About Us

How it all began

In the fall of 2015 I founded a charitable fund called For the Love of the Game. The fund was inspired by my own experience as a young athlete where I was provided with the opportunity to attend the England Rugby under 18 Training camp in the UK. The experience was transformational for me as an athlete and the catalyst for what proved to be a long and rewarding international sporting career. I had always wanted to find a way to provide a similar opportunity to young athletes and in 2015, I was able to turn a potential great loss (all my Jerseys were stolen and subsequently recovered) into For the Love of the Game.

WHY

Legacy: Leverage our own sporting memories and experiences to enrich the lives of young athletes and motivate them to reach their full potential.

Opportunity: Gaps in current system (structural, financial and philosophical) result in the de-selection of athletes from sport before they reach their full potential.

Engagement: For the Love of the Game provides an avenue for the athlete in all of us to re-engage in sport in a meaningful way with like minded supporters.

WHAT

Scholarships: Send a minimum of one rugby athlete per year to a residential high performance academy.

Grants: Provide grants to athletes to support their participation in experiences they identify and believe will help them reach their full potential

Events: For the Love of the Game will also support and organise High Impact coaching events and clinics for athletes.

HOW

Selection: Scholarships will be awarded by nomination (not Application)

Sustainability: 50% of funds raised going forward will be able to be used in the year donated and 50% must flow back into endowment.

Tours/Dinners: Deliver value to For the Love of the Game members through providing access to events/tours they would not be able to access on their own.

For the Love of the Game Annual Scholarship

Inspiring Excellence through Experience is the mission of For the Love of the Game fund and we are committed to providing unique world class sporting experiences to athletes to inspire them and help them achieve their potential. The For the Love of the Game scholarship sends athletes into the heart of World Rugby at the Canterbury Crusaders International High Performance Unit (IHPU). The Crusaders are the home club of Daniel Carter and Ritchie McCaw among other All-Black legends.

More about the IHPU can be found at https://crusaders.co.nz/about-us/crusaders-ihpu

The recipients will attend the IHPU for 4 weeks over the summer and their scholarship includes:

A pre-departure guide which includes a 6 week fitness program to ready players for their intensive training
Return Flight to New Zealand
Airport transfers in NZ
Accommodation (Room and Board) for their time in New Zealand
$20 per day spending money to cover incidental costs
Comprehensive induction into New Zealand life
Membership into the Crusaders International Rugby Academy
Placement in a suitable club
Club rugby affiliation fees
Individualized performance plan including monitoring and progress reporting
Weekly online rugby related report
Specialist coaching on attack, defence, breakdown, kicking or set piece, position specific skills sessions
Strength and conditioning training
Mental skills seminars and individual assessments
Nutritional seminars and individual assessments
Fitness programming and testing
Unlimited viewing of Crusaders and Canterbury training and games
Free gym membership
Access to the swimming pools for recovery sessions
Coaching seminars; game and video analysis, defence and attack, game planning and review, video tracking, real live analysis of Crusaders games
Full access to the Crusaders and Canterbury training facility
Complimentary tickets to watch some Crusaders and/or Canterbury matches
Full mentoring support by the IHPU Manager
Integration with Canterbury and Crusaders players
Medical screening and physiotherapist support!
Participants will come away with a customized rugby report, certificate and DVD of their NZ journey
An unforgettable New Zealand experience!