This is the research the pitch is built on, written for you and about Skilled Trades College. It would never be shared with them. The pitch is the only part STC would see.
Skilled Trades College has spent three years and three UFC deals proving to itself that combat sport recruits tradespeople. Every one of those dollars reaches adults watching pro MMA. Boxing Canada owns the part of the fight game STC hasn't bought: the teenagers who train in it, in clubs in every province, a year or two before they choose a career. This report shows how to put STC's name on that.
UFC official partner since January 2024, presenting partner of UFC 297 Toronto and UFC 315 Montreal, and a multiyear renewal on January 22, 2026. Georges St-Pierre is now its scholarship ambassador. No other Canadian non-gambling, non-equipment brand with a national combat-sport rights deal turned up.
HIGH VERIFY "only"Octagon branding, round cards, fight week, Contender Series and TUF episodes: a pay-per-view audience. The one youth-facing piece, Building Champions, opens at age 18. Nothing in STC's ledger reaches a 16-year-old before they choose a path.
HIGHU19 "Youth" registrations went from 266 in 2019 to 1,071 in 2026. Junior C rose from 363 to 847. Total registrations are about 11,300, almost double 2019. Women won 3 of 4 Glasgow medals and 5 of 10 at the 2026 Pan Ams.
HIGHThe Hosting Plan's Appendix E lists naming rights to the Junior, Youth, U23 and School Cups and the Student Athlete Points List, two-year minimum. The 2025 to 2026 Operational Plan says "Monetize programming's branding and marketing value."
HIGHSTC doesn't need convincing that combat sport works for it; it signed with UFC and renewed twice. What UFC can't sell it is participation: young people who train, who keep a weight, who turn up to a club four nights a week. That is STC's own description of its student. Boxing Canada can put STC's name on the national youth championships and the student-athlete ranking, and give it a scholarship story with amateur, Olympic-style athletes in it instead of pro fighters. It costs a fraction of a UFC presenting slot, and it's clean.
A two-year youth and student-athlete partnership, built only from what Boxing Canada owns. No Olympic, Team Canada or World Boxing marks, so every line is Boxing Canada's to sell.
Naming rights to the national Youth (U19) and Junior championships and the School Cup and banners, as listed in Appendix E. STC's name on the title, the ring, the results and the livestream.
The national ranking for student boxers carries STC's name. Ranked athletes in their final school year get an STC careers session and first look at a Building Champions place.
STC places for national-team and youth-program athletes aged 18 and over, entered the STC way (a short video). Delivered in kind. National-team athletes already do paid internships at the NSO, so a trades pathway fits the program.
If Boxing Canada wins a 2028 World Boxing Cup for Calgary, STC is first in line for the Canadian host-partner package, subject to World Boxing's host agreement. Optional, and only if the bid lands.
Private career college in Woodbridge, Ontario. Campuses in Ajax, Cambridge, Oakville, Toronto East, Toronto West and Vaughan. Pre-apprenticeship programs in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, home renovation and gas (G3), with safety tickets built in. Owner-run by its founder.
"The Canadian leader in training youth in skilled trades", now taking its programs to the United States. Its own site says it has trained people "for almost 20 years" (2024).
Private, no published revenue or marketing budget. Graduate counts on its own site conflict ("over 1000" and "9,281+ lives changed"), so neither is used. Price the ask well under a UFC presenting slot. VERIFY
Get people job ready, fast and hands on. "From Classroom to Jobsite." Programs are 80% lab time. Scholarships are entered by video and framed as earned, not given.
Trades as a first choice, not a fallback. The Barnes "Game Show" campaign was built to break the stigma around trade careers. A recent blog headline: "Stop Waiting to Be Picked." MEDIUM
STC uses fight language as its own: "Building Champions", "Choose your championship journey", the scholarship celebrates people "who embody the spirit of the octagon, in their arena." HIGH
After the Scottie Barnes ads STC reported a 35% jump in qualified leads and a 17% rise in enrolment. COO Mike Di Donato: "I didn't really believe in the power of athletes until now." MEDIUM
Logged from three UFC releases, STC's homepage, partner page and scholarship pages. Direct, second person, short lines, sport metaphor used straight.
STC's scholarships are contests you win with a video, not charity. Write the boxing offer the same way: athletes earn the place.
| Property | Type | Years | Status | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFC official partner | Octagon, booths, Canadian digital; presenting partner UFC 297 Toronto | Jan 2024 | Renewed | HIGH |
| UFC 315 Montreal | Presenting partner, fight week, PPV main card | May 2025 | Delivered | HIGH |
| UFC multiyear renewal | Octagon at selected events; all Contender Series and TUF episodes; UFC social; future Canadian numbered events | Jan 2026 onward | Active | HIGH |
| Building Champions Scholarship | 12 full places (2024); bursaries (2026); GSP ambassador | 2024 onward | Active | HIGH |
| Scottie Barnes | Ads plus scholarship for Black and Indigenous students | 2022 to 2023 | Not found since | VERIFY |
| DEWALT, RONA, CIBC, Schneider, Robertson | Industry and bank partners, bursaries, tools | Current | Active | HIGH |
| Youth or amateur sport property | None | None | None found | VERIFY |
Its Barnes campaign aimed at 16 to 35. Its UFC scholarship takes 18 to 30, Ontario residents only. "Young adults and those looking to change careers." MEDIUM (16 to 35) HIGH (18 to 30)
STC quotes UFC at "more than 700 million fans". A watching audience, mostly adult, mostly outside Ontario. Huge reach, little of it enrolable. VERIFY age, inferred
About 11,300 registrations across every province. Youth (U19) 1,071, Junior C 847, non-competitive sparring 800. A Student Athlete Points List. A national team whose athletes already intern at the NSO. HIGH
Boxing Canada's own channels are small: about 19K on Instagram, 1.2K on YouTube. STC buys a community and a story here, not reach. The pitch says so. MEDIUM
| Boxing Canada asset | STC need it meets | Activation (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| Youth (U19) and Junior national championships | A youth audience UFC doesn't reach | STC Youth Cup title, ring canvas, results and livestream branding |
| School Cup and banners | Presence in the last years of high school | STC-named School Cup; banners presented by STC staff |
| Student Athlete Points List | A recruiting list it can talk to, with consent | STC careers session for ranked athletes in their final school year |
| National team (about 16 centralised athletes) | Real athletes for "Building Champions" | Places for athletes 18+; content with STC's own team |
| Brampton Cup (National Tournament Series, February) | An event inside STC's GTA footprint | Campus booths, "try a trade" tent beside the ring |
| Elite Nationals, Membertou (Nov 17 to 21, 2026) | See the property before signing | Hosted visit for STC leadership; no fee |
| 2027 Pan Am U17/U19 Continentals, Calgary | First Canadian host; youth on a world stage | Host-level presence only, subject to the host agreement VERIFY |
| Road to Calgary 2028 (World Boxing Cup bid) | A world event for its US-bound brand | Option on the host-partner package if the bid wins |
Not first: The Influence Agency, STC's PR and marketing agency. It will matter for activation, but the decision sits with the owner. No CMO found. VERIFY Warm paths: none found between Boxing Canada and STC leadership. Ask Boxing Ontario whether any GTA club already has an STC contact.
Before any prospect research, Boxing Canada's public partner record was checked, then ten candidate sponsors scored out of 20 for spend evidence, fit, a reachable decision-maker and low conflict.
| Item | Finding | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Government of Canada, COC | Funders, thanked in 2026 releases | NO CONFLICT |
| Equipment & apparel | Supplier position unresolved on the public record; which contract is current and to when is not published | EXCLUDED VERIFY |
| Former title sponsor (Canadian Championships) | 2018 to 2019; nothing since | LAPSED |
| Betting and gaming | Dominant in Canadian pro combat sport | EXCLUDED BY CHOICE |
| Skilled Trades College | Education and training; no Boxing Canada or PTSO tie found. Scored 18/20, first of ten. | CLEAR MEDIUM |
| STC and UFC exclusivity | No exclusivity language in any of the three UFC releases. Whether UFC restricts other combat-sport properties is unknown. | TO CONFIRM |
| Runner-up | GoodLife Fitness (17/20): fitness boxing fit, but deals lean in-kind | HELD IN RESERVE |
| Question | What happened | What has changed | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safe sport and 2022 | In May 2022 more than 100 boxers, later 233 signatories, called for the HP Director to resign and for an independent investigation. He resigned that month. | Safe sport reform: Boxing Canada adopted the Canadian Safe Sport Program and UCCMS with independent third-party complaints (2025); mandatory safe sport training; HP role separated from coaching; two Athlete Director seats and a 40/40 gender bylaw (Dec 2025); moving to the Canadian Sport Governance Code. The ED testified to Parliament on safe sport in 2023. The 2022 culture review's results were not found published. | HIGH VERIFY review outcome |
| Competition safety | In September 2025 a first-time competitor in his 50s collapsed and died at a provincially sanctioned charity bout in Winnipeg. | Boxing Canada announced a review; the insurer reviewed documentation positively; an external review of all safety policies is due before fiscal year-end; provinces are adding pre-competition training rules. | MEDIUM HIGH (response) |
| Sex testing | World Boxing made genetic sex testing mandatory for the female category from August 2025. | It is a World Boxing eligibility rule every national federation must apply. Boxing Canada is implementing it at real cost (one lab in Canada, about C$750 a test). STC should not be asked to take a position. No public Boxing Canada statement found; wording to agree with the ED. | HIGH (policy) VERIFY wording |
| Minors | U19 athletes are 17 and 18. | Any athlete content follows safe sport rules for minors; STC places start at 18, as STC's own scholarship does. | HIGH |
| Pro adjacency | STC is in pro MMA; Quebec pro boxing is gambling-sponsored. | The property is amateur, Olympic-style, headgear rules at national events for men. That difference is what STC is buying. | MEDIUM |
Lead with the governance and safety record before STC raises it. A sponsor who hears it first from Boxing Canada hears a fixed problem; one who finds it in a search hears a hidden one.
Three research streams: Boxing Canada's inventory, plans and partner screen; the candidate field and the Calgary hosting option; STC's brand, voice, ledger and decision-makers. 100 distinct sources, each claim dated and rated HIGH, MEDIUM or VERIFY. Primary sources first (Boxing Canada's plans and stats, ufc.com, STC's own site), then trade press.
Every figure below is Indicative, set in a realistic range for a Canadian NSO of Boxing Canada's size and audience, and well under a UFC presenting slot. None has been tested with STC or approved by Boxing Canada.
| Element | Indicative value | Assumption |
|---|---|---|
| STC Youth Cup + School Cup + Student Athlete Points List naming | $40,000 a year, two-year minimum | Two-year minimum is Boxing Canada's own Appendix E term. Includes activation support, since national staff is very lean. |
| Building Champions: boxing edition | 4 STC places a year, in kind (about $60,000 value) | Valued at STC's own published $15,000 scholarship value. STC sets eligibility; places start at 18. |
| Event presence: Brampton Cup and Elite Nationals | $10,000 per event, up to two a year | Booth, ring-side signage, livestream mention. |
| Year-one cash total | $50,000 to $60,000 | Naming plus one or two events. In-kind places on top. |
| Option: Road to Calgary 2028 | $100,000 to $150,000, only if the bid is won | Host-partner package for a 2028 World Boxing Cup in Calgary; World Boxing marks and terms govern. |