Move well, live better.
Sport For Life
Global leaders in quality sport and the development of physical literacy.
Sport for Life is a nonprofit that helps sport, education, health, and recreation organizations work together so more people - in Canada and internationally - can access quality sport and physical movement experiences.
More than 20 years ago, we built the framework now known as Long-Term Development. It is being adopted by organizations worldwide, every federally funded National Sport Organization in Canada uses it.
Today, we build resources, train and certify leaders, and guide projects across Canada and internationally, with a focus on reaching communities that sport and physical activity systems often leave out.
Sport for Life est un organisme à but non lucratif qui rassemble les secteurs du sport, de l’éducation, de la santé et des loisirs afin d’offrir à plus de gens, au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde, des expériences de qualité en sport et en activité physique.
Il y a plus de 20 ans, nous avons créé le cadre aujourd’hui appelé Développement à long terme. Adopté par des organisations partout dans le monde, il est utilisé par toutes les organisations nationales de sport financées par le gouvernement fédéral au Canada.
Aujourd’hui, nous créons des ressources, formons et certifions des leaders, et accompagnons des projets au Canada et à l’international, en mettant l’accent sur les communautés souvent laissées de côté par les systèmes de sport et d’activité physique.
From physical literacy to high performance.
Our Divisions
Together, we build the path from first steps to a lifetime of movement.
Quality Sport
Participant-centred sport experiences
Good sport should develop good humans, not just good athletes. Our Quality Sport programs help sport organizations build experiences that are inclusive, age-appropriate, and centred on the participant.
Funded by Sport Canada, we work directly with groups at every level. Engaging with national multi-sport organizations, national sport organizations, and provincial and territorial sport organizations to strengthen the path every participant follows, at every stage. Our team of Long-Term Development advisors keeps that work current and innovative, working with the latest sport science.
Physical Literacy
Thrive through movement
Every participant deserves the skills, confidence, and motivation to be active for life. Our Physical Literacy work builds exactly that, in partnership with schools, municipalities, researchers, sports, and community organizations.
Each year, this work reaches more than 50 communities and trains over 500 leaders, built alongside the people it serves. Our work connects with BIPOC populations across Canada, including: Indigenous peoples, Newcomers, low-income families, Black communities, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Sport For Life In Action
Work & Projects
From local partnerships to international programs, here's the work behind the mission.
Ringette Alberta: Every Kid Can Play
Together with Ringette Alberta, we built a flexible way to track participation, retention, competitive equity, and governance, so the province can show funders and families what's working.
Biathlon Canada
Biathlon Canada's athlete development plan is now a practical, inclusive guide that coaches, clubs, and athletes actually use, the result of a project we led together.
Baseball Canada
Parents now have stage-specific guides that show what to expect at each step of their child's development in baseball, built in partnership with Baseball Canada.
Move for Life, Active Sudbury, and PLAY in Peel
Funded by the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, these projects bring local partners together to help more people get active.
Learning In Motion
Elementary school teachers build physical literacy into their classrooms with our support, and 95% report better student focus and engagement.
Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees
Supported by Olympic Solidarity, we ran an 18-month program that trained a regional network of experts to build development models suited to their own countries.
Apex Sports Academy Egypt
For Apex Sports Academy, we designed the operational framework, facilities, and curriculum for 9 high-performance sports for k-12.
New York Road Runners
New York Road Runners' youth curriculum now reaches over 217,000 youth at 920 sites through our software PLAYbuilder, after we redesigned it around biological age instead of grade.
Junior Canucks
A simple approach of equipment and training directly to educators builds movement skills and a love of the game.
CO-PLAY
CO-PLAY connects community leaders and researchers to support the wellbeing of newcomer children and youth, a national initiative we help manage.
Physical Literacy with Indigenous Communities in the North
Youth in Kuujjuaraapik, Arviat, Kinngait, York Factory, and Churchill built physical literacy skills and leadership through training we provided together.
Our Blog
Latest News
Stories, research, and updates from our work across Canada and beyond.
