Media Release:

Burlington, Ont. – 49 Sports is pleased to announce a partnership agreement with Ontario University Athletics (OUA) for the 2022-23 season.

49 Sports, who also partnered with the OUA for the 2021-22 season, is the passion project of managing editor Ben Steiner, David Ciss, Richard Coffey, and Michael Pagani current students and alumni of the Toronto Metropolitan University sport media program. 

Launched in 2019, their online presence aims to tell the stories of student-athletes from north of the Canada-USA border, featuring writers from Halifax to Vancouver Island, with correspondents in between, including many at OUA member schools.

“49 Sports is very eager to partner again with the OUA this season, building on our strong work from 2021-22,” Steiner said. 

While housing a number of sports across their varsity sport coverage, this year’s partnership will focus predominantly on both women’s and men’s hockey within the OUA, with 49 Sports providing weekly previews and recaps to keep fans up to date throughout the campaign, as well as additional features surrounding some of the many talented student-athletes hitting the ice across the province.

“OUA and Canadian university hockey showcases some of the best talents in Canada and it is not rare for the circuit to impact the national teams,” continued Steiner. “With that, we’re ecstatic to highlight the student-athletes on the ice this season as they strive for the Queen’s and McCaw Cups, respectively.”

“49 Sports provided a great deal of terrific content for the OUA last season as part of our initial

partnership and we look forward to bringing even more of it to the forefront within this hockey-specific partnership,” said Chris Verlaan, OUA Manager of Digital & Communications. 

“Ben and his team have become a go-to resource for stories, insights, and in-depth coverage across the Canadian university sport landscape, so bringing their knowledge and passion for the space to our conference once again is an exciting prospect.”