ANNOUNCEMENT: UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA PARTNERS WITH THE ORLEANS BENGALS FOOTBALL CLUB TO DELIVER THE JUNIOR GEE-GEES FOOTBALL PROGRAM.

The University of Ottawa (uOttawa) Varsity Athletics announced today it will partner with the Orleans Bengals Football Club in the creation of three teams between the ages of 13-19 years of age who will participate in the Ontario Provincial Football League (OPFL). The OPFL is considered the best football league in Ontario and is played between May and July. The Junior Gee-Gees will have three teams; Bantam Varsity 13-14 years of age; Junior Varsity 15-16 years of age and Senior Varsity 17-19 years of age playing opponents throughout the entire province.

This partnership connects two longstanding football organizations in the National Capital Region in hopes of further promoting and supporting high level youth football in the Ottawa area. With this new agreement, uOttawa continues to foster amateur sport by giving youth access to top facilities and an experience in a collegiate football setting. The Junior Gee-Gees will call Gee-Gees Field home to games and most practices starting in the 2021 season. "The Orleans Bengals have a long and storied history of providing youth football programs in Ottawa since 1973 and the partnership with uOttawa allows us to continue that tradition", stated Qasim Khan, President of the Orleans Bengals Football Club. "As a uOttawa football alumnus, I am proud to partner with uOttawa to provide the opportunity for young, student-athletes to extend their football careers." 

The three Junior Gee-Gees teams will be comprised of approximately 150 players between the ages of 13-19 from the Ottawa area, Gatineau, the Ottawa Valley and as far as Cornwall and Brockville. The players will be exposed to top area coaching including Gee-Gees coaches and Senior Gee-Gees players with a high emphasis on skill development.

The objective of the program is to educate the players so they gain a thorough understanding of the pathway to the next level, while maximizing the overall development of each player. "Like many kids growing up in Ottawa, I dreamed of playing university football and maybe one day making it to the CFL", stated Gee-Gees Head Football Coach, Marcel Bellefeuille. "The Junior Gee-Gees Program will be structured to assist student athletes in reaching their fullest potential with support from our program both inside and outside the white lines."

The Gee-Gees football program, established in 1881, is one of the longest running collegiate football programs in North America, and one of the most successful in U SPORTS. This new partnership with the Orleans Bengals will give young talented athletes the opportunity to come together and suit up in the Gee-Gees classic Garnet and Grey while representing the Ottawa area against top OPFL competition across the province of Ontario.

"Our Junior Gee-Gees football program is a triple win for uOttawa – it spreads the strong uOttawa brand across the province, it links youth in the Ottawa area to a football program rich in history, creating a potential pathway for future Gee-Gees, and clearly illustrates uOttawa's commitment to caring about grass roots programming and community outreach.  We are extremely proud to partner with the Orleans Bengals Football Club", said Eric Bercier, Associate Vice-President Student Affairs at uOttawa.