Rugby Canada would like to thank the Government of Canada and Minister Champagne for the Spring Economic Update last week and the generational $755M investment in Canadian sport from playground to podium. We also extend our thanks to The Right Honourable Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, and The Honourable Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State (Sport).
Rugby Canada would like to thank the Government of Canada and Minister Champagne for the Spring Economic Update last week and the generational $755M investment in Canadian sport from playground to podium. We also extend our thanks to The Right Honourable Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, and The Honourable Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State (Sport).
This commitment recognizes what NSOs have long known: a thriving sport system delivers healthier communities, stronger athletes, and national pride. We’re especially encouraged by the call for NSOs to diversify revenue, partner with the private sector, and invest in sport at every level — that work is already underway at Rugby Canada.
Private sector partnership: Our Earned Not Given campaign, launched in partnership with Picton Mahoney Investments, invites Canadians and corporate partners to invest directly in our National Team players, who too often balance full-time jobs and self-funded training to wear the maple leaf. This joins a list of dedicated partners including Teck, Raymond James, Canadian Tire, NFP, Velocity Trade, Safeguard Global and many others that have rallied behind rugby.
I am incredibly excited at the news of a new investment into Canadian sport. As a national team athlete, you see firsthand how funding challenges affect everything from training environments to long-term development. This investment is an important step toward building a more sustainable and supportive system, both for our current national team players and for the next generation coming through.
— Cooper Coats, National Men’s Team
Major events on home soil: On April 27, we launched the Rugby Rematch Tour, presented by Canadian Tire — our Women’s Team hosting world champions England at BMO Field (Oct 16) and TD Place (Oct 23), a rematch of the 2025 Rugby World Cup Final. This builds on hosting the inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup in Edmonton and Winnipeg this July and continued investment in HSBC SVNS Vancouver. Rugby Canada has a proven track record of hosting major events that drive participation and social and economic impact to communities across Canada.
Growing the game: Through our National Growth Plan, we’re expanding participation pathways from grassroots to high performance, in partnership with our provincial unions and clubs from coast to coast. We’ve been on a steady growth trajectory, with three consecutive years of 11% growth in registered participants. For 2026, we’ve launched a significantly improved game and administration management platform through our RugbyCan app in partnership with PlayHQ, aimed at reducing volunteer burden and growing engagement in community rugby.
Canadians across the country are inspired by our national teams representing Canada on the global stage. When we called on the community to help send our Women’s Team to the World Cup as well-prepared as possible, we exceeded our one-million-dollar goal through the Mission to Win campaign — thanks to so many Canadians who stepped up.
Being in the high-performance system for over a decade, I’ve seen both where we fall short and what’s possible when athletes are truly supported. This announcement is a step forward. What excites me most is the impact on youth. I hope it builds stronger, more inclusive pathways from grassroots to high performance and the Olympic stage, so more young athletes — especially those who haven’t always had access — can see a future in sport and actually reach it.
— Charity Williams, OLY, National Women’s Team
We look forward to working with Canadian Heritage, Sport Canada, our fellow NSOs, and our partners to turn this investment into lasting impact for Canadians. The momentum is real and rugby is ready.