“I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to these wonderful rugby people who never fail to support Canadian Rugby. Thank you never seems enough but we sincerely mean it.” – Damian McGrath Canada Sevens Head Coach
A group headed by Karl Fix, Rick Bourne, Mark Wyatt and Mike Holmes ran the first LATE LUNCH to raise money for sevens and other Rugby programs assisted by the Canadian Rugby Foundation. Continue reading
The Canadian Rugby Foundation is sponsoring the latest initiative to grow the women’s Sevens game at the University level and help ensure Canada are again on the podium in the next Olympics. Canada won Bronze in the 2016 Rio Olympics in women’s Rugby Sevens. Continue reading
HONG KONG SEVENS LUNCHEON
Tickets are now on sale for the ninth annual Canadian Rugby Sevens Hong Kong Luncheon. The highly-anticipated event will be held in the four star Excelsior Hotel’s Marina room in Hong Kong, prior to the start of the Hong Kong Sevens tournament on Thursday March 26 between 11:30-3:30pm. Proceeds from the event will go to Rugby Canada’s Sevens program and a growing legacy endowment to support teams in generations to follow.
The HSBC Rugby Sevens World Series stop in Hong Kong is known among the rugby community as one of the largest parties of the year. Sevens teams from around the world are welcomed to the tournament that is described as a rugby Mardi Gras! With over 300,000 Canadians living in Hong Kong, this tournament is a perfect venue for hometown support.
The annual luncheon has become a focal point to raise awareness and gather Canadian rugby supporters. Friends, family, supporters and fans can meet and dine with the stars of the Canada Rugby Sevens teams.
“We have seen in previous years how beneficial this event can be. We want to be able to help our team reach their highest potential, and the best way we can do that is through funding. We raised $285,000 CAD during the 2014 season which is incredibly helpful as the teams gets ready for the Olympic qualifications in 2015,” said Executive Director of the Canadian Rugby 7s Fund, Stephanie Crozier.
“This luncheon is a perfect opportunity for us to showcase our team to their fans and supporters and be able to fundraise for their development and growth so they can compete at a world class level,” said Crozier.
HONG KONG CANADIAN RUGBY 7s FUND
The Hong Kong Canadian Rugby 7s Fund was developed to raise money to bolster the Canadian teams. To kick off the Hong Kong Sevens tournament a luncheon is held prior to the tournament every year allowing additional funding to be raised.
“Contributions come from an incredibly proud and patriotic fan base among the 300,000 Canadian expats living in Hong Kong. Dedicated volunteers put in months of work leading up to the HK 7s and the fund has some very generous people step up to show their support to Canada,” said The Canadian Rugby Foundation via their website.
Since inception, the Canadian Rugby 7s Fund has become the largest private revenue source for Canada’s Men’s Sevens team, raising over $208k in 2013 and $285k in 2014. This funding has proven its value, as Canada has become a top tier competitor internationally, at the Honk Kong Sevens and a favourite to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.
“We as a team are very grateful to the Canadian Rugby 7s Fund. A huge barrier for any rugby team is funding and we know as a team we would not be where we are today with out the contributions from all our supporters,” said Canada’s team captain Nathan Hirayama.
“We always enjoy our time in Hong Kong. It is great to have so many Canadian fans at an event on the other side of the world. We always appreciate the dedication and support they have for our team,” said Hirayama.
For more information, or to purchase tickets please visit http://www.canada7sfund.com/ or email Stephanie Crozier at info@canada7sfund.com.
With your support the team has moved up to 9th in the WORLD and they are headed towards Olympic GOLD! We are so grateful to the people and companies from Hong Kong and Canada, who believe in the Canadian team and have generously donated these items.
Please bid generously & aggressively as all proceeds go to supporting Canada’s National Rugby 7s program and athletes
If you have any questions please contact us info@canadahksevens.com
The Canadian Rugby Foundation would like to congratulate the men’s 7s team who finished third in the recent USA 7s held in Las Vegas.
This is the best result for the men’s 7s team in an iRB 7s series tournament. Canada earned 17 series points from the result. A similar performance at the Olympics in 2016 would see Canada take a medal.
Each year the Canada Sevens program receives a significant grant through the Hong Kong Olympic Sevens Fund. The HK Olympic Sevens Fund was started by Randy Heward, Fergus Wilmer, current Canadian Rugby Foundation board member John Woodward and others to support and strengthen Canada’s sevens program.
(photo by Judy Teasdale)
The Canadian Rugby Foundation has become a key supporting partner of the TDSSAA Rugby 7’s Championship Series. The series is held by the Toronto District School Board. The Tournament has grown over 8 years to participation levels reaching 35 schools, totaling 70 teams in 5 boys and girls divisions, with more than 1100 athletes. This growth has lead to the recent Fully Sanctioned Sport status of Rugby 7’s in the TDSB.Continue reading
The sport of rugby sevens is continuing to grow, both internationally and in Canada, as the sport is set to join the world stage at the 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympic games. The opportunity for a group of Under-18 men’s players to participate in the Youth Commonwealth Games on the Isle of Man is another great chance to develop future potential Olympic-calibre athletes.Continue reading
by TOM KENNEDY
Hong Kong has proved to be a successful sevens tour stop for Canadian rugby in more ways than one. Not only did the Canadian women win the championship and the men take home the Bowl, but the Canadian Rugby Foundation has bolstered support with $100,000 raised for an endowment fund. For all these reasons, CRF’s Matthuw Ronald-Jones celebrated the weekend as one of great success in the Canadian rugby sevens annals. “I would say it’s one of the best weekends,” Ronald-Jones said. “The men defended their bowl title and the women won the competition. The teams have done a great job of garnering support.”Continue reading
