Canada's women's rugby team, ranked No. 2, fights through funding crisis as it prepares for World Cup

The Canadian women's rugby team, ranked second in the world, is trying to beat the odds — and also cash in on them. 

Last month Rugby Canada launched a fundraising campaign for the women's 15s team to help on their road to the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, to be held in various cities in England this August. (The tournament features the 15-player version, as opposed to the sevens team that won silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics, an Olympic best for Canada. Many of the players compete on both teams.)

What the team wants is funding to facilitate time together in camp for training, strategizing, and bonding to help in their goal of winning the World Cup. They're seeking access to mental performance coaching and other necessary resources for an elite team wanting to win and do it in a manner befitting a team that is making history. 

When I heard about the campaign to crowdfund, my initial reaction was to think that the expenses should be covered by the national sporting organization (NSO). 

Why rely on Canadians to keep footing the bill for women to compete? And what happens next year for other teams such as the U20s or the men's side? They will also need financial support. Will the legacy for rugby be that they always have their hands outstretched? 

Programs like Own the Podium have focused on winning as opposed to supporting athletes holistically, growing grassroots and developing sustainable sport in Canada.  We continuously find ourselves in situations where athletes are underfunded. There's no creativity, no innovation in sports models, and little accountability in circumstances of maltreatment, abuse or mismanagement. The government doesn't fund organizations well and then athletes pay for themselves and end up in debt.