During the first three years of the program, the primary focus was on increasing awareness of the importance of being physically active through sport. This approach helped to ensure the Program developed profile throughout Nova Scotia.

The new focus of the program now is on building pathways for children by using a “try, learn, play” concept and building partnerships with community organizations such as schools. This approach, has allowed Sport Nova Scotia members to work more effectively with their community members and build capacity where interest, community leadership and local support has been identified and is readily available. The new focus ensures sports are building capacity and programs are sustainable.

To ensure the most effective use of program funding, calls for project applications occur twice annually. Each project includes a participant registration for tracking purposes. Information such as activities of interest, and pre-and post program activity levels is collected. Depending on the project, surveys may be used that include feedback from participants, program leaders, school officials and parents.

The Sport Futures Leadership program has been delivered by 19 provincial sport organizations and in 2006, the Sport Futures Leadership Program worked with approximately 7,274 participants in Nova Scotia.

Community Program Development

The first three phases of the Sport Futures Leadership Program focused on awareness and exposing communities to the importance of providing age and developmentally appropriate sport activities for children and youth. Three years into the project, we are now seeing the many positive benefits through increased sport participation in communities throughout the province.

Sport Nova Scotia intends to build on these results by linking development opportunities through pathways such as identifying Community Leaders, developing Community Partnerships, and developing Participation opportunities that range from recreational to competition at age and developmentally appropriate levels.

Sport Futures Leadership Project

Long Term Athlete Development is the future of amateur sport in Canada. Sport Canada is funding National Sport Organizations to develop systematic approaches to creating sport-specific athlete development systems. The next step in that process is for provincial sport organizations to implement LTAD initiatives at the provincial level and Sport Nova Scotia, through the Sport Futures Leadership program, will fund projects that meet this objective. The overall goal of the Sport Futures Leadership program will remain that of building sustainable participation pathways in partnership with targeted communities in order to increase sport participation. In addition, new projects must focus on the first two stages of Long Term Athlete Development, FUNdamentals and Learning to Train. Projects that will be considered for funding will:

1.    Clearly describe how project will address the FUNdamentals and/or Learning to Train stages of LTAD model for your sport:
    •     What LTAD stage the program will focus on?
    •     Which groups or clubs will participate in the project?

2.    How will participant numbers and frequency of sessions be tracked?

3.    Provide ‘community partner’ letters of endorsement from all groups who are members of the PSO and will assist with delivering the initiative.

4.    Technical support for project design and delivery:
    •     Who will deliver the project and their coaching/teaching credentials?

5.    Provide a budget and project proposal:
    •    Budget outlining cost to deliver the program and any additional resources to be provided through PSO or other funding partners.

6.    Describe how the program/project success will be measured?

7.     Describe how the program/project will remain sustainable long term?

Funded programs will be evaluated annually.  The evaluation will be based on agreed upon
measures of the project and an examination of the criteria above.  Sport Nova Scotia’s Director of Sport Development is available to meet with any organizations prior to submission of applications.

If you have any questions, please contact Mark Smith at Sport Nova Scotia at 902 425-5450 ext 366, or by email msmith@sportnovascotia.ca.

Up to $5,000 annually will be provided per project.

Deadline for project applications is March 1st and September 15th annually.