Canada midfielder Richard Hildreth was gearing up for the 2016 Olympics by not just improving his hockey skills on the field but also improvising on the ways of funding his team’s trip to Rio.
Before the Games, the 34-year-old Vancouver native started an online crowdfunding initiative through a foundation called Chimp (CHaritable IMPact), asking people within the Canadian community to donate for the team’s journey to Rio.
Two years on, the scenario for the Canadian hockey team has been pretty much similar, a handful of players who are part of Hildreth’s foundation seeking the help of the public to participate in the 2018 World Cup here, where they made the cross-over stage and lost to Netherlands.
“It feels like we’re going to the same well every time, asking for the same people for money,” Hildreth, who has been part of the Canada team since 2004, tells DNA.
Hildreth & Co might keep going to the same well that comprises a small-knit close group of friends and relatives, but they make it a point to find new techniques of extracting the water.
“We do small things here and there, sell jerseys to friends and family, try and do coaching clinics and get contributions to do stuff like that. We try to give back to them with our skill sets, and hope that they help us when we’re in need,” Hildreth says.
Most of the players in the Canadian team don’t play hockey full time. Hildreth has a BA degree from the University of British Columbia, whereas the other professions range from plumbing, electric work to even gas-fitting.
There’s also a fairly strong Indo-Canadian interest in hockey in the country, with three of the players in the current team having Indian roots (Keegan Pereira, Balraj Panesar and Sukhi Panesar).
Hildreth believes the rich diversity in the team plays a big part in making the funding process a bit easier. “We’ve got a fairly diverse group in terms of skill sets outside of hockey,” he says.
“There’s a really good Indo-Canadian community around where we practice, and they’re pretty incredible in the support they give us, both in terms of funding and social support. We try and use all the communities we can,” he adds.
Canada was one of the very few teams in this World Cup that didn’t have anything printed in front of their jerseys. Not that they like it neat, they just couldn’t find a sponsor for it.
“It’s difficult,” Hildreth says. “You have to play for some flights or something else sometimes, depending on when the funding comes in. We don’t get that much money as a sport. All the money goes elsewhere, I guess.”
Hildreth isn’t quite sure where it goes, yet what he is certain of is that his foundation won’t stop spreading its wings for a larger share of support. “It’s not really the players’ job, but our organization is working hard on trying to get a bigger portfolio of who we can ask money from,” he says. “It makes it difficult for us, but we’re happy to do it.
“Well, not quite happy to do it, but it is what it is,” he is quick to add.
The seasoned player, however, admits that there is an undeniable link between sponsorship and on-field performance, and as long as Canada don’t move up the ladder from their present world No. 11 spot, little will change.
“It’s a bit of chicken and egg — the better we do, the easier it is to get the funding,” he says. “If we do well, then we’ll get more support, and it’s a nice cycle. But then if you start dropping off, everything else comes off as well.
“But we always know that we have the backing of our small community, irrespective of how we perform,” he adds.
KNOW RICHARD
Full name: Richard Hildreth
Born: June 3, 1984; Vancouver
Position: Midfielder
International debut: 2004
- Hildreth has played club hockey in Germany and the UK and is a BA graduate from University of British Columbia
- He started an online crowdfunding initiative through a foundation called Chimp (CHaritable IMPact) before the 2016 Rio Olympics
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 "Richard Hildreth")
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