Providing development and identification opportunities for U20 male athletes
July 21, 2023 – BC Rugby is delighted to announce the return of the Dunbar Keg for the 2023/24 season with support from the ONNI Group.
Beginning on September 13, the Dunbar Keg competition will feature teams from South Vancouver Island Tide, North Vancouver Island Tsunami, Fraser Valley Rugby Union and the Vancouver Wave (Vancouver Rugby Union).
All teams will play a round-robin format, including a second game between the Island and Mainland teams, to determine the top two teams that will face each other in the Cup Final.
The competition provides development and identification opportunities for U20 male athletes, enabling each region’s top junior boys to bridge the gap between competing in Senior competitions and help to retain them within Rugby programming.
BC Rugby will be the only provincial sports organization with a best-on-best Regional U20 competition that is strategically placed ahead of the annual Rugby Canada U20 Program selection and campaign. This competition will provide an advantage to BC U20 pathway athletes and directly benefit BC Rugby’s Senior Fall Leagues to develop these players for their respective Club’s season commencement.
Dunbar Keg matches will enable players coming from High-School and junior Club Programs to experience further peer-to-peer Rugby, supported by regional Coaches to further develop their game understanding and experience ahead of consideration for the Senior Leagues that follow.
Previously, many young players that were not ready for Men’s Premier League, Premier Reserve or Division 1 were either left behind or put into a league that did not provide an engaging enough experience to retain and develop them.
BC’s University Programs have all agreed to work closely within each region to provide athletes, coaching and logistical support wherever possible to help make this competition a success. This will help further develop a connection between BC’s Universities and their players with Member Clubs.
Through the support and partnership of the ONNI Group, subsidies will be available for hosting matches ($600) and ferry travel ($1k) to help offset costs that otherwise potentially limit this age band from participating.
Registration for this competition will be set up through Sportlomo to ensure everyone that is participating is registered and therefore insured. Players will still register for their Clubs as normal, and be dually registered with their respective regions in the sign-up for the U20 Dunbar Keg competition.
————————————
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 6,000 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: www.bcrugby.com
Social: @bcrugbyunion
–30–
For more information, please contact:
BC Rugby
Rob Bartlett, Director of Marketing and Partnerships
Tel: 604-737-3065 ext. 1003
[email protected]
Related Posts
Please enjoy some related articles
