The Vancouver Thunderbirds are a registered not-for-profit athletics club operating across Metro Vancouver. With locations in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey, our club aims to grow the sport of Athletics (Track & Field, Cross Country, and Road Running) by providing high quality age-appropriate coaching across the entire spectrum of athletics disciplines. While our club is grounded in delivering track and field programming to Youth (ages 9-18), we are proud to support some of Canada’s very best elite athletes at the national and international level (Olympics, World Championships etc.), while also promoting sport for life through a vibrant Masters (35+) track & field program.

Established over 20 years ago, the Thunderbirds Club strives to foster a thriving community where members continually discover & chase their potential on the track, so they have a greater capacity to make an impact off of it. To that end our club strives to make our programming as accessible as possible to young athletes, ensuring that financial circumstances are never the primary barrier keeping youth from experiencing the benefits of organized sport. We do so by keeping membership costs low and flexible (payment plans), delivering robust yearly fundraising initiatives, and nurturing a strong tradition of outreach and collaboration with local school districts (free school outreach coaching program). We are also proud to partner with local charities such as KidSport, JumpStart, and Athletics4Kids to provide enhanced funding for families experiencing additional financial need.

Despite our commitment to working with families to provide opportunities in sport, we recognize that there is still greater need in many of the communities we serve. Though funding opportunities are available, many athletes are never made aware of the assistance they can access, or the value they can add to our club community, simply because the thought of club sport membership is financially off the table for their families. To that end we are seeking individuals and organizations willing to partner with us in our shared vision, one where worthy athletes are given the opportunity to explore their potential through a Thunderbirds Bursary program.

At its basic level, such a program would provide targeted funding to cover the base cost of club and provincial registration fees for athletes displaying financial need, a fee of ~$700-800 annually. Each $800 would allow for the registration of an athlete into our club program for an entire 12-month membership, covering the costs of facility rental, coaching (education and honorarium payments), and communal equipment costs (throwing implements, starting blocks etc.). In cases where an athlete is displaying significant interest and ability in competing, a secondary goal of the bursary program would be to create a travel and competition fund, allowing athletes to access the meets appropriate to their level of ability.

While our club operates across three cities we propose piloting this program in North Surrey, the location where we have historically seen the most need for financial assistance. According to the most recent census data (2021), the population of youth ages 15-19 in Surrey is higher than our other home cities in both real-terms and as a percentage of the total population (16.6% vs. 10.7% in Vancouver). Moreover, the average family size is also larger (1.8 vs. 1.6), suggesting a higher burden on placing youth into organized sport. The average after-tax income of economic family units is lower in Surrey than Vancouver, while the average family size is markedly larger (4.4 vs. 3.9). Finally, while both cities have experienced a strong influx of new migrants in the 10 years to 2021, Surrey outstrips Vancouver in both real terms (76,000 vs. 69,000) and in the percentage of migrants claiming refugee status (23,650 vs. 17,630).

Expenses

Club Membership: $745-765 annually (depending on age) and includes BC Athletics competitive membership)

Meet entry fees (approximate): $100-400 annually (depending on competitive level, travel, and whether or not the athlete does cross country and/or indoor track))

Equipment Cost: ~$250 - $750 annually (up to 2xTraining Shoes @$150, 1x competition shoes @$200, 1x competition top @$45, plus misc. Training wear such as jacket, shorts, socks, tights etc.)

Travel Fees (assuming national age-group level athlete traveling to compete at provincial & national championships):

Round trip flights: $400 (1 out of province nationals)

Accommodations: $150/night x 6 (2-3 nights per trip and 2-3 trips) = $900

Meals & Misc.: $50/day x 6 = $300

TOTAL Cost of participation (approx.): $1,100 to $3,500 annually

Each year, donors will be provided an annual overview of where their contributions went.

100% of donations go directly towards the athlete. No administration fees.