In addition to growth in the female game, TIRF is thriving the in the Canadian Sports space. “Rugby in Canada is particularly special. It’s not a sport that is widely introduced at an early age. There are a lot of expectations for young people that they already know how to play basketball, hockey or soccer. Those sports are introduced quite early on to a large majority of Canadians. Even newcomer Canadians are often first introduced to these sports when trying to find a community.”
While rugby isn’t quite at the forefront of sports in Canada, it does have something to offer that many other sports don’t. “What I like about rugby and what I think makes it so attractive is the invitation to participate. What we often hear is that it’s often just a coach, a teacher, or another player that says “hey, you’ve got a quick step have you thought about playing rugby? I think you might enjoy this sport you should come try it out!” If there’s a real invitation to participate and to create a space for someone where they can actualize and use their skills as well as be recognized for them, it’s a great thing. Everyone plays a particular role. All body types are welcome and have a role and can contribute to the success of the team. I think that’s really attractive. Everyone’s looking for love and belonging, and it’s the basis for how we look at a lot of our programming. It’s like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We’re always thinking of how do we make sure we’re addressing the psycho-social needs of young people, so that they have a good sense of love and belonging. This is so that they can self-actualize reach their full potential, and rugby really provides a lot of the opportunity for that.”
In addition to offering a sense of inclusivity, rugby also serves as a disrupter to the sports space. The way that cities are built is to cater to what’s popular at the time of construction. Looking at this in terms of sports, Toronto doesn’t suffer from a lack of hockey rinks, soccer fields or basketball courts, but it is lacking in inner-city rugby pitches. The standout potential for rugby, allowing for participants to pick a different sport from their peers, is also positively impacted by the lower entry cost. Considered a more affordable sport, rugby offers a lot of possibilities to those who aren’t looking or able to take on a costly hobby, while still providing the potential for travel and educational scholarships.
It’s through this essence of inclusion that rugby can serve as a vessel to really reach at risk youth and provide them with a sense of accomplishment and belonging. “Unlike a lot of sports where you practice individually, there’s not a lot you can do as an individual in rugby without a team around you. As a young person from the inner-city or any kind of young person, having a team supporting you, whether that’s your classmates, your peers, parents, adults, teachers, coaches, mentors, you start to think about building a positive team environment around you. I think it’s a wonderful analogy for life.”
Additionally, rugby can provide young participants with a sense of purpose and direction. “There’s just something so beautiful in the game in the way that how we play really mirrors the way of what we should be doing in life. The way we push past and through our obstacles, we keep going harder. If we fall, we try to fall forward, we try to push through and get ourselves back up. The fact that when you score it’s called a “try” is amazing, What an amazing analogy for life. The fact that ball usually has to get through so many hands to make it across, it takes a real team effort.”