Canada’s stars forced to pay to play in home test series
Less than a year after reaching the World Cup Final, Canada’s top players are being forced to pay to play for their country at a home test series later this month.
Published by Alison Donnelly, June 18th, 2015
3 minute read
Rugby Canada will not cover all of its players’ costs for the upcoming Super Series, with each member of the squad having to come up with $1,200 to take part.
The news comes despite the union trumpeting a major new sponsorship deal in May withGoldcorpwho have become thethe official sponsor of the senior women's XV and sevens programmes alongside a new partnershipwith theDairy Farmers of Canada.The fees were originally set higher but were dropped down and players have taken part in personal fundraising drives online to meet the costs.There have long been issues between Rugby Canada and its leading women’s XV players (its women's sevens programme is now fully funded but recieves additional funding from other sources such as government Olympic pots) over costs, with players often struggling to come up with regular fees to represent their country. In 2011numerous leading playersboycotted a test series for the same reason. It is understood Canada's national senior men's XV squad players are also fully funded.With World Rugby covering the costs for teams at the World Cup, the players were spared having to contribute last summer to play in the tournament, but paid fees for every tour leading up to it and were frustrated by a lack of investment from its union on kit for example – the team wore the same shirts in every game including the World Cup final.
Canada are ranked second in the world in XV rugby after reaching last year's World Cup Final which they lost to England. It's sevens side finished third at the recent Women's Sevens World Series and have secured a place at the 2016 Olympics.
Rugby Canada's General Manager Mike Chu said: "Rugby Canada remains committed to looking at ways to reduce and eventually eliminate the pay-to-play model that currently exists for many national teams. Unfortunately the funding streams that exist for women's sevens are not in place for women's 15s, and that is something that Rugby Canada is working hard to change through the generation of additional revenue via sponsorships and targeted fundraising events."
The Women's Super Series kicks off on June 27 in Calgary and sees Canada host NZ, England and USA.