Volunteering in Sport and Recreation

This week is National Volunteer Week. Volunteers play a important role in the day-to-day operations for many community and non-profit organizations. Research shows that over 25% of Canadian adults volunteer in a sport-related capacity. Volunteers aid in the delivery systems for sport, recreation and physical activity programming at all levels. The contribution of volunteers helps…

The Canadian Women & Sport Rally Report

The Canadian Women & Sport Rally Report showcases how women and girls in Canada are experiencing sport. The report found that girls’ participation rates remain low, girls and their parents view low quality programming as a barrier, and that sport leaders are not equipped to address the needs of girls.

Current perspectives on multi-sport participation

Researchers correlate early specialization in sport with a higher likelihood of injury, burnout and dropout from sport. Multi-sport participation helps young athletes develop a spectrum of skills that transfer to later specialization. The best advice regarding pre-puberty athletes is to help them experience a variety of sports and activities, including unstructured play, and allow them…

Women’s health and sports

The connection between women’s health and sports has been studied for many years and recently it was translated into practice. As one of the first football clubs to incorporate research on women’s health into training and nutrition regimes, Chelsea Football Club Women partnered with bio-analytics company Orreco to monitor players’ menstrual cycles to enhance performance…

Sport participation among adolescents with a history of child maltreatment 

Project summary The prevalence of child maltreatment is overwhelming: a third of the Canadian population has endured at least one form of child maltreatment (Afifi et al., 2014). This includes sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, exposure to inter-parental violence, and neglect (WHO, 2016). Considering the deleterious and long-lasting consequences of child maltreatment (Dion et al.,…

Military sport programs

Sport programs have great potential to support the healing and recovery of injured and ill military personnel and their families. In fact, military personnel and their families alike benefit when sport programs recognize, appreciate and cultivate a sense of belonging for military families. Here are some tips to integrate military families into sport programs, which…

Sport Information Resource Centre, Coaching Association of Canada and Health Canada Launch Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) E-learning Module

Canada’s most trusted partner in advancing sport knowledge is raising awareness of the importance of the AQHI as it relates to athlete health and empowering sport leaders to make informed decisions about air quality. March 21, 2023 Ottawa – The Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC), in partnership with Health Canada and conjunction with the Coaching…

Immigration, integration, and intersectoral partnership: A critical examination of introductory winter sport programmes for newcomers to Canada

View the summary of this research here. Project summary The objectives of this project were threefold: This project was based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I co-designed the WNP with intersectoral community partners from WinSport (a community-based sport facility) and Center for Newcomers and Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association (two Calgary-based settlement services organizations). Our aim was…

Physical activity and school performance

Research shows that physical activity can improve academic performance in children. In addition, engaging in physical activity can improve attention and cognition. It is recommended that teachers provide students with physical activity breaks and that physical activity is integrated into the curriculum.

What parents and guardians need to know to create positive youth sport experiences

Highlights Parental behaviour has the potential to either positively or negatively impact youth athletes Current sporting contexts that frequently foster negative parental behaviour include parents “living vicariously” through their kids, the rise of youth sport professionalization and the high financial cost of youth sport This SIRCuit article offers practical tips for both parents and youth…