THE MEN’S HIGH-PERFORMANCE RUGBY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FUND (2026)
Following the cessation of the Pacific Pride team (formally the Rugby Canada National Development Academy) in the summer of 2026, the trustees of the Pacific Pride Legacy Endowment Fund made the decision to re-focus the fund to a major barrier to assembling high-performance men’s teams – primarily the U20 and U23 teams from which the senior men’s team would draw its next generation team members. That barrier is the significant financial requirements that players face such as talent identification and training camps, and travel. And the goal of the new fund is to ensure no individuals worthy of selection to these high-performance teams is left behind due to their inability to afford the required costs.
FUND PURPOSE:
The mandate of The Men’s High-Performance Rugby Financial Assistance Fund is to create a permanent endowment that will provide direct financial assistance to eligible male athletes. The assets in the Pacific Pride Legacy Endowment Fund will seed the Financial Assistance Fund which has an initial goal of raising $1 million. Of the money collected, the capital will not be encroached upon and annual payouts from the fund will be used for the betterment of eligible athletes.
The Fund is to provide funds from its endowment to support individual male rugby athletes aged 18-25 years old who:
- Are competing at the provincial level or higher
- Demonstrate financial need
- Are seeking assistance with expenses related to their rugby participation and development
Disbursements from the fund will be used to financially assist players in need of financial support who have been selected on the basis of their past performance and future potential. Specifically, the Men’s High-Performance Rugby Financial Assistance Fund will provide financial assistance to male rugby athletes aged 18-25 years old, competing at the provincial level or higher who require financial support for their rugby development and participation and have sought assistance with expenses related to their rugby participation and development
APPLICATIONS
Submission deadline: July 31 with decision announced in August.
Grant applications must include:
- MHPFA Award Application Form.doc
- Proof of age (18-25 years old)
- Verification of provincial or higher-level competition participation
- Enrolment in secondary or post-secondary education, and/or club affiliation(s) and playing history
- Demonstration of financial need (a letter outlining need for funds, not to exceed 300 words)
- Detailed explanation of how the assistance will support your rugby development and participation
The Trustees will review applications and make disbursement grant requests to Rugby Canada and the Foundation for approval.
Annual payouts from the fund will be used to provide direct assistance to eligible athletes for expenses including, but not limited to:
- Equipment and training costs
- Travel and accommodation for competitions and training camps
- Coaching and skill development programs
- Medical and injury recovery support
- Other rugby-related expenses as approved by the Fund Board
THE FUND’S LEGACY
The Rugby Canada National Development Academy or Pacific Pride is a Canadian rugby union team based in Langford, British Columbia. The team acts as the high-performance development academy for Rugby Canada. The Pacific Pride Legacy Fund was been created to provide a permanent endowment to the Under 23 Pacific Pride National Rugby Academy. The original incarnation of the Pacific Pride program was run by Rugby Canada and the Commonwealth Centre for Sport Development (CCSD). It ran from 1996 to 2005 and arguably produced some of the best rugby talent in Canada in the professional era. David Clark (formerly of the Australian Institute of Sport) was the inaugural Head Coach of the program. He was tasked to seek out rugby talent across the country and bring them to a centralized, professional training atmosphere. His goal was to further develop players’ skills and get them prepared to compete at the international level.
Only 3 years after the program started, 5 CCSD/Pacific Pride Alumni were selected to play in the 1999 Rugby World Cup. In the 2003 Rugby World Cup, more than half the team were composed of Pride Alumni and by the 2007 Rugby World Cup, every player except for five had been through the program.
The Pacific Pride program was resurrected in 2019, and will largely draw on uncapped players seen to be one to three seasons away from playing senior international rugby. They will be chosen by Rugby Canada in conjunction with provincial unions. The hope is the program will create a new path for the national 15s and sevens teams as well as pro clubs.
Until 2021 the revamped Pacific Pride program was under the direction of former Canadian international and graduate of the original Pacific Pride Program, Jamie Cudmore. Jamie played for Canada in 4 Rugby World Cups and played at the highest level of professional rugby in France for more than a decade with Clermont Auvergne. He was also a professional coach for 3 years in France and most recently an Assistant Coach for Canada’s Men’s 156s national team. In 2021, Jamie was replaced by another Canadian 15s and 7s stalwart, Phil Mack as Head Coach.
Phil Mack earned 57 caps for Canada and was a member of the 2015 and ’19 World Cup squads. He was also a star on the 7s circuit, ranking second in all-time Canada scoring (973 points) after appearing in 50-plus tournaments. After spending 2018 and 2019 as a player coach with the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby, Mack joined the Pacific Pride as an assistant coach prior to the 2020 season before being elevated to the Head Coach position in 2021. Additionally, he continues to coach for the Thunder Indigenous Rugby program
The mandate of the Pacific Pride Legacy Fund is to create a permanent endowment that will ensure the Pacific Pride Academy is supported financially in perpetuity.
USE THE FORM BELOW TO DONATE TO THE MEN’S HIGH-PERFORMANCE RUGBY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FUND:
