TORONTO – June 23, 2022 – With funding from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities (Jumpstart), the Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO), Ontario Basketball (OBA) and Ontario Soccer are excited to launch Jumpstart into Coaching, a new community coaching program for youth (aged 16-25) who self-identify as belonging to an equity-seeking community group.
The Jumpstart into Coaching program believes that every person should have equitable opportunity and access to participate and develop their skills in sport. The program will provide youth from underrepresented groups including, but not limited to, BIPOC, LGBTQ2SIA+, women and girls, low-income individuals, newcomers, and persons with a disability with essential skills, such as teamwork, perseverance and leadership as well as training to become a coach for their respective sport.
To achieve this, CAO will recruit and train 500 new youth coaches from these communities and will work with OBA and Ontario Soccer to deliver targeted mentorship programs. Welcoming a new generation of coaches is an important investment in the future of sport in Canada, and will provide youth – regardless of social status, nationality or gender – with the opportunity to grow as leaders within their community.
“We’re pleased to launch this program in partnership with OBA and Ontario Soccer, thanks to funding from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities,” says CAO’s Executive Director, Jeremy Cross. “Along with Jumpstart, we understand the importance of sport for the health and well-being of kids and are proud of the work that coaches do to provide community sport. Together, we look forward to recruiting hundreds of new community coaches, ensuring they are well trained and mentored so they can provide safe, positive and engaging sport for all of their participants.”
For more information about the Jumpstart into Coaching program, please visit www.coachesontario.ca/jumpstartintocoaching or contact megan@coachesontario.ca.
About the Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO)
The Coaches Association of Ontario is an independent, non-profit organization that supports coaches from community to high performance across all sports in Ontario. For more information, please visit www.coachesontario.ca, follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Contact: Sarah Kelly, Community Programs & Partnerships Lead – sarah@coachesontario.ca.
About the Ontario Basketball Association
Ontario Basketball is the sport governing body for basketball in the province of Ontario. Ontario Basketball was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1977, but its history dates back to over 80 years ago. Ontario Basketball represents amateur basketball interests in the province and oversees basketball development through the provision of programs and services aimed at meeting the needs of the evolving provincial, national and global basketball landscape. For more information, visit www.basketball.on.ca.
Contact: Kauri LaFontaine, Senior Director, Basketball Operations – klafontaine@basketball.on.ca.
About the Ontario Soccer
Founded in 1901, Ontario Soccer is comprised of more than 550 Clubs servicing over 24,000 teams with 380,000 registered players, 70,000 coaches and managers, and 9,500 match officials, as well as countless volunteers, parents and supporters comprising a direct, multi-cultural community of over 1,000,000 Ontarians.
Ontario Soccer develops and delivers exceptional and sustainable programs and services throughout Ontario with the mission of providing leadership and support for the advancement of soccer in collaboration and cooperation with our membership, partners and other stakeholders. Ontario Soccer also operates the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) – the province’s premier standards-based youth development program and proudly supports Canada Soccer’s National Teams, the Canadian Premier League and Toronto FC.
An overall goal of Ontario Soccer is to assist with the equitable development of soccer as a healthy lifestyle choice, provide a talented pathway for players to excel and encourage inclusive community involvement at all levels.
Contact: Matt Ferreira – Manager, Coach Education, Player Development & Club Licensing – mferreira@ontariosoccer.net.
About the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities
Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities is a national charity committed to ensuring kids in need have equal access to sport and recreation. With an extensive, national network of more than 1,000 grantees and 289 local chapters, Jumpstart helps eligible families cover the costs of registration, transportation, and equipment, and provides funding to selected organizations for recreational infrastructure and programming. Supported by Canadian Tire Corporation, Jumpstart has provided more than 2.7 million opportunities for Canadian kids to get in the game since 2005. For more information, visit www.jumpstart.canadiantire.ca.
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