Credentialing
The credentialing process
Before anyone will be allowed to step onto a pitch this summer in Ottawa, they will have to be properly credentialed; this means you are a recognized member of a national union (Rugby Canada, USA Rugby, England's Rugby Football Union, etc.) in good standing, and you are registered with the tournament. Only those individuals who are will be issued 'Player' ID cards, and only individuals with 'Player' ID cards will be allowed to play; the same logic applies to match officials, who will also require proper credentials.
For non-Canadians this is essential to ensure that, should something unfortunate happen on a pitch, the injured individual can have their medical care paid for by some form of medical insurance, and that they are also covered by a general liability policy; and for both foreign and Canadian players, proper credentialing is there to ensure that individuals with severe disciplinary issues who are suspended from play by their respective unions are not, through carelessness, allowed to engage in play during the tournament.
A few details still remain to be determined – dates, essentially – but we wanted to provide you with this information now so that participating clubs and individuals can at least know which documents they will be expected to gather, and with whom they should discuss, as early as possible. Note that the processes surrounding credentials are mandated by World Rugby (under regulation 4 and regulation 16) and they must be followed as written; failure to do so might have unpleasant consequences, as in, showing up at a rugby tournament and only being allowed to spectate it. Bingham Cup Ottawa 2022 insists on proper insurance to prevent participants from experiencing financial problems should they get injured.
This page will explain the process to follow for the various categories of players and match officials who will be traveling to Ottawa this summer.
What is your status?
Where do you live?
What is your affiliation?
What is your traveling status?
Scenario 1
You / your club can travel and participate in the Bingham Cup, as you are/will be registered with Rugby Canada through your club and you will therefore have insurance coverage with the tournament, as it will be a sanctioned event. Ontario clubs do not need to do anything else; out-of-province registered clubs that will be participating have to provide a roster to their home provincial union to get authorization to travel.
Scenario 2
If you are already registered with another Canadian rugby club (regardless of province), you will have to complete a Dual Membership request with the Ottawa Wolves to participate in the tournament; the full steps can be found here.
In SportsLomo, make sure to select the temporary membership category best suited to your age grade; your Dual Membership request will require approval from your current club, from the Ottawa Wolves, and from Rugby Ontario. Full steps on what to do once the Dual Membership is approved by all parties can be found here.
Requests should be submitted within the appropriate timeline; the deadline is still to be determined.
Scenario 3
If you are a Canadian resident not currently registered with any Canadian club, or you will be a cleared international player, youmust register with the Ottawa Wolves; the cost will be $66: $45 for Rugby Canada's registration fee and $21 for Rugby Ontario's. The Wolves will not impose any additional charges for players who are signing up to play at Bingham. You can find the Wolves registration page here.
Please note that registering with the Wolves for the purposes of securing full playing credentials as an otherwise unaffiliated Canadian player or cleared international player does not mean you will play with the Wolves during the tournament. You will remain in the pool of unaffiliated players and you will be assigned to a side short of players as per the rules established by the Tournament Liaison Committee.
I was sent here because I'm an unaffiliated international player and I want to go back to where I was just now.
Scenario 4
All foreign clubs, regardless of country of origin, require approval from their Home Union/Federation prior to travelling to Ottawa. This approval should be sent directly from their Home Union to Rugby Canada who will then distribute to Rugby Ontario. Foreign clubs will also need to show proof of travel medical insurance and general liability for the team to the tournament organizers who will then ensure distribution to Rugby Canada and Rugby Ontario. This rugby tour travel medical insurance is also usually handled by national rugby unions, who often have preferred (or even sole) service providers handling coverage. Timelines on when to send those various documents will be provided shortly.
Information on international tours (both for credentialing and insurance purposes) can usually be found on any national rugby union / federation's website. If you are the Club / Tour Manager and you have never travelled internationally with your club, take a look at that website now and get in touch with the appropriate individuals now. Attempting to do all of that in early August, in the days leading up to your departure, is bound to fail! Better safe than sorry, forewarned is forearmed, one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, lack of preparation on your part will not constitute an emergency on ours, etc. Start the conversation now, if only to know what details your home union will require from you and your club to issue your club its travel letter and insurance papers.
Process 5
You will need to receive International Clearance from your Home Union/Federation prior to registering/playing at Bingham. Your Home Union will send the completed clearance over to Rugby Canada; more information on Inbound Clearances can be found here. The clearance will then be forwarded along to Rugby Ontario. Once clearance is provided, you will have to register with the Ottawa Wolves in the correct category as outlined in a different section.
International players will be covered under Rugby Canada’s General Liability Policy, but will not benefit from medical insurance; they will need to arrange that prior to departure, working with their Home Union, and to upload the appropriate documents to the registration platform. It is essential that proper medical coverage extending to participating in high-risk sports or listed as "collision / high-risk activities" be secured by any unaffiliated individual wishing to play during the Bingham Cup. Your home union should be able to provide you with advice on insurers providing such coverage in your country.
Players who are cleared to Rugby Canada will need to be cleared back to their Home Union by Rugby Canada, once the tournament is concluded. Rugby Canada’s Outbound Clearance Form can be found here. Note that this process is not automatic! Once you are back home, make sure to complete the Outbound Clearance process so you can resume playing in your home country.
If you have never travelled internationally as a rugby player, take a look at your Home Union's / Federation's website now and get in touch with the appropriate individuals now. Attempting to do all of that in early August, in the days leading up to your departure, is bound to fail! Better safe than sorry, forewarned is forearmed, one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, lack of preparation on your part will not constitute an emergency on ours, etc. Start the conversation now, if only to know what details your home union will require from you and your club to issue your travel letter and insurance papers.
Process 6
To officiate games at the 2022 Bingham Cup in Ottawa, you will need to have World Rugby Level 1 credentials. Match officials can be registered in several separate unions at once – therefore if you are not already a registered Canadian match official you can and will have to register with the Ottawa Wolves as Match Officials; you will not, however, need to be cleared by your Home Union if arriving from overseas. You will be able to register as a match official with the Wolves by clicking here.
Rugby Canada will issue participating referees must sign up with the Wolves in this fashion a rebate code which will zero out the cost of registering; this will happen later this summer.
Overseas match officials will be covered under Rugby Canada’s General Liability policy, but will not benefit from medical insurance; they will need to arrange that prior to departure, working with their Home Union, and to upload the appropriate documents to the registration platform. It is essential that proper medical coverage extending to participating in high-risk sports be secured by any unaffiliated individual wishing to officiate matches during the Bingham Cup.