U SPORTS announced today that winning bids are being deferred by one season to accommodate fall 2020 championship hosts in 2021 due to COVID-19 cancellations. Therefore, Queen's will welcome the best university women's rugby athletes in the country in 2021. Queen's was also awarded U SPORTS 2023 women's soccer National Championships.
"Hosting a national championship is a wonderful opportunity and to announce that we have been awarded two is a tribute to our outstanding student-athletes, coaches, our entire athletics program and our University," says
Leslie Dal Cin, Executive Director, Queen's Athletics & Recreation. "We look forward to welcoming teams from across the country to compete in what promises to be exciting tournaments."
The women's rugby championship will take place Wednesday, Nov. 3 – Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. The Queen's women's rugby team will earn automatic entry into the tournament as hosts, though they are perennially among the best teams in the country, finishing as U SPORTS silver medalists last season at the University of Ottawa.
The women's soccer championship will be hosted at Richardson Stadium, one of Canada's premier soccer venues on Thursday Nov. 9- Sunday Nov. 12, 2023. The Gaels women's soccer team has been a U SPORTS top 10 team and perennial national contenders, and finished conference play with an undefeated record (12-0-2) in 2018.
Queen's is no stranger to hosting national championships. The university was home to the men's volleyball championships in 2012, women's rugby championships in 2015, women's hockey championships in 2017, back to back cross country championships in 2019 and 2020, and was set to host women's rugby in 2020 but on June 8, U SPORTS announced the cancellation of all fall championships due to COVID-19. Queen's was also set to host the 2020 Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship (CUMRC) and it will now be hosted Nov. 24-Nov. 28, 2021.
The events, which feature a unique partnership with Tourism Kingston, will also bring many visitors to the city, including family members, friends and fans of the visiting teams.
"Queen's University is a lead partner for sport tourism in Kingston. Tourism Kingston is working hard to support Queen's to secure events such as these, which are a vital part of our post-COVID-19 recovery plan," said Megan Knott, Executive Director, Tourism Kingston.
There will also be opportunities for local youth and coaches to learn from some of the best rugby and soccer minds in the country.
