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Monty Heald Senior Women’s Fund

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The Monty Heald Fund (MHF) was created in January 2016 to fill the need for increased financial support of the National Senior Women’s Team. Specifically,  to remove as much as possible the requirement for National Team athletes to “pay to play” rugby for Canada, and to try to alleviate financial strain put on athletes while preparing to compete.

Canadian Press Monty Heald Obituary

The Fund recognizes the commitment and dedication required to contest at the international level and aims to assist the athletes while they pursue excellence in their sport.

In 2017, the Monty Heald Fund provided financial resources in consultation with the National Senior Women’s management team to aid in preparation and participation in the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Ireland , eliminating pay to play for that group.

Since that time, the MHF management committee continues to be a supporter of the plans of the Senior Women’s program when called upon through specific and targeted grant applications.   We would like to recognize World Rugby who has certainly raised their levels of funding the women’s game globally and also thank Rugby Canada , who pushed a large fundraising agenda to support the team in the 2025 World Cup preparation.

Since its founding the MHF has contributed $680,000 towards the Senior Women’s team, including $182,000 in 2025 to support the team’s RWC 2025 campaign.

Following its success at the Rugby World Cup in 2025 where they won the Silver Medal, the senior women’s team continued its preparation at the 2026 Pacific 4 Tournament,  held closer to home in the USA.

Canada 24 v Australia 0

Canada 14 v New Zealand 36

Canada 50 v USA 12

2026 WXV GLOBAL SERIES

Following the Pac 4, the 2026 WXV Global Series will feature a new expanded format with the top 12 teams (Australia, Canada, England, France, Italy, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, the United States, and Wales) competing in a home-and-away touring model running from September through October 2026.

Home games are scheduled in The Revenge Tour vs. England on October 16 at Toronto’s BMO Field, and October 23 at Ottawa’s TD Place.

YOUR SUPPORT

With the help of generous donors like you, the Fund has been a great success. But our MONTY HEALD FUND must continue to raise money to ensure a robust program for our women.

Rest assured that 100% of your donation goes directly to support the Senior Women’s XVs team and is dispersed through the Canadian Rugby Foundation.

Our team does not want to lose the momentum we have coming off the World Cup. We look forward to the exciting launch of the revamped 2026 WXV Global Series! We hope to see you in Toronto and Ottawa this fall!

As always, we thank you in advance for your support!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE MONTY HEALD SENIOR WOMEN’S FUND:

2016 Chairman’s Report

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Dear Foundation Members,

I am writing to provide a brief report on the 12th year of the Canadian Rugby Foundation ending Dec 31, 2015.

Financials

We had a record year in donations with over 700k in donations. Our assets closed out the year at almost 3 million and but for a poor year on the markets we would have exceeded this mark. Our expenses remained low at a total of $28,597 and we should now be comfortably delivering over 100k a year in grants without any impact on capital. Because of the growth in our funds we decided to look for an institutional investment firm. After a diligent process of solicitations of interest and interviews by our investment committee of Jim Kellett chair, John Woodward and Bill Webb, the firm of Leith Wheeler was selected and the process of transfer of our entire portfolio will have been completed at the time of distribution of this report. The investment committee also recommended, and has implemented some changes to our investment policy to permit a greater degree of flexibility with respect to investment choices in accordance with the policies of our new fund managers. I would like to thank Bruce McFarlane and Sarah Dunbar of Odlum Brown for their years of service. Bruce was one of our very first members and always had our interests first and foremost.

Read the full report in .pdf format

Curry Hitchborn Gerald McGavin Coaching Award Winner

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There’s no doubting the passion that Curry brings to coaching, he loves rugby and where it’s taken him. He started coaching in 2006 at the high school where he first played rugby as a youth, Handsworth Secondary, not far from the club that would take him to the next level of coaching, Capilano Rugby Club.

He coached the Capilano men’s 3rd Division team and over the next eight years the club’s U16, U17, U18 and U19 teams. He was asked to assist with the men’s Premier side as the forward’s coach in 2012. That was the year they came back from relegation and made it to the Premier final against James Bay. It’s a year Curry remembers very well and you can tell the pride in his voice when he talks about that team. He credits the Capilano Rugby Club and the Vancouver Rugby Union (VRU) with actively supporting him during his early coaching career.

The Vancouver Rugby Union asked him to run their Vancouver North U16 squad which made it to the final and next year he was coach for the BC Blue U16 team. He went on to coach national championship teams for BC in the U16, U17 and U19 levels. He has also worked with the Canada U17 program as a guest coach.

He had a chance to be part of the UBC coaching staff in 2013 when they started their meteoric rise through the men’s elite ranks. UBC won the Division One Provincial title in 2014 earning them promotion to the BC Premier which they immediately won in 2015. Since winning the award he’s added two national U19 championships with BC, a national U16 championship, two Rounsefell Cup titles with UBC – as well as a club U18 championship.

His philosophy during his rugby coaching career has remained the same, care about the people you coach and try to listen more than you talk, pay attention to the process and the results will come.

Monty Heald Fund Update – Summer 2016

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Below you will find comments from players on our National Senior Women’s 15, who, for the first time in recent memory, did not have to pay to play for Canada at the recent Super Series. They were subsidized by the Monty Heald National Women’s Fund via the Canadian Rugby Foundation. This fund was established to ensure players would not have to play in lead up to and at the 2017 Women’ Rugby World cup. In conjunction with Rugby Canada and National Women’s team management, budgets were reviewed and targets for the fund were set. The goal is to leave a legacy fund that will go beyond the World Cup. We have a remarkable donor who contributed an initial $50,000 to start the fund. In addition, this same donor offered to match $175,000 if we could organize the community to donate a similar amount. We have raised $102,000 to date and need to raise another $73,000 to meet our target.

Please help us in supporting the talented and dedicated young women whose ambitions are only to bring home the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2017. Your contributions will mean they can focus on their skills and preparation. Donations are tax deductible and will be matched!

Thank you for your support
Stephanie White
Chairwomen, Monty Heald National Women’s Fund
https://canadianrugbyfoundation.ca/rugby/index.php/monty-heald-national-womens-fund/