Two BC Rugby Clubs are among the 11 successful applicants of the 2023 HSBC Bank Community Rugby Fund, Rugby Canada has announced.

Congratulations to the Rocky Mountain Rogues (Cranbrook) and Thunder Rugby (Vancouver Island) on their successful applications! The Rogues will focus their funding on new youth programming, while Thunder Rugby will use the funding for Indigenous programming.

2023 marks the third year of the HSBC Bank Community Rugby Fund, offering financial grants to support the sustainability and growth of Rugby at the community level across the country. The fund, presented in partnership by Rugby Canada and HSBC Bank Canada, allows all registered Rugby Clubs, as well as schools and community organizations in Canada, to submit an application for funding.

This year, Rugby Canada received more than 40 applications from 10 different provinces across Canada.

Each of the 11 successful applications for 2023 clearly displayed their approach and passion for growing rugby across Canada.  These 11 now join the 16 prior applicants who have benefited from the fund in the program’s first two years in 2021 and 2022.

Priority was given to those rugby clubs, schools or community organizations who applied for grant funding that focused on cultivating the community game with special consideration given to projects that:

• Create or develop a school to club pathway to increase the number of registered rugby players participating in club rugby.
• Create new programs or develop existing programs that introduce women and/or girls to rugby.
• Build program delivery capacity through the development of Coaches and/or Match Officials within the rugby community.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide support and funding to 11 more rugby clubs and organizations across the country in 2023 as part of the HSBC Community Rugby Fund. The 11 recipients this year all clearly showed their own unique and specific strategies on how they will push community and grassroots rugby forward in Canada.” Ryan Jones, Rugby Development Manager for Rugby Canada