'A catalyst for growing sports': How major sporting events have a lasting legacy for Calgary

Major sporting events like the Grey Cup, hosted in Calgary this November, and the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships upcoming in Edmonton and Red Deer have sparked conversation about the ripple effect they have on community sports.

Sport Calgary’s annual Celebration of Sport on Thursday afternoon featured a panel of sport leaders who spoke about the lasting legacy of major sporting events coming to Calgary.

Jay McNeil, president of the Calgary Stampeders, said an event the size and scale of the Grey Cup brings “tremendous opportunity” to engage the community with the sport.

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“That is something that we are focused on as an organization, day in and day out: how do we grow the sport? How do we engage kids?” he said.

“We look at this as a catalyst for growing sports, but particularly football within Calgary, and that’s certainly what we want to take advantage of. . . so there’s certainly a long-term legacy impact.”

“It’s a celebration of Canadian football, but it’s an opportunity to introduce the Canadian Football League, introduce the game to a to an audience that’s never experienced it before,” he said.

Carlo Bruneau, executive director of the Calgary Minor Soccer Association, said the ripple effect of the World Cup earlier this year is already being felt in local minor leagues.

“The men’s World Cup this summer in Canada and North America was an exceptionally exciting moment for Canadian soccer, for us to really get that exposure of the beautiful game here in North America,” he said. Though Calgary itself wasn’t a host city, thousands turned up to watch parties at Eau Claire Plaza and Stephen Avenue.

“On the heels of that, now we’re starting our indoor soccer season, and I’m proud to say that we’re seeing about a 10 per cent bump in registration,” he said. “It’s very exciting to see that enthusiasm and and that large sporting event really fuel the next generation of players.”

Local infrastructure has struggled to keep up with the growth of sports including soccer, but Bruneau said events like the Grey Cup can bring in crucial investment.

“Soccer and football are great allies when it comes to sporting facilities, and so as we see investment and legacy from the Grey Cup here, soccer will benefit from that,” he said.

Sport Calgary president Candice Goudie said that, with Calgary’s rapid growth and a strong interest in the city’s community sport sector, the city’s 25-year plan for investment into recreational facilities is much needed.