Field Hockey Canada develops sustainable fundraising and sponsorship platforms to support its athletes on the road ahead
The Road Ahead
Field Hockey Canada’s Juniors, Seniors and Indoor teams have experienced a whirlwind of excitement over this past year with the return to international competition. From the Indoor Pan American Championships to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to the Junior Pan American Championships. Our athletes have been training non-stop to make podium finishes and qualify for their respective World Cups.
All their hard work and dedication has paid off. Over the course of the next four months, we will be sending five of our teams to four different countries to participate in the Junior World Cup, the Pan American Cup, and the Indoor World Cup.
| Junior Men’s National Team | Junior World Cup – Bhubaneswar India – Nov. 24 – Dec. 5 |
| Junior Women’s National Team | Junior World Cup – South Africa – Dec. 5-16 |
| Women’s National Team | Pan American Cup – Santiago, Chile – Jan.19-30 |
| Men’s National Team | Pan American Cup – Santiago, Chile – Jan.19-30 |
| Women’s Indoor National Team | Indoor World Cup – Liège, Belgium – Feb. 2-6 |
“After the challenges of the global pandemic and the enforced pause to sport, it is fantastic to see intentional hockey reactivating and our Canadian teams at the forefront of all competitions,” Susan Ahrens, CEO said. “This is an incredible and intense competition period coming up for our sport. We have both men’s and women’s junior national teams play in the World Cup in December. Then in January, our senior men and women play in the Pan Am Cup – where we hope to celebrate their qualification for the senior world cups. Then, we quickly turn attention to our indoor women’s team who will play in the indoor World Cup in February. I cannot recall a busier — or more exciting three-month period — for us.”
Over the course of the next few weeks, Field Hockey Canada will be announcing its travelling rosters for each respective competition.
Fundraising & Sponsorship
With all this success comes expenses. Field Hockey Canada and its athletes rely heavily on support through donations and sponsors to cover costs associated with team, tournament, and travel fees, on a regular basis. Over the years, this reliance had yet to be manifested into a deliberate and consistent approach.
With the recent initiation of our Sponsorship and Fundraising Committee, Field Hockey Canada has been able to develop and begin activating sustainable strategies to raise funds and engage sponsors, to gain donor retention and build long-lasting relationships with companies, that will support our ambitious national teams for generations to come.
Former Olympian, FHC Director and community leader, Ian Bird believes that fundraising and sponsorship is a cornerstone to great sporting experiences. He is leading the Sponsorship and Fundraising committee.
“It’s all coming together,” Bird said. “This is an unprecedented stretch of Canadian hockey, and we are reaching out to get the whole community behind us. It’s an amazing moment in our sport’s history where we have so many teams achieving international success.”
Ahrens is proud of the work that the staff and volunteers are doing to create a sustainable program moving forward and is already seeing the benefits.
“International hockey is an expensive endeavour. Over the past 18 months we have built infrastructure to enable us to drive fundraising in a sustainable and replicable multi-year approach with the goal of supporting our athletes, coaches, umpires, and officials on their international dreams,” Ahrens said. “Our staff member Hailey Yhap is doing a wonderful job as our fundraising lead, and we are very fortunate that Olympian and FHC Director, Ian Bird stepped up to chair our fundraising committee. Ian, along with support from FHC Director Kri Shier and Marketing lead Grace Li, is leading the charge towards supporting the lofty performance ambitions with additional revenue. My thanks to Ian and all involved.”
How You Can Support
Field Hockey Canada will be activating several donation initiatives and sponsorship opportunities for each team. Over the course of the next four weeks, we will be re-launching our Adopt-an-Athlete campaign, alongside our new Adopt-our-Team campaigns. Throughout the month of November, Field Hockey Canada will also be reaching out to our community to join us in supporting our athletes on the annual day of giving, Giving Tuesday set for November 30, this year. This day is a time when charities, companies and individuals can join to rally for their favourite causes, and we want YOU to be a part of it with us! Join us in helping these dedicated athletes achieve their dreams and stay tuned for more information to come.
Can’t wait to support our athletes? DONATE TODAY
Know a sponsor that wants to get involved with one of our teams? Contact us [graceli@fieldhockey.ca] TODAY to learn more on how to become a Field Hockey Canada sponsor!
