16 Boys
• U18 Girls & U16 Girls

Tour to Ontario: August 13-19 in Toronto

• U17 Boys, U15 Boys, U14 Boys
• U17 Girls, U15 Girls

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

BC Rugby
Brendan Munro
Communications Manager
Tel: +1- 604-737-3070
Cell: +1-604-349-3104