North Shore kids who face financial barriers may have to put away the cleats if a local non-profit cannot get more funding in the near future.
Organizers of KidSport North Shore, the local chapter of a program that gives youth ages 5 to 18 grants to cover sports registration costs, say they need almost $200,000 to keep up with a dramatic spike in demand.
“Either we have to find new sources of funding or we’re going to have to reduce the amount of grants we provide,” said Scott Macfarlane, chair of KidSport North Shore. “We’d much prefer to figure out a way of increasing our funding and not have to find ourselves in a position of having to turn away applications.”
KidSport was launched by the non-profit Sport BC in 1993 with the goal to help youth play organized sports in their community regardless of finances. Since the youth program’s inception it has over 170 community chapters and has given more than $25 million in grants.
In the last three years, KidSport North Shore has seen a huge increase in applications. In 2022, the non-profit approved $21,000 in grants to help kids get into sports. In 2023, that rose to $48,000 and then $105,000 in 2024.
For this year, the local chapter has already helped over 200 young people and they are projecting more than 300 by the end of 2025. But they have already had to decrease their maximum grant per child per year from $600 to $400 to stretch limited funds further.
Macfarlane said there has always been a need but the rising cost of living, the growing numbers of families and newcomers on the North Shore and spreading awareness about KidSport’s mission to help are all likely factors behind the new pressures.
The financial constraints facing KidSport North Shore is not a unique challenge to the chapter, but happening to others across the province, said KidSport BC director Angela Crowther.
“We’re seeing a large increase in many communities across the province, and the demand just continues to grow for KidSport support,” Crowther said. “We’re really proud that we’ve been able to keep up with the demand at this point.”
Without more outside help, the impacts will be kicked down to youth sporting organizations.
“Any shortfall from funding that was made available to the families that were accessing KidSport to have their children participate in North Vancouver Football Club is funding that we would need to make up from our own financial resources,” said Sam Lupton, director of operations at the North Vancouver Football Club.
The club offers soccer programs and camps during the fall and summer months. Registration fees for a player are $300, which includes jerseys, shorts, socks and field time once to twice a week with a game on the weekend.
Those fees haven’t been raised in over a decade, Lupton said. But if financial assistance programs like KidSport face hardships, it could put a strain on the club.
“At some point, we may have to pass that along to our members, which is the last thing we want to do,” he said. “We want every kid to be able to access soccer at a cost-efficient point.”
Macfarlane, Crowther and Lupton all say that sports are more than just playing, but vital for kids’ overall development. Youth learn skills like teamwork, sportsmanship, preparation skills, time management among others, Lupton said.
KidSport North Shore is hoping they can rally donations from the community to help support youth who want to get on the field or shoot hoops.
“I think sport is one of those things that people take for granted and of a nice-to-have,” Crowther said. “But the long-term benefits of being involved in sport and the opportunities that it provides for our kids and communities I think can’t be understated. The investment in sport and helping kids get involved is one that’s really valuable.”
Donations can be made at kidsportcanada.ca/british-columbia/north-shore-north-west-vancouver/donate/
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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