Marcello Wainwright and his Toronto Arrows teammates will begin its 2021 Major League Rugby season in Marietta, Georgia.
Following the completion of the club’s pre-season training camp in Toronto, which will begin on February 8th, 2021, Arrows personnel will travel to Georgia to establish a home base ahead of the team’s season opener on March 20th, 2021.
Statement from Mark Winokur, Chief Operating Officer & General Manager, Toronto Arrows
“Our organization has worked closely with public health officials at various levels over the past several months to consider plans that would allow us to begin our 2021 season on home soil. However, the ongoing public health situation facing Canadians, along with the pressing need to determine where we will play our home matches, has dictated that we will start our 2021 season in the United States.
Our top priority has always been to play our home games in front of our fantastic and dedicated fans in Toronto, but in order to compete for the MLR Shield this season, we must start south of the border. Our hunt for the championship will begin with us playing in Marietta, Georgia.
The staff at Rugby ATL have been incredibly supportive and have gone the extra mile to make sure we can provide a safe, professional environment for our players and staff. Rugby ATL have great facilities for both training and games, and we’re looking forward to playing there.
We won’t sugar-coat it – the situation won’t be easy for us, as we don’t know if we will based in Georgia for a week, a month, or longer – but we’ll keep our chins up and cross the hurdles as they come. We will do everything we can to provide an entertaining, competitive team for everyone to support, whether in-person or through broadcasts.
We’d like to thank our fans for their understanding and continued support as we navigate the challenges of the ongoing pandemic. We know you’ll be cheering for us from afar, and that support will provide us with plenty of extra motivation in a season unlike any other we’ve experienced. Our ticketing staff will be in touch with our Founders Club members and season ticket holders in the coming days to outline fan-first options for the upcoming campaign.
We know we’re not the first team to experience the challenges of creating a home away from home, and a number of our players were in a similar situation in British Columbia in November for Rugby Canada’s national team camp, so we know it can be done and we are totally confident that we’ll adapt and thrive no matter what comes at us. We can’t wait to play, and more importantly, to play back home, and we know that day will come, hopefully sooner rather than later.”
Revised 2021 Schedule
Week 1 | Saturday, March 20 | Rugby ATL (A)
Week 2 | Saturday, March 27 | Utah Warriors (A)
Week 3 | Saturday, April 3 | Old Glory DC (A)
Week 4 | Saturday, April 10 | Los Angeles Rugby Team (H)
Week 5 | Saturday, April 17 | Seattle Seawolves (H)
Week 6 | Sunday, April 25 | Rugby United New York (A)
Week 7 | Sunday, May 2 | NOLA Gold (A)
Week 8 | Sunday, May 9 | Rugby ATL (H)
Week 9 | Saturday, May 15 | Houston Sabercats (A)
Week 10 | BYE
Week 11 | Saturday, May 29 | New England Free Jacks (A)
Week 12 | Sunday, June 6 | San Diego Legion (H)
Week 13 | Saturday, June 12 | Austin Gilgronis (A)
Week 14 | Sunday, June 20 | NOLA Gold (H)
Week 15 | Sunday, June 27 | Rugby United New York (H)
Week 16 | Sunday, July 4 | Old Glory DC (H)
Week 17 | Sunday, July 11 | New England Free Jacks (H)
Week 18 | BYE
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