New guidebook aims to promote diversity, belonging in community sports

As barriers prevent some youth from playing sports, the Ottawa Sport Council has released a resource guide to make the local scene more inclusive. 

"The Belonging Playbook" is designed to remove barriers faced by athletes who have disabilities, come from diverse cultures or face difficult financial situations.

Many sports organizations in Ottawa are aware of the issues and are trying to take action, the council has said. 

But as the playbook highlights, there are always ways to better ensure that everyone has a space in community sports.

"They don't necessarily know how to adapt their league or their sport to include other people,"  said Marcia Morris, executive director of the council, in an interview with CBC Radio's All In A Day.

"Many organizations wanted to make those adaptations, but they just didn't know where to start."

Morris said her team published the guide in response to requests from member organizations like the City of Ottawa, the Abilities Centre, the Community Sports Council Ontario and Jumpstart. 

National organizations are already requesting to partner with the council in hopes of spreading the playbook around the country, she added.

Helen Tyson, president of the Nepean Minor Hockey Association (NMHA), acknowledged that hockey has traditionally been a non-diverse sport and that rising costs are making it harder for kids to participate.

"I just want the sport to be accessible to everybody who wants to play it," Tyson said.

"So if we can bring in populations that wouldn't necessarily be exposed to it as they come to Canada for the first time … whatever we can do to support that is great."

Most of the NMHA's players are from Barrhaven, which Tyson said is becoming increasingly diverse. That means