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Brantford hosts inaugural provincial FOCUS conference

Local NewsBrantford hosts inaugural provincial FOCUS conference

The Community Sports Councils of Ontario (CSCO) hosted the inaugural FOCUS on the Future 2024 Conference on Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24, 2024.

Held in partnership with the Brantford Sports Council and the City of Brantford, the goal of the two-day event was to bring together sport leaders, community partners, volunteers, coaches, educators and governments to share knowledge about best practices and innovative strategies to enhance the growth and development of community sports in the province. 

Carmine Romano, event MC, welcomes guests during the Community Sports Councils of Ontario’s (CSCO) inaugural FOCUS 2024 Conference on Saturday, August 24, 2024.

After Friday evening’s three hour welcome social, Saturday kicked off bright and early with a keynote address from Steve Indig, Managing Director at Sport Law. During his talk, he covered critical aspects of sports law, governance, and policy development.

Attendees then broke out into host of interactive workshops including:

  • Organization and Infrastructure 
  • Community Diversity and Infrastructure 
  • Sustainable Tourism Initiatives 
  • Growing Your Organization and Business 
  • Adapting to the Future – Infrastructure and Building Capacity 
  • Challenges in Physical and Mental Health 

Throughout the day, around 17 presenters took turns speaking in the various breakout workshops to provide attendees with practical tools and strategies for advancing community sports.

Julie Stevens, a Professor in Sports Management at Brock University, speaks about the Active Economy during the Community Sports Councils of Ontario’s (CSCO) inaugural FOCUS 2024 Conference on Saturday, August 24, 2024.

Before lunch, Julie Stevens, a Professor in Sports Management at Brock University and the day’s second keynote speaker, took to the stage to talk about the Active Economy and its innovative strategies to enhance community engagement by “incorporating all organizations who participate in, or contribute to, improving individual or community wellbeing through the development and delivery of sport and active recreation services.”

Following the break, Kevin Davis, Mayor for the City of Brantford officially welcomed the attendees and spoke about the importance of sports within the community. 

“I think in this city we truly understand what sports does for a community and society. How sport unifies in a world that’s full of divisiveness, and how sport inspires people to do great, to be the best, and to do better than what they’ve done in the past,” he said. “That’s a great lesson for the youth of our community, and of course, there’s all those other lessons that sports provides, whether it’s for leadership, team play, fair play, commitment to self improvement, discipline, and self reliance. Aren’t those all the lessons that you want to give to our young people? …None of that’s possible without a great community sports system and a minor sports system that’s community based and has everyone involved in it.”

Kevin Davis, Mayor for the City of Brantford, and Carmine Romano of the Brantford Sports Council, pose with a certificate of achievement from Larry Brock, MP for Brantford-Brant, during the Community Sports Councils of Ontario’s (CSCO) inaugural FOCUS 2024 Conference on Saturday, August 24, 2024.

A short while later, Allison Forsyth, a two-time Olympian and a leading advocate for Safe Sport, gave an overview of the Safe Sport movement, the importance of implementing Safe Sport practices at a community level, and key aspects that are necessary to protect both participants and organizations.

Following another session of breakout workshops and a Q & A panel discussion, Kevin Arnsdorf, Chair of CSCO, closed out the event by sharing insights from CSCO projects, highlighting the progress and future direction of community sport in Ontario and addressing the importance of inclusive sports practices. 

Attendees take part in the Community Sports Councils of Ontario’s (CSCO) annual general meeting during its FOCUS 2024 Conference on Saturday, August 24, 2024.

In the end, Bill Harding, Chair of the Brantford Sports Council, said he was looking forward to seeing how the event will help to encourage various organizations, local government and grassroots operations to work together and create a better future for the sports world.

“This weekend, we were really looking at what it means to make a difference, and how we can embrace that and incorporate that into what we do at the grassroots level. We’re really trying to bring the organizations and the grassroots up to the same level so they can, not collide, but work together to cover all pillars in the community,” he said. “Sport is just one pillar in any community but there’s a whole variety of other things like economic development, tourism, and infrastructure. All those things that have to, at some point, collaborate and work together. That social fabric piece is so important but it’s hard to make that happen. Historically, it hasn’t been done like this and while we can’t change the past, the future starts today.”

Attendees listen closely as Julie Stevens, a Professor in Sports Management at Brock University, explains the Active Economy during the Community Sports Councils of Ontario’s (CSCO) inaugural FOCUS 2024 Conference on Saturday, August 24, 2024.

Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.

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