The Crusaders Rugby Club has been awarded a $160,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to support and strengthen the club’s volunteer programs. This funding will help address one of the most significant and lasting impacts of COVID-19 on the club: the challenge of attracting, supporting, and retaining the volunteers needed to deliver high-quality community rugby programming.
Post-pandemic, the club has focused heavily on rebuilding membership levels and diversifying programming and revenue streams. While participants have returned in strong numbers, the volunteers required to coach, manage, and operate programs have not returned at the same pace. As a result, a smaller group of dedicated volunteers has been carrying an unsustainable workload—leading to burnout, reduced retention, and barriers to offering the full breadth of programming the community demands.
This OTF-funded project will directly address these challenges through targeted investments in rebuilding volunteer capacity. The initiative will focus on attracting new volunteers, supporting and retaining existing volunteers, and implementing sustainable systems and structures that reduce reliance on a small number of time-stretched individuals. The project will also help modernize volunteer management processes and build long-term resilience in program delivery.
“This grant will be transformational in rebuilding and developing volunteerism within the club,” said Chris Tudor Price, President of the Crusaders Rugby Club. “Community sports clubs—and rugby clubs in particular—are entirely reliant on volunteerism to survive. As our club has grown dramatically since 2019 in membership, programming, and operational complexity, we’ve reached an inflection point. We need immediate supports for the volunteers we have, and a more systematic volunteer program that encourages, trains, and sustains a larger base of coaches, managers, directors, and other essential volunteers.”
“We are enormously grateful for the support of MPP Stephen Crawford and the Ontario Trillium Foundation,” added Tudor Price. “This funding will allow us to address volunteer-capacity challenges both in the short and long term. I also want to thank our board of directors, who have worked tirelessly over several years to grow, diversify, and operationalize the club as a sustainable going concern. It has been a massive team effort to place the Crusaders in a position to be eligible for OTF support.”
The Crusaders Rugby Club remains Canada’s largest community rugby club, providing programming for more than 1,400 participants annually across Oakville, Halton, and the western GTA. Strengthening its volunteer base is essential to supporting this growth and ensuring the club continues to provide accessible, safe, and high-quality rugby opportunities for youth and adults of all ages.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario and one of Canada’s leading grantmakers. OTF invests in community-based initiatives that build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Through its various funding streams, OTF supports projects that strengthen organizations, enhance community wellbeing, and create lasting impact. In 2023–24, OTF invested more than $115 million into 644 projects and partnerships to help Ontarians thrive.
We’ve got beer, Guinness and Good Cheer!Join us at the club to watch Autumn Internationals on our commercial feed. Memberss, guests and the public welcome.
Sat Nov 19, 8am: South Africa v Italy
Sat Nov 19, 10:15am: Scotland v Argentina
Sat Nov 19, 12:30pm: England v New Zealand
Sat Nov 19, 3pm: Ireland v Australia
Come join us at the club on Saturday Sept 10 for the Party Off the Pitch featuring a live band (Jojo and the Chintos).
Burgers and (limited) curries/bunny chows/rotis available.
Band starts at 7:30pm.
To help us with the catering please RSVP online.
The Crusaders offers a Fall Rugby 7s Program for players aged 13-18, running from September through November each year. The program typically enters 8-10 teams into Ontario tournaments.
Cru will usually participate in the following tournaments that typically run from 9am-3pm each day:
The program is offered for U14 and U16 and U18 age grades, for both boys and girls.
For more information please go to the Junior 7s Program webpage
“Alumni Day” was a great success on Saturday. The weather was scorching and the games were hotly contested. Very entertaining rugby all around – the women and men’s teams played their hearts out to the delight of passionate fans.
36 Alumni purchased tickets for lunch, which was served on the deck. Thanks to those who participated and thanks also to Crusader Rugby Club Executive Members, who attended and were able to mingle and answer questions of the attendees. Thanks Candace for organizing the event and catering the food.
International rugby was being broadcast in the clubhouse, while outside Alumni gathered round and told stories of past greatness. The group also clapped on and off the current Crusaders, as well as selecting and presenting Crusader Player of the match honours.
The Alumni group was formalized in the fall of 2019. This was just before COVID raised its head and has hampered activities for so long. It was nice to be able to connect with friends again – in person.
Enthusiasm rushed up from the group. This should translate into repeat Alumni lunches at the park and other suggested activities as well; including an Alumni fishing derby and participation in The Club’s golf tournament. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next event!
It is with sadness that we are conveying news of the passing of Cru Alum Paul Myers who had been struggling with a long-term illness. Our most sincere condolences to Paul’s wife, Julie, and his children, Dayna and Mitchell, who were with him as he passed peacefully.
Paul was a Toronto Police officer for 33 years and played for Cru for a number of those years. He went on to become a transformative leader in the game in Ontario, served on club boards, advocated for inclusion, coached extensively at club and provincial levels, and co-founded TIRF, the Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation.
Paul was a gregarious and truly generous character who loved rugby and everyone who played the game – and his efforts to promote, improve and grow the sport will be a lasting legacy. Paul touched countless lives with his friendship, generosity, encouragement and enthusiasm – and he will be sorely missed.
Come and join us playing touch rugby! Why just sit on the sidelines when you can run around with us?! No experience required! No judgements! Just a good time!!
When:
Who can join?:
Questions?: Celeste Corless/Chris Clark at ladies.touch@crusadersrugby.ca
Come out and give it a try, meet the coaches and everyone before you register:
To register for the May 10 and May 17 try sessions: https://clubshop.
To register for Ladies Touch: https://clubshop.crusadersrugby.club/products/ladies-touch-try-rugby-registration