Date/Time
Date(s) - November 5, 2021
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Location
Langley Events Centre
Categories No Categories
Former New Zealand All Black Eroni Clarke is set to speak at the 13th Annual Complete Champions Corporate Reception, presented by Nicola Wealth, which will be both in-person on Nov. 5th at 3pm (PT) at the Langley Events Centre and live-streamed online.
The annual fundraising event, which raises money to support Spartan student-athletes and Spartan Athletics, will feature Clarke speaking about his experience within the illustrious All Blacks set-up and as a leader within the rugby world beyond his playing career. Due to New Zealand’s travel limitations, Clarke will be joining the Complete Champion Reception online for a live Q&A, as well as a pre-recorded interview.
“I can’t wait to be back together both physically and virtually with our broader Spartan family for the Complete Champion Reception,” said TWU Director of Athletics Jeff Gamache. “Each year, I relish the opportunity to share what God is doing in our department, give our Spartan family the opportunity to hear from current athletes and, of course, hear from Eroni Clarke. You will love the passion, the wisdom and the humility of Eroni – he is phenomenal.”
The Complete Champion Reception has raised more than $3 million dollars to support Spartan student-athletes, since the first event in 2009.
For more information, email: [email protected]
“We are so excited about this year’s big fundraising event for Spartan Athletics at the LEC, as we will again be able to network and see people live in person,” said Steve Scholz, Executive Director of the Spartan Foundation. “We are also looking forward to our keynote speaker, Eroni Clarke, who is a huge name in the world of rugby and who has a great story to tell.”
Clarke’s successful career in rugby was marked by 10 international caps with the All Blacks between 1992 and 1998. He also played professionally in 50 matches within Super 12, plus an additional 150 matches for the Auckland NPC side.
Clarke has continued to pool his resource and experience into the game of rugby, currently serving as Board President of Auckland Rugby and Pasifika Engagement Manager for New Zealand Rugby. Clarke, serving as Pasifika Engagement Manager since August 2020, is tasked to increase rugby engagement and promote collaboration between New Zealand and its pacific coast. Born in Samoa, Clarke stands as one of many trailblazers for Pasifika natives within the rugby world. Clarke’s importance cannot be understated, as the Pasifika communities of New Zealand have increasingly asserted themselves as a valuable entity within the All Blacks organization.
Eroni Clarke’s son, Caleb Clarke, has also cemented his position in the rugby world as a budding star for the All Blacks. Caleb Clarke has five international caps with the All Blacks and has played in 25 games on the World Rugby Sevens Series. Most recently, he also served as one of three reserves for the New Zealand 7s side at the Tokyo Olympics.
Commonly seen as an outstanding father, mentor, player, and agent of change within the All Blacks set-up, Eroni Clarke will be a great addition to past headliners at the Complete Champions Corporate Reception, which has included the likes of Rick Hansen, Neal McDonough, Shane Doan, and many more.
Complete Champion Reception History | Guest Speaker & Funds Raised
2009 | Rick Hansen – $24,000
2010 | Ryan Walter – $45,000
2011 | Peter Legge – $62,000
2012 | Martin Rennie – $107,000
2013 | Jim Zorn – $121,000
2014 | Anthony Calvillo – $145,000
2015 | Willie Desjardins – $235,000
2016 | Olympian Panel – $340,000
2017 | Neal McDonough – $425,000
2018 | Dr. Murray Howe – $507,000
2019 | John Scott – $542,000
2020 | Shane Doan & Leighann (Doan) Reimer – $562,000
About Spartan Foundation
The Spartan Foundation is a Canadian registered non-profit organization that has been formed by a group of business people, alumni, parents of alumni, and parents of current athletes that have a passion to impact the lives of Trinity Western University athletes today, while building a legacy for tomorrow. The mission of the Spartan Foundation is to invest in student-athletes today; which will help develop Complete Champions and leaders for tomorrow; all with the purpose to further God’s Kingdom.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women’s and men’s soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women’s rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men’s rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 29 Canada West team championships.