Last year’s National Women’s League Final was used as a platform for the first ever Colette McAuley Award, and although this year’s NWL is an abbreviated version because of the World Cup, the award will still be presented, but it has jumped up a weight class this year.

Thanks to the Canadian Rugby Foundation, the award is now attached to the Colette McAuley Fund, an endowed fund solely for the NSWT that collects annual interest. This interest, usually around $1000, will be presented as a cheque in the recipient’s name, along with a plaque.

The Colette McAuley Award will be awarded annually to a current NWL female rugby player, nominated by her respective provincial team, who gives back to the sport in the true spirit of the game.

The award was created in hopes of recognizing and inspiring athletes to take ownership for women’s rugby in Canada, from the grassroots level through to the National Senior Women’s Team. The award will help create legacy, accountability and a sense of pride in the program for current and past female rugby players alike.

Colette McAuley, the award’s inspiration, was a role model for teammates, peers and coaches alike throughout her playing career, and has since used this same authority to incite positive change for women’s rugby as a director on the Rugby Canada Board of Directors and is the President of the Rugby Canada Foundation Board of Directors.

Last year’s recipient, Marlene Donaldson, is currently in camp with the NSWT at Shawnigan Lake School and is excited about the evolution of the award.

“It was nice to receive the award last year because it acknowledges what you do off the field, which doesn’t always get noticed. Now that there is a financial grant attached to it, it gives it even more added weight.

“It’s almost impossible to fully dedicate yourself to this sport, and not need a little financial assistance, so we can be assured the money will be put to good use by whomever wins the award this year,” says Donaldson.

Donaldson was chosen as the recipient because of her devotion to a sport that has defined her for decades. Now, her generation of athletes has started to define the sport within Canada.

On the NSWT, there are 22 undergraduate degrees, eight Master’s degrees and two Ph.D’s.

Because the players are so accomplished in variety of areas, they can see what is lacking and they know how to help, says Donaldson.

“The sport needs continuity, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be through a financial contribution from former players. It’s what they do after, in terms of volunteering their time, either in administration, as a coach for their clubs or provinces, or youth rugby. We can see how sport is affected positively by people who play and then give back, and I think because women’s rugby isn’t seen as a new sport anymore, and the women are successful in their professional lives, we’re in a place to really start doing that.”

Coaches and managers from each province competing at the 2010 NWL Championships are asked to discuss the Colette McAuley Award with their teams to determine 1-2 nominees from their roster.

Those names should be submitted via email to NSWT Communications Officer Meghan Mutrie (meghanmutrie@gmail.com), along with a short bullet-point paragraph as to why the individuals are deserving of the award. Coaches will receive an email with the criterion and deadline as a reminder.

The deadline for nominations is June 27th, 2010 at midnight. A committee made up of past and present Canadian internationals will receive a list of all the nominations and reasons, and vote on the winner, which will be announced after the NWL gold medal game.

The committee includes McAuley, Donaldson, Mutrie, former Canada captain Kelly McCallum, player representative Sheila Turner, and High Performance Director Geraint John.

Thank you again to the Canadian Rugby Foundation for their support in bolstering the Colette McAuley Award.

For more information on the CRF, please visit: http://www.canadianrugbyfoundation.ca/

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