We believe that sport is a place of possibilities— a place for every child, every team, and every athlete to dream big. Sports is a place where potential is nurtured into action and into character. 

And yet, across Canada, the cost of staying in sport is becoming increasingly unsustainable.

From youth leagues to national programs, athletes and families are being asked to shoulder immense financial burdens just to stay in the game. 

For Kenny M’Pindou, Canadian bobsleigh athlete, that number recently hit $30,000—the out-of-pocket cost just to compete this season. This isn’t an isolated story. It’s a symptom of a growing concern in Canadian sport.

The Cost of Staying in the Game

Unlike many of their international peers,Canadian athletes frequently lack access to adequate funding, leaving them to fundraise, take on second jobs, or exit the sport entirely.

At the community level, the pattern continues. Registration fees, travel costs, equipment expenses, and tournament dues are pricing families out, especially those in rural regions or lower-income communities. These financial barriers disproportionately affect girls, newcomers, and underrepresented athletes, widening the gap between who can participate and who should.

The result? We’re losing talent. We’re losing diversity. And we’re losing connection to the true spirit of sport.

This Is a System Issue — Not Just a Funding Issue 

What we’re seeing isn’t a failure of effort from athletes or families. It’s actually a failure of the infrastructure of Canadian Sports. The current model places the burden of access on individuals, rather than on the systems that can be built to support them.

We cannot continue to tell athletes to “dream big” while making them fund every step of the journey alone. We cannot celebrate medals and podiums while ignoring the unpaid labour, personal debt, and burnout that so often underpin those achievements.

A New Vision for Sport

At SportsShare, we’re working to build a different kind of system—one where access, equity, and community are built into the foundation.

Our platform was created to bring the entire sports ecosystem together—athletes, coaches, clubs, fans, and supporters—in one secure, purpose-built space. But more than that, we’re designing tools that make sport sustainable:

• Private, centralized hubs for clubs and organizations to manage resources, reduce admin burden, and support volunteers
  
  
• Athlete-driven channels to share stories, gain visibility, and access new sponsorship opportunities
  
  
• Training and templates that help clubs communicate better, celebrate community, and reduce turnover
  
  
• Partnership opportunities for local businesses and sponsors to invest in grassroots programs in meaningful ways
  
  

Because when athletes and clubs have the right tools and support, they can focus on what really matters: growth, connection, and performance.

What Comes Next

The cost of sport in Canada is more than just a number. It’s a barrier to participation, a challenge to equity, and a test of our collective values.

But it doesn’t have to stay this way.

We believe that with the right leadership, technology, and commitment to community, we can reimagine the sports landscape—one that doesn’t just produce champions, but protects and empowers them along the way.

At SportsShare, we’re not waiting for the future of sport. We’re building it.

Join us.

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Want to help change the future of sports?

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Start a conversation in your club. Share this blog. Connect with us about partnerships, funding opportunities, or how to bring SportsShare to your organization.

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