2021 Women in Leadership Fund recipient, Claudie Noël, continues work with rugby community of Quebec

November 2, 2022 (Quebec City, QC) – One of three inaugural recipients of Rugby Canada’s Women in Leadership Fund in 2021, Claudie Noël is still feeling the impacts the program has had on her professional development in rugby.

“This grant allowed me to access leadership training. Following those, I was able to adopt new behaviors to boost my self-confidence, learn more about strategic risk management, build a solid business network and develop my political acumen,” said Noël.

Noël has already had a significant impact on the Quebec rugby community in her roles as secretary of the Rugby Québec board, coach and manager with the U16 and U18 Rugby Québec programs as well as the coach of a LGBT+ men's team in Montréal, the Armada. As a recipient of the Women in Leadership Fund last year, it has allowed her to continue to work on growing the game into new regions around Quebec.

Funded by the Women in Leadership program, Noël was able to participate in the RAN (Rugby Americas North) Women’s Forum, a network that created an environment for her to share best practices in administration and development.

“The mentoring and contacts I created during the program were beneficial for the development of my network. Thanks to them, I was able to attend the RAN conference in Denver last August.”

Since beginning the program in 2021, Noël has been promoted at work and is now currently serving as the role of Interim President of the Rugby Quebec board, with hopes she will solidify that position at the next Rugby Quebec Annual General Meeting in January.

“These funds allowed me to access tools to fulfill my rugby ambitions. I recommend this program to any Women who want to take a leadership position. It’s the first step to open many doors.”

Women in Leadership Fund 2022

The 2022 edition of this program will extend to wider range of eligible applicants in comparison the inaugural Women in Leadership Fund that was launched in 2021. In the first year, applicants only qualified if they were part of a provincial union’s staff, board or executive committee. Now the Women in Leadership Fund will award six recipients from rugby club executive committees across the country funding of up to $2000 to pursue development opportunities that will enhance their ability to lead from within our sport.

Find the full Women in Leadership Fund overview here.

Eligible applicants must:

• Currently be involved in rugby at an administrative or governance level within a Provincial Union or Provincial Board of Directors OR,
• Currently be involved in rugby at a governance level within a member club.

How it Works:

Step 1: Applications
Application forms can be accessed here and will be accepted until Monday, November 7th, 2022, at 5pm EST.

Step 2: Selections & Notification
Selections will be made by Monday, November 28th, 2022. Once all those selected have been notified and have accepted the funding, the recipients will be publicly announced.

Step 3: Professional Development
Each recipient will move forward with pursuing their personal development plan that was part of their application.

Step 4: Reporting
As part of the agreement in receiving the fund, each recipient commits to sharing their journey through reports, photos and any other method they may choose.