Scholarships
Each year the Calgary Wildcats Football Association Board of Directors approve Scholarships for current and former players who will be pursuing a Post-Secondary education. The successful applicants will demonstrate a strong combination of leadership traits as a Wildcat, scholastic achievement, good citizenship and the successful application of the values learned from their involvement with Wildcats Football in their daily lives.
Procedures
These procedures (the “Scholarship Procedures”) govern the administration of Scholarships (a “Scholarship” or the “Scholarships”), by the Wildcats Football Association of Calgary (the “Wildcats Organization”).
Selection Committee
The Wildcats Organization’s Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”) shall establish a committee consisting of three or more directors (the “Selection Committee”) that will be responsible for awarding the Scholarships. Current coaches within the Wildcats Organization shall not serve on the Selection Committee. Members of the Selection Committee shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.
Award Eligibility and Criteria
A Scholarships shall only be awarded to an individual who:
- has spent 2 or more years as a player in the Wildcats Organization;
- is in their grade 12 year of school and has achieved an overall first-semester grade average of 70% or greater in that academic year;
- is expected to graduate in that academic year; and
- has applied in the prescribed manner during the application period.
An individual that meets the above criteria (the “Applicant”) shall be considered for the Scholarships.
A Scholarship shall not be awarded to an Applicant whose parent serves on the Board of Directors at the time of an Applicant’s consideration for a Scholarship.
The Selection Committee shall award the Scholarships to Applicants that, in its sole view, best represent the spirit and values of the Wildcats Organization. Pursuant to the criteria set out below.
The Selection Committee shall consider, in equal weight, an Applicant’s achievement in:
- Football Leadership and Accomplishments (25%) – Demonstrated leadership traits on the football field (eg. captaincy and specific example of leadership shown), as well as football achievements (including both as a Wildcat and high school football).
- Personal Growth as a Wildcat (25%) – Experience and values gained through development as a Wildcat, including examples of application of those values off the football field.
- Leadership and Extracurricular Involvement Off the Football Field (25%) – Demonstrated commitment to leadership activities, community service, extracurricular involvement in non-football related activities including at school, in the community, faith groups, etc. This is to be interpreted broadly and can include a range of voluntary, social, philanthropic, artistic, or athletic activities.
Academics and Achievement (25%) – The scholastic endeavours of an individual including academic achievement and academic accomplishments and awards.
Application Process
An Applicant shall apply by submitting their application to the Wildcats Organization in the form attached as Appendix A.
The Selection Committee shall accept applications for the Scholarships from February 10th until March 15th on the year the Scholarships are to be awarded (the “Application Period”).
Notice of the Application Period and copies of the application form(s) shall be posted on the Wildcats Organization’s website by February 1st.
The Board will designate a Director to collect the Applications, remove the Applicants names, and provide the anonymized Applications to the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee shall review applications and select the recipient(s) according to the award criteria by April 15th in the year the Scholarships are to be awarded.
There shall be no less than 1 and no more than 4 recipients for the Scholarships in each year the Scholarship are to be awarded, unless special circumstances, such as additional funds, permit additional awards. Each Scholarship shall be in the amount of $500. The Scholarship is anticipated to operate with a $2000 annual budget, though the number of recipients (from 1-4) will be determined in the sole discretion of the Board of Directors such that the full annual budget may not be expended in any given year.
One of the $500 Scholarships shall be dedicated as the Ryan Doedel Memorial Scholarship. The recipient of the Ryan Doedel Scholarship shall be chosen from the group of successful Scholarship recipients selected using the above criteria. Once the broader group of Scholarship recipients are selected, one of those recipients will receive the Ryan Doedel Scholarship based on a consideration of Ryan's attributes, traits and interests (including being inclusive and non-judgemental as Ryan had relationships with all types of individuals regardless of their social status, love for the great outdoors, love for music as he was a guitar and drum player, motivation and a high personal drive to improve, inspiring to all those around him).
The Selection Committee shall present to the Board of Directors the Scholarship recipient recommendations for ratification by the Board of Directors at the May Board of Directors meeting.
The Scholarships shall be presented at the Wildcats Organization Annual General Meeting. The recipient, their families, and the family of Ryan Doedel shall be invited to attend the Annual General Meeting. The Scholarships shall be presented by the president of the Wildcats Organization. The family members of Ryan Doedel are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting and to present the Ryan Doedel Memorial Scholarship.
The recipient(s) of the Scholarships shall be announced on the Wildcats Organization website and social media accounts and any announcement may include pictures.
Spring League coaches should apprise individuals in the Wildcats Organization of their potential eligibility for a Scholarship at the Spring League wind-up. Spring League managers should communicate to the previous year’s Spring League graduating individuals their potential eligibility for a Scholarship before the Application Period. Spring League managers should include a link to the online application form(s) in their communication to graduating individuals.
