Local sport organizations weathering financial shut-out during pandemic

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Add local sport organizations to the many groups feeling pain during the COVID-19 crisis.

A new survey conducted by Sport Calgary of its members has found the majority are struggling financially and their future is in jeopardy due to a lack of organized sports.

About half feel they can only sustain operations for six months or less, with 97 per cent of respondents seeing a decrease in revenue from fees and three-quarters seeing a decrease from fundraising, grants and scholarships.

Rent is the number one concern for organizations, and there’s a sense that the impacts will last long beyond the public health side of the pandemic.

“It’s alarming, but they’re not surprising,” said Sport Calgary President and CEO Catriona Le May Doan.

“Sport is being hit hard.”

Le May Doan said the financial impacts are the most worrisome, as it becomes harder to see how some of the organizations will be able to rebound once the pandemic is over.

Further, there is a significant loss of staff as 55 per cent of organizations have laid off or will lay off employees, while 91 per cent of multi-sport facilities are in the same position.

What will be increasingly important is how the community responds in the coming months and years.

“It’s so important for community, for corporations, in whatever way they can to continue to contribute,” she added.

“We just need to make sure that an organization like KidSport continues to have the funding, because these fundraisers that Sport Calgary does, that KidSport does, that many of these organizations do, they are not happening.”

On that note, there may be an increased need for financial supports for families impacted by the crisis, as they may be unable to pay for their kid’s fees or equipment when the seasons return.

Sport Calgary has also noted that there may be a reluctance to re-enroll athletes anyway out of concern that they may get infected.

Some organizations are trying to mitigate the impact by holding online coaching or training sessions, in the hopes this can also keep kids active during the quarantine.

Le May Doan said this is a crucial piece, because while they can more easily calculate the financial impact from COVID-19, the mental health impacts are harder to see.

“If we stand still and we are not moving physically, mentally and in every other way we will suffer.”