The sport of rugby sevens is continuing to grow, both internationally and in Canada, as the sport is set to join the world stage at the 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympic games. The opportunity for a group of Under-18 men's players to participate in the Youth Commonwealth Games on the Isle of Man is another great chance to develop future potential Olympic-calibre athletes.

Such opportunities however, do come at a cost - previously in the form of a barrier to some participating athletes. This barrier for the 2011 Youth Commonwealth Games has been eliminated thanks to a tremendous contribution from the Canadian Rugby Foundation.

Friday, May 20, 2011 - Submitted by Patrick McCarry in Vancouver, BC

written by: TOM KENNEDY

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 – submitted by Tom Kennedy

The Canadian men's sevens contingent destined for Hong Kong has been chosen and head coach Geraint John is confident the team has the experience and ability to build on its first two tour events in 2011.

Leading the charge in terms of new inclusions to this year's squad is veteran leader Phil Mack, the 24-year-old scrum half with national sevens and 15s experience.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation believes that the success of Canada in international rugby is contingent upon developing the sport at an early age.  In an effort to assist with introducing young Canadians to the game, 20 “Rugby Sevens Starter Kits” (5 Gilbert training balls (size 4 or 5), Burge kicking tee, 50 cones, 20 mouth guards, 10 pinnies, whistle, hand held ball pump, coaching material and a gear bag) will be given away at no charge to elementary/middle/high schools and/or community organizations across Canada by the end of 2010.  The goal is to help introduce and

The Canadian Rugby Foundation is pleased to be working with Cathay Pacific to promote special packages for Canadians interested in travelling to Hong Kong for the 2011 Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens, March 25th - 27th.
The 6th Annual Great Canadian Sevens Luncheon will take place on Thursday, March 24th. This long lunch is a great opportunity to meet both the men's and women's national teams. All monies raised goes the Canadian Rugby Foundation's "Olympic Sevens Fund" which supports the growth of sevens rugby in Canada.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation is extremely pleased to be able to announce that voting has commenced for the Canadian Rugby Foundation Sevens Player of the Year award.  Custom House Currency Exchange commissioned the amazing solid bronze maple leaf trophy by Canadian artist Kent Laforme in 2004 to be presented to Canada’s top sevens player on the IRB circuit.  Previous winners include  Marco DiGirolamo (2004), Matt King (2005), David Moonlight (2006) and Phil Mack (2007).  Unfortunately the award was not presented in 2008 and 2009. 

The Canadian Maple Leafs have announced their squad for the Abbotsford International 7's Tournament that will be led by 8 graduates of the Canadian U-20 program. The Canadian Maple Leafs Team are designed to develop the next generation of Sevens players in Canada and are funded in large part through the Canadian Rugby Foundation.

The Abbotsford Sevens Tournament is Canada's first international Sevens tournament and will feature teams from South Africa, New Zealand, Kenya, Fiji and Canada.  The Maple Leafs will be led by National Seven's coach Morgan Williams, alongside Joe Haley and Jeff Williams.

The British Columbia Rugby Union is proud to announce the creation of a new high performance initiative designed to identify, train and support 11-16 year old athletes who have aspirations of playing seven-a-side rugby at the Provincial and National level.  The BC Rugby Elite Youth 7s program provides a framework for player identification in key areas of British Columbia.  Once identified, players will be invited to skill sessions, followed by regional and provincial training camps.  This Elite Youth 7s pathway will result in the creation of a BC Junior 7s Provincial team, selected to tour internationally.

The Canadian Maple Leafs - the Canadian development sevens side, has ended its run at the Punta del Estes Sevens tournament with a loss to Italy in the Plate Semi-final round on Monday evening in the summer resort town in Uruguay.