BCRU Release 2024-25 Annual Report
The BCRU released their annual report with financials. The 2024-25 Annual Report in .pdf format is available for viewing online. We’ve highlighted some quotes below and a graph of their numbers. An overall evaluation, from my point of view, is that they’ve done well at the age-grade levels growing the game, the Kamloops 7s is a case in point. There’s work to do in the high performance end, especially with the senior men which has been quiet at the regional and provincial level. The reality is the financials are one of the major constraining factors which is why they brought in a new CEO to tackle that issue.
Quotes
“My primary message to Member Clubs is to encourage you to continue to work with us to grow the sport
in BC. Help us find new pathways to engage age-grade players and offer variations of Rugby that will
retain old and attract new Members. Help us find more and better ways to deliver BC representative
players as members of our national teams.” Bob Strachan, BC Rugby President
“The Regions will now take a bigger lead in forming their best representative sides, selected internally from the new Provincial Regional Leagues system, to then bring their strongest representative teams to compete at a best-on-best Provincial Regional Championships… The Kamloops 7s tournament has grown to one of the largest youth Rugby 7s events in North America, and largest in Canada, now attracting over 120 teams from across the country and beyond… We continue to look for avenues to increase BC Rugby’s financial stability, and diversify funding sources, in an ever-challenging environment with cost pressures and uncertain economic times.” John Tait, Interim CEO
Graph of Numbers
The BC Premier shut down in March 2020 and returned in the spring of 2022 due to COVID. The numbers for 2021-22 represent the exit point from COVID and it’s been slowly growing back. The big increase is at the age-grade level but the senior numbers are still down compared to 2021-22.
The BCRU seem to be doing well growing the game at the age-grade level and have revamped the PRCs to address the high performance aspect at that age group but there’s been no activity from the senior men’s provincial team. The BC Premier has to look at what its role is in the Canadian high performance pathway and that’s a discussion that has to include Rugby Canada, BCRU and perhaps a 3rd party sponsor or an association representing the interests of the BC Premier clubs.