Clive Fairs was an outstanding husband, father, friend and member of BLRC. He believed in making his community better by being active and donating his time. Clive volunteered at the Burnaby Lake Rugby Club for 15 years by taking on the role of Club Manager. He did all of the work behind the scenes to make sure things ran smoothly come game day. While not a rugby player himself, he was committed to the club to ensure he was always there for his son, Brendan (aka Butters). Clive always ensured that the “Boy” and his team mates had nothing to worry about except for playing the game itself. He was immensely proud of his son as he watched Brendan move up through the ranks from playing U14 to Premier rugby.

Sadly, Clive fell victim to cancer and after a courageous fight, he succumbed to his illness in 2018. In his memory, Brendan created the Clive Fairs Memorial Award to honour an enthusiastic and deserving BLRC junior player annually. Clive could always be found at the rugby club or on the sidelines of the field with a carefree attitude, and the spirit of this award is to recognize a player who exhibits drive and a true love of the game, with a $500 cash award.

The coach of each junior team from U14 to U19 will nominate one player whom they think deserves the award. A single player can be nominated more than once in a year if they play for multiple teams. These nominations will consist of a short paragraph explaining why the coach thinks this player is deserving. Nominations are to be submitted by March 31st each year. These nominations will be judged by a panel consisting of Brendan and his closest rugby friends who knew Clive’s character well. These panel members are distinguished BLRC alumni Mauro Perrizolo, David Pankratz and Liem “Panda” Jung. The winner will be announced and presented with the reward at the annual year end awards banquet.

Nomination Criteria:

    • Burnaby Lake Junior playing for U14-U19 (Fall and/or Spring)
    • Volunteers for the club or local high school rugby team (formal or informal) eg. coaching, managing, field setup/take-down, water running, game day BBQ etc.
    • Exhibits enthusiasm, a positive attitude, and a true love of the sport; “Club Person”
    • Coachability; however Rugby skill will not be taken into account

Financial need is not necessary, but will be taken into account in a close decision