Fans and supporters of university football in Ontario have plenty of reason to celebrate with Friday, September 3 marking the official opening of football training camps across the OUA (Ontario University Athletics). Following the cancellation of the 2020 football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Guelph Gryphons are now just weeks away from a return to play in OUA football.
While the rest of the conference will kickoff their season on Sept. 18, the Gryphons will have to wait one additional week to get their season underway thanks to an opening week bye.
On Sept. 25 the waiting will officially be over when the Gryphons play host to the Western Mustangs for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Alumni Stadium. For now, the Gryphons will have three weeks remaining to put finishing touches on their preparation for a long awaited return to the field.
"The past year and a half has been such a challenge in so many ways," says Gryphon head coach, Ryan Sheahan. "Being able to get everyone in our program back together for training camp is something that everyone in our program is beyond excited about. It is great to be back on the field and doing what we love."
The last time the Gryphon football team was in action was on Nov. 2, 2019, when the Gryphons fell just one step short of making it to the Yates Cup. It was a memorable 2019 season for the Gryphons, with the team posting a 6-2 record during the regular season and reaching as high as No. 3 in the national rankings (the program's highest national ranking since the 1996 season). In the playoffs, the Gryphons defeated the Carleton Ravens before falling to the eventual Yates Cup champion McMaster Marauders.
The 2019 campaign also marked the first season in charge for head coach Ryan Sheahan, who now returns for his third year as head coach of the University of Guelph football program.
"We cannot wait to see what lies ahead for our Gryphon football program in 2021," says Sheahan. "We feel like our roster has a nice mixture of youth and experience, with internal competition at an all-time high. As always, there is no shortage of talented teams across the OUA, but we look forward to facing that challenge as we look to put ourselves in position to once again compete for a championship."
Details on Gryphon tickets and fan attendance regarding COVID-19 protocols will be shared when finalized. The University of Guelph Department of Athletics will continue to monitor the situation closely and follow public health guidelines as the province continues to progress through its reopening plan. Please see gryphons.ca for the latest updates. All Gryphon football games during the 2021 season will be broadcast live, online at www.oua.tv.
