We are excited to play some rugby and build on the success of last year. This article explains the cost associated with the Junior and Minor programs in 2026.

Costs associated with Rugby Canada, Rugby Ontario and the South West Ontario Rugby Union (SWORU) are pass-through costs, over which the Club has no control. We try to minimize the costs we do control to ensure a fair fee to all families.

You may notice that there are costs to cover team socials and coach fee reimbursements. We believe that each team should have a fund for their use, at the coach’s discretion, to build camaraderie at the team level. This could be for freezies after a hot day, to support a team pot-luck after a game or help cover the cost of a team party. We also believe that a coach who volunteers their time (in excess of 6 hours per week) should not need to pay for the privilege to do so. Unfortunately, Rugby Canada requires our coaches to pay for insurance each year in addition to completing many online coaching modules.

Junior kit will be a pair of rugby shorts and training tee once again in 2026. Our provider is now Gilbert Canada. Waterloo County will not be holding stock of this kit and will be placing bulk orders based on registrations. Bulk orders will take 6-7 weeks to fulfill and as such, we will be placing orders on the following dates:
-Friday, May 1st for an estimated June 19th arrival.
-Friday, June 12th for an estimated July 31st arrival.
-Friday, June 26th for an estimated August 19th arrival.
Bulk orders must meet certain minimum requirements with the supplier. A bulk order may be held until a minimum quantity is achieved. The sooner you register, the faster you will get your kit!

One way to keep fees down is to help with finding sponsors. Waterloo County would love to help support local companies by putting their name on our jerseys or posting about them on social media. If you know of a local company (big or small) who is looking to partner with an athletic organization, please let me know.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me, Trevor Williams.

Note: fees below do not include any credit card fees charged to register.

U6, U8 & U10 (Non-contact flag) Fees

In 2026, we are running a combined U6 & U8 program and a separate U10 program. Games will be a tournament style on Saturday mornings like in previous years. The schedule is being developed and will be released once available. We typically participate in 5-6 tournaments over the summer.

The fee breakdown includes:
Rugby Canada fees: $30.00 (Insurance)
Rugby Ontario fees: $32.54 (Administrative support)
South West Ontario Rugby Union (SWORU) HP fee: $5.00 (supports the High-Performance program for all SWORU athletes)
Waterloo County fees: $224.00 (This includes)
• Gilbert training top
• Gilbert rugby shorts
• Field and equipment costs (balls, cones, flags, etc.)
• Athletic Therapy and food cost for Family Day – June 20th
• Proportionate share of the porta-potty
• Waterloo County RFC administrative costs (website, RO team fees, coach fee refund)
Total 2026 Season Fee: $292.00

U12 Boys & U12 Girls (Contact) Fees

In 2026, we are running separate boys and girls’ programs. Rugby Ontario will work with other clubs to ensure that same gender games are scheduled where possible. If a Club does not have enough athletes to field separate gendered teams, they will play as a combined squad. Game days will be tournament style with 3-4 clubs being present at any one time.

***Please note that games will be played on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the 2026 season in an effort to pair the U12 and U14 teams as they progress into contact rugby. The schedule is being developed and will be released once available.

The fee breakdown includes:
Rugby Canada fees: $40.00 (Insurance)
Rugby Ontario fees: $32.54 (Administrative support)
South West Ontario Rugby Union (SWORU) HP fee: $5.00 (supports the High-Performance program for all SWORU athletes)
Waterloo County fees: $270.00 (This includes)
• Gilbert training top
• Gilbert rugby shorts
• Field and equipment costs (balls, cones, tackle bags, tackle mats, etc.)
• Athletic Therapy (home tournaments) and team socials
• Proportionate share of the porta-potty
• Waterloo County RFC administrative costs (website, RO team fees, coach fee refund)
Total 2026 Season Fee: $347.54

U14 Boys & U14 Girls (Contact) Fees

In 2026, we are running a combined program with Guelph for both the boys and girls. This is due to low historical numbers at this age group. If we have enough registrants (>20 for each team), we could look at running our own program. This will be at the discretion of the coaches and player availability at the beginning of the season.

Game days will be tournament style with 3-4 clubs being present at any one time. Games will either be a 13’s or 10’s format based on player availability. The season for U14 will be from early June to late August.

***Please note that games will be played primarily on Sundays throughout the 2026 season. There may be the occasional Saturday game. The schedule is being developed and will be released once available.

The fee breakdown includes:
Rugby Canada fees: $82.50 (Insurance)
Rugby Ontario fees: $59.37 (Administrative support)
South West Ontario Rugby Union (SWORU) HP fee: $5.00 (supports the High-Performance program for all SWORU athletes)
Waterloo County fees: $280.00 (This includes)
• Gilbert training top
• Gilbert rugby shorts
• Field and equipment costs (balls, cones, tackle bags, tackle mats, etc.)
• Athletic Therapy (home tournaments) and team socials
• Proportionate share of the porta-potty
• Waterloo County RFC administrative costs (website, RO team fees, coach fee refund)
Total 2026 Season Fee: $427.00

U16 Boys & U16 Girls (Contact) Fees

In 2026, we have applied once again to have a Cup (1’s) and Regional (2’s) program for each gender. This is an effort to ensure there is competition for athletes at the right level for them to develop. We are awaiting the decision from Rugby Ontario at his time. Once this decision has been made, the schedule will be posted.

Games will be played on Saturday mornings. The season will be from early June to late August and will include playoffs at each level.

The main reason the costs were increased in 2026 was to cover both the rising cost of Athletic Therapists (ATs) but to also ensure we have coverage for Waterloo County when we are on the road. Rugby Ontario requires each home team to provide “medical support”. Waterloo County wants to ensure the safety of the athletes as they play this contact sport so we engage a more trained individual to support us – an Athletic Therapist (AT). We have also had incidents where the home team only has one medical staff present and will prioritize their team. We want to provide the support our athletes need when both home and on the road. We also want to provide continuity of care where the AT present has some familiarity with the athletes.

The fee breakdown includes:
Rugby Canada fees: $116.05 (Insurance)
Rugby Ontario fees: $59.37 (Administrative support)
South West Ontario Rugby Union (SWORU) HP fee: $5.00 (supports the High-Performance program for all SWORU athletes)
Waterloo County fees: $290.00 (This includes)
• Gilbert training top
• Gilbert rugby shorts
• Field and equipment costs (balls, cones, tackle bags, tackle mats, etc.)
• Athletic Therapy (home & away games) and team socials
• Proportionate share of the porta-potty
• Waterloo County RFC administrative costs (website, RO team fees, coach fee refund)
Total 2026 Season Fee: $470.00

U18 Boys & U18 Girls (Contact) Fees

Games will be played on Wednesday evenings. The season will be from early June to mid August and will include playoffs at each level.