Starlight Stadium, which already hosts pro soccer with Canadian Premier League-champion Pacific FC, will add professional rugby to its roster next month.
It will not be a franchise coming, but a one-off fixture in Major League Rugby, with the Toronto Arrows playing the Los Angeles Giltinis on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m.
MLR began play in 2018 as the long-awaited North American league established to give Canadian and American players an opportunity to play pro rugby without having to go overseas.
The Giltinis, cheekily named after a cocktail, are the defending MLR champions after beating Rugby ATL of Atlanta 31-17 in the 2021 league final played at historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Seattle Seawolves were the MLR champions in 2018 and 2019 before the 2020 season was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The Arrows are the lone Canadian franchise in the 13-team MLR. The Island fixture will be the first MLR game played in B.C., the province which is considered the spiritual home of Canadian rugby, having produced numerous current MLR pros and World Cup players for Canada over the years.
“The Arrows are very excited to participate in the first professional rugby game ever played in British Columbia,” Arrows GM and COO Mark Winokur said in a statement.
“British Columbia has a long and storied tradition of rugby across the province, and we know our match with Los Angeles will have an incredible atmosphere in a stadium of passionate fans. As Canada’s representative team in Major League Rugby, our ties to British Columbia are strong. Our roster features several players who were born and raised in the province, along with many players who have played at Premier League, which will make this match feel like a homecoming for many of our guys. We’re looking forward to having the opportunity to test ourselves against the reigning MLR champions early in our 2022 schedule.”
It will be the second game of the season for both clubs after Toronto opens in Seattle on Feb. 6 and Los Angeles in Houston against the SabreCats on Feb. 5. All fans 12 or older will need to provide proof of full vaccination upon entry to Starlight Stadium.
“This will be the first time a regular season MLR match has been played in a Canadian province outside of Ontario and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Langford Mayor Stew Young, in a statement.
“Attracting games like this is amazing opportunity … to see high performance athletes without [fans] having to leave their community.”
Tickets are available by going to the Arrows website or tickets@torontoarrows.com
