Rugby Canada has become the latest elite sports governing body to choose The Sports Office Athlete Management System. They will use it throughout their organizational structure, to support various departments and high-performance teams.

Matt Barr, Rugby Canada’s Director of Athletic Performance, said: “The Sports Office will allow us to operate with a platform that links all our critical performance areas together, helping us to make informed decisions in maximising our players’ potential and reducing incidents of injury.”

The Senior men’s, women’s, and academy squads will use ‘The Rugby Squad’ as they begin their return to play. They will benefit from each component of the system including coaching, medical and sports science. Rugby Canada will also use the system to support performance planning, strategy and player pathways.

Dustin Hopkins, Rugby Canada’s Managing Director – Rugby Operations, also said: “With the use of The Sports Office, Rugby Canada will now be in a position to have an efficient, robust and reliable central database that can monitor and support both current and future international players.”

“We are working hard to align rugby throughout Canada, and in a country as big as ours The Sports Office platform will be invaluable.” 

And Kingsley Jones, Director of Men’s Rugby, said: “The database is a critical tool for Rugby Canada’s performance rugby department. The multipurpose nature of the platform allows it to act as a critical talent ID and player database, and in addition, it enables us to assess, track and provide feedback to players identified nationally and globally.

Under the Covid-19 safe practice guidelines, athletes will use The Sports Office App and The Monitoring App to monitor any symptoms and ensure a safe return to play for both players and staff. The app also provides a range of other benefits for athletes. It enables them to log their RPE’s when training, view assigned match footage and communicate with staff.

Many elite rugby organizations throughout the world are among The Sports Office’s varied client base. These include governing bodies such as Irish Rugby Union, Argentina Rugby Union, teams in the SANZAR Super Rugby competition and the Australian NRL.

The Rugby Squad users also include clubs in the UK’s Rugby League Super League and teams in North American Major League Rugby.

The implementation of the system began in June. We will work with the Rugby Canada Performance team to configure their system and roll it out to departmental staff via remote training and following this a roll out to the players.

Client Manager, Chris Tuson, who is working with Rugby Canada to implement the Athlete Management System, commented: “We are excited to be working with another leading organization in the world of elite sport to support their performance needs, especially during these uncertain times.

“Usually, we would travel to meet the client in person, but the current restrictions have not hampered us. We have adapted our implementation process and delivered the system in a new way to meet Rugby Canada’s performance goals and strategies.”