Our Mission
Sport Oakville is a partnership of community sport organizations that work cooperatively to promote sport and provide a collective voice for sport in Oakville.
Our Mandate…
· Provide leadership and a voice for collective sport initiatives.
· Facilitate and develop networking and cooperation in the sport community.
· Foster and promote good sportsmanship through training, education and excellence.
· Focus on awareness building, citizen engagement and planning.
About Us…
Founded in 1857, Oakville is a beautiful lakeside town of 199,000 located on the shores of Lake Ontario 30 minutes west of Toronto. Our thriving municipality boasts a great passion for sport and recreation as seen by its vibrant sport community which offers a diverse range of activities.
Most of these groups are volunteer driven, not-for-profit organizations operated by citizens who are committed and dedicated to providing quality sport opportunities to the residents of Oakville. Some of these clubs have grown to become the largest in Ontario and/or Canada. Many have programs that
enable athletes to excel at elite levels with the potential to compete at national, international and professional levels.
Re-established in 2000 as the Oakville Sports Council, the council provides a vital link between Oakville’s sport community and the Town of Oakville’s Recreation & Culture. Member-based and volunteer led, the Oakville Sports Council incorporated in 2009 as a not-for-profit organization under its current name, Sport Oakville.
Although changing times and attitudes have added new dimensions to its mandate, Sport Oakville has maintained its primary objective, “to provide a collective voice for sport in Oakville”, while it continues to evolve to meet the needs of the sport community.
Sport Oakville and the sport community recognize that sport has a powerful and positive influence in the community that include the following benefits:
- Developing and maintaining healthy lifestyles – regular physical activity helps prevent child obesity and reduces health issues suffered by our aging population.
- Increased social development within a community by encouraging the integration and the feeling of inclusion of minority groups and newcomers.
- Increased economic development and renewal within a community through sport tourism, spending and the creation of jobs.
- Increased awareness in environmental sustainability with regards to new “greener” standards in for sport and recreation facilities.
While advocating and promoting sport and the continued development of sport, Sport Oakville also encourages all citizens of Oakville to participate in and benefit from sport and recreational activities at the level of their choice.
Accomplishments & Initiatives
Over the years, Sport Oakville has contributed towards Town Initiatives that include:
Parks, Recreation, Culture & Library Master Plan – approved in principle by Town Council, June 2006.
Rzone Policy – A town-wide policy that promotes a positive, safe and supportive environment for all members of the public and staff, and applies to all Town of Oakville facilities, properties, town-sponsored events, programs, in written or verbal communications, in Town vehicles, or at any other location where Town staff are present.
Ice, Sport Field and Pool Allocation Policy – A policy that addresses the demand and supply of municipal facilities, the changing demographics, and the successful ongoing management of such resources, and is used to establish a fair, transparent, consistent and equitable process for facility allocation, distribution and management in a fiscally responsible manner.
North Park Sports Park Planning – involved in discussions regarding North Park Sports Park, that also included the current construction of the quad pad arena slated to open in September 2010.
Sport Oakville has partnered with the Town in numerous events including Canada Games Day (June 2006), Oakville Waterfront Festival Sports Area (June 2009) and Family Day which promote the benefits of sport as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Sport Oakville was invited to take part in the development of Tobacco Free Recreation & Sport (Halton) program which grew to become a provincial initiative.
When the Ministry of Health Promotion launched Active 2010, a comprehensive strategy to increase participation in sport and physical activity throughout Ontario, Sport Oakville participated in the development of the Town of Oakville’s sport and physical activity plan, Make Your Move. Sport Oakville continues to endorse and support this plan.
In 2008, Sport Oakville introduced the annual Sport Recognition Awards which recognize and celebrate the excellence, perseverance and dedication of Oakville’s athletes, teams, coaches and volunteers in the areas of sport development, performance and contribution to the community.
The Sport Development Grant continues to be administered by Sport Oakville on behalf of the Town.
Dedicated to the encouragement, promotion and development of sporting activities within the community, the Town makes development grant funds available to eligible not-for-profit sports organizations that are current members of Sport Oakville for assistance to minor sports groups for the betterment of sport and their organizations.