By Janessa McPherson, Manager of Regional & Community Sport Development

In 2010 Sport Nova Scotia added staff to help support in community sport development, with the creation of the Regional Sport Consultant program. Now in 2024, that program continues to operate in all six regions of Nova Scotia. The consultants serve as the first point of contact for Sport Nova Scotia programs and services in their designated regions. They work with community sport organizations, municipalities, first nation communities and community sport stakeholders to support areas such as participation, equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, organizational effectiveness, coaching/leadership development, funding, and sport system navigation.

A large portion of the role is around consulting with organizations on funding initiatives that align age and stage appropriate, quality, community sport programs. This past year, the consultants had over four hundred consultations with community groups to discuss ideas on how to offer more sport in local communities. Over that time, Sport Nova Scotia spent $1 million in funding to help get more people to participate in sport, in their community. This is the first time that Sport Nova Scotia has hit this milestone!

How did the consultants achieve this goal? It was because of the two grant programs that Sport Nova Scotia operates, Sport Fund and EDIA funding.

The Sport Fund grant program focuses on community sport support. The goal of the fund is to support quality, sustainable programming, either by providing funds to help organizations create new programs, or to expand and/or enhance current programs to provide more opportunities for Nova Scotians to take part in sport.

Ninety applications were approved from Sport Fund, including support for new organizations like Gritt Athletics in Porters Lake with startup equipment.  The Southwest Fusion Volleyball club, in the South Shore, had demand from the community to expand their programming, so they were funded to purchase necessary additional equipment.  

The North Yacht Club, in Cape Breton, received funding to create a junior sailing program.

The EDIA grant program is designed to help grow, strengthen, sustain, or improve unique community sport programs across Nova Scotia. It is designed to support traditionally underrepresented communities in their efforts to increase participation in community-based sport programming. A requirement of this grant is not only understanding the barriers that underrepresented communities face, but it’s about creating partnerships to address the barriers that make sport more difficult to access. The consultants facilitate these connections by bringing community sport and service provider organizations together to discuss how to do this work. In fact, almost thirty non-traditional partnerships were made that extend beyond community sport and municipal recreation.

Forty-nine EDIA grant applications were approved, and funding has supported programs like the Pictou Landing First Nation, in the Highland Region, with a multi-sport program that included basketball, boxing, karate and lacrosse opportunities. The Sunset Community Centre, in the Fundy Region, received funding to support tennis and pickleball programming equipment for community members with cognitive disabilities. The Pisiquid Canoe-Kayak club, in the Valley, received funding to support a new community Paracanoe Program.

The consultants, who live in the communities they service, have endeavored to get out and offer public information sessions so groups can get information on programs and services that can help them develop sport. They have partnered with provincial sport organizations on their visits in the regions and with local recreation departments to help get the information shared as far and wide as they can. Seventy-four of these presentations were held last year, which seems to have helped get the $1 million out the door.

The consultants are passionate about the communities they live in and Sport Nova Scotia continues to adapt and learn how to best support community sport. If your organization has an idea, reach out to your local Regional Sport Consultant to see if Sport Nova Scotia can help!  

For funding opportunities click here.