Jumpstart State of Sport Report
In September 2020, Jumpstart launched their $8 million Sport Relief Fund, a fund dedicated to helping sport and recreation organizations continue to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding supported 668 organizations and anticipates helping over 70,000 kids across Canada continue to play. (1)
The overwhelming response to the fund indicated that more needed to be done. And so Jumpstart commissioned a study to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community sports and recreation in Canada. The results can be found in the Jumpstart State of Sports Report.
For the report, Jumpstart commissioned Ipsos to conduct two surveys. The first, among parents of children aged 4-17, to understand the mental and physical impact on children/youth due to loss of access to sport and play. 1,000 Canadian parents of children aged 4 to 18 were surveyed. The second, among sports organizations, to understand the pandemic’s impact on programming and the organization's ability to continue operating during the crisis. 1,102 providers of sports programming across Canada including 389 registered charities, 574 non-profit organizations, and 139 other organizations were surveyed. (2)
Survey Findings
According to the findings, ‘‘Canada’s recreational sports ecosystem is in dire need of support.’ (3)
Organizations are worried about their ability to offer to program and are worried about their organizations' permanent closure. Organizations are equally worried about the crisis facing Canadian children as a result of these possible closures.
“Sport gives children a chance to boost their self-esteem, nurture their creativity, help them excel in school, and connect to communities...And the absence of sport during these tumultuous times has led to a decline in both the physical and mental health of children.”
The Three Takeaways
The two surveys identified three takeaways that make up the majority of the Report. They are:
The infrastructure of recreational sport in Canada is crumbling. One startling statistic states that a third of sport organizations are bankrupt or approaching bankruptcy.
The impact on Canadian youth is severe. 74% of parents say their kids are feeling isolated and lonely.
A ‘return to normalcy’ in sport won’t be quick or easy. 52% of community sport organizations not permanently closed are concerned about the permanent closure of their organization in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key insights were also collected from the first round of the Sport Relief Funding application:
The purchase of PPE and sanitization/cleaning has come at a tremendous cost to organizations
Organizations that are able to do so, are offering price reductions to ensure that their programming remains accessible
Photo by Lars Bo Nielsen on Unsplash
As a result of the findings presented in this report, Canadian Tire Corporation has committed an additional $12 million to the Sport Relief Fund. Funding is available throughout 2021. Funding details and the application can be found here.
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted a child’s access to sport and play. The changing restrictions can make any person’s head spin. Kids are feeling more isolated. The opportunity to connect with others, develop physical literacy skills, and even the opportunity to have fun, has diminished and is taking a toll on our kids.
As organizations navigate ‘the new normal’ and prepare for what’s next, access to funding will be critical. Conversations around sport and social-emotional learning will be critical. Champions for both will be essential.
Thankful that Jumpstart is continuing to champion the importance of sport in a child’s development during these difficult times.