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).<\/p>\n
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).<\/p>\n
This commitment recognizes what NSOs have long known: a thriving sport system delivers healthier communities, stronger athletes, and national pride. We\u2019re especially encouraged by the call for NSOs to diversify revenue, partner with the private sector, and invest in sport at every level \u2014 that work is already underway at Rugby Canada.<\/p>\n
Private sector partnership: Our Earned Not Given<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u2014 Cooper Coats, National Men\u2019s Team<\/p>\n Major events on home soil: On April 27, we launched the Rugby Rematch Tour<\/a>, presented by Canadian Tire \u2014 our Women\u2019s 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<\/a> in Edmonton and Winnipeg this July and continued investment in HSBC SVNS Vancouver<\/a>. Rugby Canada has a proven track record of hosting major events that drive participation and social and economic impact to communities across Canada.<\/p>\n Growing the game: Through our National Growth Plan<\/a>, we\u2019re expanding participation pathways from grassroots to high performance, in partnership with our provincial unions and clubs from coast to coast. We\u2019ve been on a steady growth trajectory, with three consecutive years of 11% growth in registered participants. For 2026, we\u2019ve launched a significantly improved game and administration management platform through our RugbyCan app in partnership with PlayHQ<\/a>, aimed at reducing volunteer burden and growing engagement in community rugby.<\/p>\n