Sport Calgary is sounding the alarm and urging city council to boost investment in sport and recreation infrastructure.
The non-profit society that supports amateur sport in Alberta’s largest city launched the “Keep Calgary Playing” advocacy campaign in October and it is encouraging Calgarians to lobby for increased spending on the city’s sports system.
The campaign states that more than 57,400 people have registered for recreational activities and athletic endeavors in Calgary but remain on wait lists due to a lack of available facilities. It also notes that the city has experienced population growth of 273,000 since 2019, a 21% increase, and 90% of surveyed sports organizations identified facility deficits as their top barrier to growth.
“A growing city needs more than houses and roads. It needs places where people can play, move and belong,” said Sport Calgary President Candice Goudie in an opinion piece in the Calgary Herald newspaper.
“You do not have to think of yourself as a ‘sports person’ for this to matter. Maybe you walk, run, swim or practise yoga. Maybe you play hockey, soccer or badminton. Maybe you coach, volunteer or spend your weekends watching your kids or grandkids. These places belong to Calgarians from every walk of life and all ages. We all need places to play. And we are running out of room.”
Added Goudie: “Wait lists are warnings. Capacity constraints become capped registrations. Eventually, we have a system where children and people simply cannot access community sport.”
The initiative points out that the City of Calgary has a 25-year public recreation vision called GamePLAN that was adopted as policy in 2025 with a goal of improving sports capacity and access for Calgarians. It includes targets that will address urgent facility needs, and sets out the investment needed for the city to keep pace with population growth. Under GamePLAN, “Making Waves” was established to determine the service standards and funding levels needed for recreation facilities and amenities. It requires an estimated $200 million to $250 million in annual capital investment from municipal funding, partnerships and other levels of government. The first wave of projects during the 2027-2030 budget cycle could be advanced if investments are made.
While GamePLAN has been approved, long-term funding for the strategy has not been secured.
That’s where “Keep Calgary Playing” comes in. The campaign seeks to ensure the delivery of GamePLAN – which calls for 13 indoor field facilities and 89 fields to be put in place by 2050 – by urging people to add their names to a pledge that supports increased investment in sport and recreation infrastructure across Calgary. That pledge encourages city council to fund GamePLAN through the 2027-2030 budget cycle.
Campaign organizers are also urging Calgarians to contact their city councillors directly to lobby for investment in the local athletics scene.
“Keep Calgary Playing” was launched on Oct. 21st and Sport Calgary has been promoting the venture through social media posts, mainstream media coverage and meetings with sports organizations.
Organizers continue to seek information on registration demand, facility issues and family sports experiences.
The City of Calgary will release its proposed 2027-2030 budget in November. After the budget is announced, Sport Calgary will share updated information about the funding of GamePLAN and encourage followers to contact city councillors about potential investments.
“There is no denying we are behind. Calgarians deserve more,” said Goudie.
“We need investment to renew aging facilities, add capacity and move projects forward. There are many priorities in a growing city. Sport and recreation infrastructure needs to be among them. Sport and recreation infrastructure is essential infrastructure.”
For more information, go to KeepCalgaryPlaying.ca.
