SIRC articles provide evidence-based and actionable insights from sport researchers, athletes, coaches, sport organizations and thought leaders to advance sport in Canada.
Superstars or a super-team? Building capacity to play like a championship team
What makes a winning team? Is it raw talent, star power, or an overflowing budget? Think again. The most successful teams—on the field or in the office—don’t just rely on superstars. They thrive on balance, leadership, and a collective drive that turns a group of individuals into an unstoppable force. Take the 1972 Miami Dolphins,…
Paul Varian is a sport-management consultant and thought-leader with experience at all levels of the sport sector, from community and amateur sport to large national governing bodies. Throughout his long career in sport, Varian has served as the Chief Executive...
Motor learning is the process of acquiring and refining skills, such as movements or strategies, through practice and experience. It is an important concept in sport because it helps coaches create effective training programs to help athletes improve performance. Coaches...
In sport, we often hear athletes and coaches talking about how “united” their team is and the great “chemistry” that they have. Broadly, these terms reflect the concept of cohesion. Cohesion is frequently described as the glue that holds a...
Early childhood is the foundational stage for developing physical literacy (motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding) needed to participate in sport and other physical activities throughout life (Whitehead, 2013). During early childhood, children are developing the foundational skills that...
Safe sport and safeguarding in sport have become top priorities for the Canadian sport sector. Prevalence studies have revealed that athletes across different levels of sport frequently experience maltreatment (Alexander et coll., 2011; Vertommen et coll., 2016; US Center for...
Sport is the most watched, celebrated, supported, and engaging social endeavour in the world (Hulteen et coll., 2017). Sport is inherently emotionally and narratively captivating, embodying and upholding principles of positive and sustainable human, social, and environmental development. But the...
You’d be hard pressed to visit a large Canadian city these days and not see a billboard for sports gambling. Maybe you’ve noticed a similar trend while watching TV, of athletes and celebrities telling us not only which sports books...
Amanda Wurz, Emma McLaughlin and S. Nicole Culos Reed
Most Canadians know that being physically active is important for overall health. But did you know that physical activity may be particularly important for young people diagnosed with cancer? Children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with cancer experience many negative...
Iman Hassan, Cassandra M. Seguin and Diane M. Culver
Earning a roster position as a nationally carded athlete is no easy task (“carding” refers to financial assistance from Sport Canada’s Athlete Assistance Program). Athletes spend years working on their craft to represent Canada on the international stage. The length...
With heavy workloads and limited staff capacity, sport organizations are constantly seeking ways to improve efficiency. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) tools have become an increasingly popular way for organizations to leverage their capacity. In this blog, SIRC outlines...
