Hit Show “Heated Rivalry” Inspires Real Life Irina Foundation
“They cuddled together in bed, both men quiet and sleepy and deliriously happy.
‘What was your mother’s name?’ Shane asked suddenly. His fingers tracing the chain around Ilya’s neck.
‘Irina.’ Ilya hadn’t said her name in so long, it felt strange in his mouth. ‘Why?’
‘I was just thinking.’ He propped himself up on an elbow. ‘The charity we start, I think we should start a hockey school. Like, we could have summer hockey camps in Ottawa and Montreal.’
‘And we give the money away?’
‘Yeah. I think we should give the money to mental health organizations. Maybe…suicide prevention?’
Shane was looking away, as if he were embarrassed, but Ilya held his chin and guided his face toward him.
‘It was just an idea,’ Shane said quietly.
And Ilya was not going to cry right now.
‘Shane,’ he said, ‘I love that idea.’
‘Yeah?’ Shane smiled.
‘Yes. It’s very…’ F***. What was the right word? Was there a right word for everything Ilya was feeling in that moment? He couldn’t think of one, so instead he said, ‘She would’ve loved you.’”
— Heated Rivalry, Chapter 25
Yes, we are still stuck at the cottage — the peaceful getaway home where the two main characters, Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) and Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) left off in the last episode of the hit Canadian show Heated Rivalry. This scene from Episode 6, “The Cottage,” struck a chord in many viewers, as it explains the namesake of the Irina Foundation. Ilya tells Shane about his mother’s struggles with depression and how she eventually passed away from an overdose. Shane suggests starting a collaborative charity organization dedicated to mental health and suicide prevention as an homage to Ilya’s mother, Irina Rozanova.
In The Long Game, the direct sequel to the book Heated Rivalry in Rachel Reid’s Game Changer book series, the organization emphasizes inclusiveness. Many of the summer camp coaches recruited to teach the children attending happen to be queer active and former NHL players. Fans have long expressed fondness over this charity and its meaning; perhaps it was only a matter of time before the Irina Foundation left the pages of fiction and materialized in reality.
“The Hollanov Charity Zine,” inspired by the charity organization from Rachel Reid’s Game Changer book series and Jacob Tierney’s television adaption, has created a real life Irina Foundation. Though a fandom-led project rather than an official charity, all profits will be donated to an official charity, as the project’s goals align with that of the book series. They seek to support real-world organizations focused on mental health advocacy and LGBTQ+ athletes’ inclusion in sports.
EnVi had the opportunity to chat with the creator of the project, Isolabellz or “Iso,” over a Zoom call, during which Iso explained a bit about the fanzine’s conception and its ongoing objectives. A fanzine is a fan-made, self-published magazine project that centers around a certain theme – in this case the romance between Heated Rivalry characters Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, better known by their ship name “Hollanov.”
The Inspiration: From Fiction to Reality
Created through collaboration and participation, fanzines typically recruit a set number of artists and writers to create fanart, fanfictions, and merchandise that are later printed and sold to the public.
“I had just rewatched the last episode of Heated Rivalry where they talk about the Irina Foundation. I thought, ‘oh my gosh, this is like the perfect opportunity to do a zine for this fandom’,” Iso recounted. Funnily enough, they admitted to initially being a bit hesitant to start this project, as they were finishing another fanzine and expected this new one to be quite a bit of work. However, when the idea continued to marinate in Iso’s brain, they eventually put the plan into action. Perhaps their premonitions were accurate though, the first announcement on X (formerly Twitter) garnered over 313,000 views within just 24 hours.
“It’s been a lot. Within the past week of just announcing the project, we’ve gotten a lot of buzz that we weren’t really prepared for,” Iso admitted with a laugh. Fanzines tend to gain interest with time and closer to when preorders open for sale, “so to gain like over 4,000 followers within literally like a two-day span was…insane.” The unexpected wave of interest in this fandom project speaks to the sheer size and power of the Heated Rivalry fandom.
A Mission Befitting the Inspiration
The Irina Foundation in the book series sought to donate to mental health organizations. Iso explained that they wanted to follow the lead of the book, but also “in the spirit of Heated Rivalry that focuses so much on LGBTQ+ athletes,” they decided to donate to a charity supporting the cause as well. “The Irina Foundation: A Hollanov Charity Zine” announced an official partnership with the You Can Play campaign just a few days ago, and will be donating the primary proceeds from this zine to support the cause.
The mission of the You Can Play Project is to ensure and advocate for inclusion for all those who participate in sports, including LGBTQ+ athletes, coaches, and fans. You Can Play also has a multitude of partners, including Olympic Team Canada, the U.S. Soccer Federation, and, most aptly, the NHL. The campaign works on all levels from professional to collegiate to high school youth, supporting the goal of helping to create a safe and welcoming experience for the LGBTQ+ community in the sports scene.
The charity organization reportedly raised $348,000 by the end of 2024, a sharp increase from the previous year’s $193,000. The profits raised help fund and drive educational programs, policy consultations, and events such as Pride Nights.
Iso shared that this collaboration was completely unexpected, as they originally hoped to just mention the campaign’s name and, at most, donate money. However, after a couple of back and forth emails, this fan-led project was suddenly in contact with the executive director of the charity. You Can Play posted on Instagram about the collaboration just a few days ago. It seems that the Irina Foundation will also be selecting a second charity based on the interest check, but that process remains in the works.
The Team Behind the Scenes
Speaking of collaborative efforts, even within fandom projects there are multiple players on the rink. Iso expressed gratitude toward all the people who reached out to join the team effort. Though Iso runs the ship as the head moderator and handles matters in finance, production, and shipping, the Irina Foundation team is made up of a few other important limbs of operation. Dianna runs the social media accounts, generating buzz around the project. Kiboutie heads the writing aspect of the fanzine, while Lys supervises the art production and Zoe serves as the team’s graphic designer.
One of the first details many fans noticed about the announcement of the Hollanov zine was the fitting logo, two loons facing each other to create a heart – a fun reference to Ilya Rozanov’s quote in the book, “stupid Canadian wolf bird.” Iso credited Zoe for the design, explaining that the graphic designer was one of the first to reach out when the project was pitched.
The rate at which this project has progressed is thanks to its hard working team, but also partially due to an unforeseen hiccup. “We had a little misconception when we first announced the project. People thought we ourselves were the charity, which was not the case,” Iso clarified. The project is creating the fanzine, and then donating money to a separate charity. Thus, the zine needed to move quickly in choosing an appropriate charity organization, especially as some comments accused the project of being an unregistered charity. The team understood the misconception, as the Irina Foundation is the name of the charity in the books and TV show. “We just thought it’d be a fun nod to it, but it blew up, and we were like ‘Oh my gosh!’” Iso added.
The Power of Fandom
The “Irina Foundation: A Hollanov Zine” project is completely community-based – no brand, corporation, or government aid drives this project. The rise of social media since the early 2000s reshaped fan culture, and has shown just how large fandoms can become, from Bieber Fever and One Direction to BTS’s Army. It appears that Heated Rivalry may be on its way to the big leagues as well, considering how much the show has skyrocketed within the past two months. Just this week Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company of HBO Max, released that Heated Rivalry saw a viewership increase of over 100% following its season finale.
Upon seeing the announcement of the Irina Foundation on X, fans of the show have written comments such as, “The impact that a simple TV series can have will never stop amazing me, representation really fucking matters!!!,” addressing a fandom’s ability to have real-world impact.
Part of the motivation for this project, Iso shared, was that they hoped to utilize the power of the people and the buzz around the show to “channel that kind of energy into something we can do to make a tangible difference in the world.” Fandom culture, one might say, is simply the power of the people in a different form.
With the current political climate of the United States, many might relate to how jarringly polarized social media algorithms are these days. Scrolling can sometimes abruptly alternate between a light-hearted fan edit to citizens protesting against another arrest. The atmosphere within queer communities has felt heavier lately as people question the safety of their rights. Iso’s response to the bipartisan tension was to start a fanzine. “I guess the biggest thing is to take initiative and feel like I’m doing something in a time where it’s like so easy to doomscroll and feel so defeatist.”
Will This Project Play the Long Game?
What started out as a half self-indulgent outlet for fans going through Heated Rivalry withdrawals may have become a demonstration of a fandom’s ability to impact the real world. As announced by show writer and director Jacob Tierney, Heated Rivalry will be returning with a second and third season, which will cover the book’s sequels The Long Game and (though so far unconfirmed) Rachel Reid’s third book Unrivaled.
Having read the books, Iso expressed that they are excited to see some friendly and competitive banter between characters Ilya Rozanov and Hayden Pike on the big screen, as well as admitting that they are looking forward to the angst to come.
When asked about future projects following future seasons, Iso simply answered that the team might do something more, but is currently just focusing on this project for now. The fanzine’s art and fiction is centered around what happens to the characters in between Heated Rivalry and The Long Game, but perhaps the group might start another project that spans the timeline between The Long Game and Unrivaled, or even after. For now, though, the current charity project is keeping the team’s hands full.
“The Irina Foundation Hollanov Charity Zine” Interest Check is still open for artists, writers, and lovers of both the books and the show until February 13th. Keep up with The Irina Foundation on Instagram and X!
Want to read more about all things Heated Rivalry? Check out EnVi’s exclusive interview with Nadine Bhabha here!
