ROCKFORD, IL — The Rockford Region will host the 2014 BTU Rugby Big Ten Universities Conference Championship at Sportscore Two, in Loves Park, IL. The championship will take place on Saturday, November 15 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

There are 9 teams represented from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, Ohio State and Wisconsin. This is the third year for the BTU Rugby Conference overall and the first year a B team championship has participated. The public is encouraged to attend; general admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. Games will be streamed on coachesaid.com, a pay per view site. This tournament is expected to draw more than 1,000 players, coaches and fans to the Rockford Region. An estimated 325 hotel room nights will be booked and visitors will spend an estimated $58,500.

"We're very excited to have our championship event in Rockford this year. It’s a centrally located city for all of our teams to travel to, the Rockford Park District has great facilities for our teams to play on, and they've got a nice downtown area that our fans and alumni can take advantage of,” said Tom Rooney, Director of OSU Rugby. “It’s exactly what we were looking for and the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Rockford Park District and the local Rockford Ravens Men's Rugby Club have been a pleasure to work with and we couldn't ask for more."

Schedule of Games
Field 1 (all games streamed on coachesaid.com) Field 2
10:00 a.m. – Minnesota vs. Michigan State (5th place) 11:00 a.m. – Michigan B vs. Wisconsin B
11:30 a.m. – Ohio State B vs. Indiana B (B Championship) (B 3rd place)
1:00 p.m. – Michigan State vs. Iowa (3rd place) 1:00 p.m. – Purdue vs. Illinois (7th place)
3:00 p.m. – Ohio State vs. Wisconsin (BTU Championship)

“Our sales team continues to establish long-term partnerships with key connections in the sports tournament industry,” states John Groh, RACVB president/CEO. “Bringing the Big Ten Universities Rugby Championship to the Rockford Region for the first time is a direct result of their hard work and collaborative efforts with other local organizations. We look forward to growing this partnership with the Big Ten Universities and its affiliates.”