Football Canada national team kick-off

Source: Football Canada

In preparation for the 2011 IFAF Senior Men's World Championship, the Football Canada National Team Kick-off event will be hosted Thursday April 28, beginning at 5:30 p.m., at the Bier Markt, 600 King Street West, Toronto. Members of Football Canada's Senior Men's National Team will be on hand, including CIS All-Star Nick FitzGibbon, the OUA's leading rusher in 2010 who is tied for sixth in CIS career all-purpose touchdowns and Thaine Carter, the first Queen's player to earn the Presidents' Trophy as the CIS Defensive Player of the Year, as the initial players are named to the roster. The event will also help raise funds for Football Canada's National Team programs through a reception and silent auction. Football Canada is one of 59 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) members who compete in Men's and Women's tackle and flag football world championships.

This summer marks Football Canada's first entry into the fourth IFAF Senior Men's World Championship, slated for July 8-16 in Austria. The National Team coaching staff is led by former University of Western Ontario Mustangs Head Coach Larry Haylor, Defensive Coordinator Blake Nill (University of Calgary) and Offensive Coordinator Greg Marshall (Western). The coaching staff is rounded out by Brian Towriss (University of Saskatchewan), Jeff Cummins (Acadia University), Steve Sumarah (Saint Mary's University) and Pat Tracey (Queen's University).

The National Team roster will be comprised of current and former CIS and Junior players -- some of whom have CFL experience. The coaching staff hopes to name a final group of players to the roster by mid-May.

Once the roster is completed, the Football Canada Senior Men's National Team will hold a training camp June 24- July 2 at TD Waterhouse Stadium on the campus of The University of Western Ontario in London, prior to their departure for Austria.

Team Canada plays a gruelling three games in five days, beginning on July 9 against France, followed by a July 11 showdown with host Austria. Canada's final round-robin game on July 13 is against Japan, which finished second at the 2007 IFAF Senior World Championship, losing to the United States in double overtime in Tokyo.

Tickets for the Kick-off event are $25, available through Steve Fretwell, who can be reached by phone at 416-349-4414 or email Steve.Fretwell@marsh.com. Support Football Canada's National Team's quest for gold. For more information on the Canadian National Team please visit www.footballcanada2011.com