Physical activity and sport participation is essential for healthy growth and development as we age. Sport organizations play a critical role in facilitating physical activity and sport participation for Canadians. The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (CFLRI) conducted a survey of Canadian Sport Organizations in 2020-2021. This survey aimed to collect valuable information regarding the availability of facilities, policies, programs and other opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. Here, this summary will focus on facilities and equipment for the purposes of participating is sport, made available through national, provincial/territorial and local sport organizations. More specifically, this survey asked administrators to report on the types of facilities/equipment they provide and to what extent they ensure that these facilities and/or equipment are safe and accessible.
Increasing sport participation and physical activity levels among ALL Canadians, will require increasing opportunities in support of physical activity and sport participation by identifying and reducing potential barriers that may prevent participation, particularly among populations with lower than average rates of participation. With this in mind, this survey asked administrators to identify the most pressing infrastructure needs for increasing participation in their sport.
Accessibility of facilities and equipment for sport and physical activity
Table 1 describes the extent to which organizations agree that they ensure that facilities and equipment are accessible to residents. Over eighty percent of organizations agreed to at least some extent that their facilities provide a physically safe environment for participation (88%) and that they provide equitable access to all individuals interested in participating in sport (80%).
Table 1: Ratings of efforts made by organizations to make sport facilities/equipment accessible
| % of organizations that agree that they ensure the following… | |||
| To a great extent | To some extent | Not at all | |
| Facilities which provide a physically safe environment for participation | 57% | 31% | 6% |
| Access to stage-based equipment (e.g., modified size balls) | 48% | 27% | 15% |
| Access to stage-based facilities (e.g., modified sizes of fields) | 45% | 27% | 17% |
| Equitable access to all individuals who want to participate in sport | 38% | 42% | 9% |
| Maintenance of existing sport and recreation facilities | 37% | 32% | 20% |
| Facilities that are fully accessible for participants with disabilities | 26% | 37% | 19% |
| Facilities which provide a welcoming environment for participants | 24% | 34% | 25% |
| Provide or facilitate access to adapted equipment and facilities for para athletes | 13% | 28% | 36% |
| Construction of new sport and recreational facilities or venues | 13% | 21% | 48% |
| Accessible transportation services and systems to sporting events | 10% | 18% | 48% |
Source: CFLRI, 2020-2021 Sport Organization survey
Region – Sport organizations across the nation did not vary statistically in their efforts to provide accessible facilities or equipment.
Figure 1: Percentage of sport organizations indicating efforts made to make sport facilities/equipment accessible by region*
Source: CFLRI, 2020-2021 Sport Organization survey; *Data for the North suppressed due to cell size
Organization size – This study looked at differences between sport organizations based on the number of participants. Here, a ‘large organization’ is characterized as having more than 150 participants, whereas a small organization is one with 150 or fewer participants. The results showed that a greater proportion of large organizations agreed to some extent that they ensure equitable access for all individuals who want to participate in sport compared to small organizations (See Figure 2). There were no other significant relationships by organization size.
Figure 2: Percentage of sport organizations indicating efforts made to make sport facilities/equipment accessible by organization size
Source: CFLRI, 2020-2021 Sport Organization survey
Key infrastructure needs for facilitating participation in sport
Additional or new indoor facilities was cited as the most pressing infrastructure need among half (48%) of the sport organizations in Canada. Roughly a third of organizations said they were in need of: updates to facilities to make them more welcoming for all participants and to make them accessible for participants of all abilities, as well as repairs and maintenance of indoor sport and recreation facilities. Conversely, the least frequently cited infrastructure needs by organizations were the need for new or repair to existing green spaces, trails, or parks; with fewer than 10% citing this (See Figure 3).
Figure 3: Percentage of sport organizations indicating their most pressing infrastructure needs
Source: CFLRI, 2020-2021 Sport Organization survey
Region – Generally there were no significant differences across region, with the exception that sport organizations in Ontario were more likely than the average to indicate that their most pressing infrastructure need was additional and new indoor sport and recreation facilities (see Figure 4). There were no other significant differences
Organization size – There were no significant relationships by organization size in citing key infrastructure needs.
Figure 4: Regional differences in perceptions of critical infrastructure needs for sport participation
*Data for the Atlantic and North suppressed due to cell size
Source: CFLRI, 2020-2021 Sport Organization survey
Production of this summary has been made possible through a financial contribution from the Government of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent their views.
