About

The Ottawa Wolves form a Rugby Football Club for men and women in Canada’s National Capital Region. The Club was founded by Carl Pilon and Jay Smidt in 2008 with the mission to promote and encourage participation in rugby among those who have traditionally been under-represented in the game. The team members are predominantly part of the LGBTQA community, but diverse in its make-up, and inclusive of everyone.

The club fielded its first side in the Eastern Ontario Rugby Union (EORU) Men's Division II in 2009. That same year, the Wolves became a member of the International Gay Rugby association.

The Wolves expanded in 2013 with the introduction of a women’s side. Out of the three IGR clubs in Canada, the Wolves are the only one to have an established women’s side. Also, we are also very proud to have the first female president amongst all of the IGR clubs in the world. The Wolves women’s side competes in the Ligue Provincial de Rugby.

The club traveled internationally in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 to take part in the Bingham Cup, the world’s largest amateur gay rugby tournament. During the very first tournament, in Minneapolis, the Wolves competed in the Bingham Spoon division but ultimately lost in the final. Two years later, the Wolves claimed the Hoagland Tribute Cup Consolation Prize at Bingham Cup VI in Manchester England.  In 2014, the team traveled across the entire world to Sydney Australia to reach the finals of the Hoagland Cup, and in 2016 claimed the Hoagland Jug with a victory over the Madison Minotaurs in Nashville. In June 2018, the Wolves men’s and women’s sides travelled to the Netherlands where they competed for the Challenger Cup and the newly introduced Amanda Cup.

Join us on the pitch in Eastern Ontario and the Ligue Provincial de Rugby this year.  Come try out our practices, watch our games and maybe even play by our side. We're always recruiting new and experienced players!