$480,000 investment in Canadian Women & Sports will help more girls stay active and healthy

The Ontario government is investing $480,000 in Canadian Women & Sport’s The Next Play through the Inclusive Grassroots Recreation (IGR) program, to expand affordable and inclusive sport and recreation opportunities for girls across the province.

“Our government is proud to support Canadian Women & Sport and invest in community-based programs which encourage girls to participate in sport and lead healthier lives,” said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Sport. “We believe all kids deserve access to fun, high-quality sport and recreation programs. At a time when families across Ontario are facing the threat of higher costs because of tariffs, this support will help Canadian Women & Sport continue to remove financial barriers to help more girls participate in programs in their community.”

“Thanks to generous support from the Government of Ontario, we have already worked with over 100 diverse sport and recreation organizations in the province to improve opportunities for girls and women in sport,” said Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO of Canadian Women & Sport. “With this new investment, we will be able to reach an additional 65 organizations and 195 leaders, helping them develop the skills and knowledge needed to both recruit and retain more girls in sport. Together with the Government of Ontario, we are creating sport and active recreation environments that welcome more girls and women and help ensure they can access the benefits of sport.”

Canadian Women & Sport is dedicated to creating an equitable and inclusive sport system in Canada that empowers girls and women to be active participants and leaders. The Next Play program equips participating organizations with specialized training to counter gender bias when designing their sports program and provides start-up grants for community initiatives that recruit and retain girls in sport. Since the program’s launch in 2022-23, 288 sport leaders from 140 organizations have participated in The Next Play and engaged more than 6,100 youth across Ontario in community-based programming.