Everything you need to know about the Ottawa Aces

Drew Darbyshire
Ottawa Aces logo

The Rugby Football League will welcome Ottawa Aces in to League 1 in 2021, and we have listed everything you need to know about the Canadian franchise.

The RFL confirmed Ottawa’s participation in League 1 from 2021 while at the same time announcing a 12-month delay for New York because it feels two trips to North America in one season would place unfair demands on part-time players.

Everything you need to know about Ottawa Aces:

  • Canadian Eric Perez, who founded Toronto Wolfpack in 2016, is also the founder of the Aces
  • The club was spawned through a re-location of former League 1 side Hemel Stags
  • The Aces will play their home games at the 24,000-capacity TD Place
  • The RFL’s Our League app will stream each of Ottawa’s home games live
  • Ottawa will be full-time from the start
  • They will fund all travel and accommodation costs for visiting teams “until collectively we all feel we don’t need to anymore”
  • Ottawa will have a base in the UK and former Hemel director of rugby Dean Thomas will have an administrative role at the club
  • They are likely to play blocks of home matches, starting at the end of March
  • They have yet to announce a head coach, although we suspect it to be Laurent Frayssinous
  • The Aces will wait until the June deadline for off-contract players to finalise transfers
  • Ottawa will have a five-year target of reaching Super League
  • They plan to utilise Canadian players
  • The club’s colours are red and black

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