Rugby Ontario Junior Blues Program Fact Sheet, 2013

Background Information:

  • Five age groups
  • Eight teams: U14, U15, U16, U16 East, U17, U18, U18 East, U18 7s
  • 290+ athletes
  • 25+ coaches
  • Nine team managers
  • $635,000 budget for 2013
  • Rugby Ontario financial support is approximately $14,000
  • The Junior Blues program continues to be approximately 98% funded through player fees
  • Rugby Ontario’s budgeting process is open and transparent; spreadsheets for the entire program, as well as for each team, are available upon request

Over the years, we have been asked a number of questions by our players and parents, which typically fall into two brackets:

  • Exactly what do player fees pay for?
  • What do players and parents get for their money?

Here, we will seek to answer these questions by providing a list of benefits to participating in the Rugby Ontario Junior Blues program.

Junior Blues Benefits; What Your Fees Cover:

Gear

  • Junior Blues team uniform, including game jersey, game shorts, game socks, which are all retained by the player
  • Junior Blues pre-game warm-up t-shirt
  • Junior Blues off-field apparel, including team golf shirt, track suit, kit bag, and backpack
  • Opportunities to purchase team equipment, including balls, kicking tees, contact suits, contact bags, water bottles, etc.

Top-Quality Training, Matches, Tours, and Tournaments

  • A three-day pre-season camp, with 18 hours of intensive skills instruction
  • A schedule of games against strong competition, including touring teams mostly from Britain and other provincial teams, at domestic competitions
  • Post-game awards and team meals during the summer schedule of home games following games against touring teams, mostly at Fletcher’s Fields
  • Game-related expenses, including fields and facilities, rentals, referees, and other game officials
  • Video taping of many games, with post-match analysis opportunities
  • Year-end player evaluations and personal skills assessments
  • Participation in the 2013 Rugby Canada National Championships tournament U16 and U18 divisions held in Victoria, BC, in early August, including team entry fees, airfare, medical services, sport therapist services, all accommodations for six nights, all ground transportation, and most meals
  • Junior Blues U15, U16 East, U17, U18, and U18 East teams
  • Participation in theU16 tour to England in early August, including all tour costs: airfare, ground transportation, and accommodations
  • Junior Blues U16 team
  • Participation in theU14 Interprovincial Festival in Victoria, BC, in early August, including all tournament costs: airfare, ground transportation, accommodations, and most meals
  • Junior Blues U14 team

Sponsorship Opportunities

  • Access to 2013 Junior Blues sponsorship Kits, to be used for soliciting yearbook advertisements from companies; yearbooks from previous years will be available for families of new players to show potential sponsors
  • Players retain 80% of all revenues raised
  • The other 20% goes towards yearbook production costs
  • A second Junior Blues Personal Sponsorship fundraising initiative designed to garner contributions from patrons, friends, and family.
  • Personal sponsorship tickets sell for very little ($10 suggested selling price), though the program is designed to give players an opportunity to raise large amounts of money
  • Players retain 100% of all revenues raised

Year-End Awards Banquet

  • Player and parent tickets to our annual year-end banquet in November
  • Junior Blues 2013 Yearbooks with team photos and individual player photos and biographies to be distributed at the annual year-end banquet in November; players will get one yearbook, as well as extra yearbooks for major sponsors
  • Year-end player awards at the banquet

Guidance, Supervision

  • A skilled, highly-certified and dedicated volunteer coaching and managerial staff
  • Access to many guest/specialist coaches, including:
  • Paul Walsh: former England U17 coach
  • Chris Silverthorn: Ontario Blues Head Coach
  • Many Ontario Blues players
  • Access to athletic therapist services at all games and practices

Financial Support

  • There are opportunities for players to be nominated for Ontario Quest for Gold financial support for elite amateur athletes, currently valued at $5000 + per athlete per year
  • Financial support of $1000 for selected (one or two per year) graduates of the Junior Blues Program who are planning on attending an Ontario post-secondary school
  • This is funded by the 1989 Golden Oldies Legacy Fund

Pathway to Success

  • Admissions and bursary program opportunities for selected elite athletes in the renowned rugby program at Shawnigan Lake School on Vancouver Island; in the past six years, 14 Ontario players have received scholarships
  • Access to the exclusive Junior BluesInterchange Program to Britain for the period of September to December every year
  • Approximately 60Ontario provincial players have participated in this program in the past 11 years
  • Four Junior Blues 2012 players have been placed for September 2013 in two high level private English rugby schools
  • We anticipate increased opportunities in 2014
  • The Junior Blues program includes a 7s team that develops players for inter-provincial and international competitions, with the ultimate goals being a chance for the athletes to aquire the skills to earn placement at the 2015/2019 Pan-Am Games and the 2016/2020 Olympic Games
  • Elite athlete identification and recruitment opportunities for Rugby Ontario players by Ontario College and University varsity rugby programs, as well as by post-secondary schools outside the province
  • Elite athlete identification and selection for Rugby Canada U17 East and U18 nationalteams
  • Ontario is one of the leading provinces for numbers of nationally identified junior players
  • Graduates of the Junior Blues Program are on the pathway to playing for the Ontario Blues teams (U19 and Senior Men)
  • 70% of the 2012 Blues roster was comprised of former Junior Blues players
  • The Blues compete against other Canadian and American regional representative teams
  • The Ontario Blues program is one level below, and is on the player pathway to, the Canadian Senior Men’s Team that competes in the Rugby World Cup every four years

Skills in Rugby, Skills for Life

  • Lastly, the Ontario Junior Blues Program is all about teaching important life skills to young men: teamwork, reliability, commitment, leadership, goal-setting and respect for others
  • Improving rugby skills makes our athletes better players; improving life skills makes our Junior Blues players better people

Rugby Ontario

307 – 3 Concorde Gate

Toronto, ON M3C 3N7Funded by the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport

Tel: 416 426 7146