Qualico’s Support Helps Kids Find Their Favourite Sport at Sport Manitoba’s Game Day Event

Winnipeg, MB – Sport Manitoba recently hosted its third Game Day event since 2019 thanks to Qualico’s ongoing support of the organization. Game Day gives kids and families of all ages and abilities an opportunity to try out a variety of sports for free to learn more about the sports and assess their interest in playing, with no pre-registration required.

Since 2017, Qualico has provided Sport Manitoba with an annual donation for naming rights of Sport Manitoba’s Qualico Training Centre, with sponsorship of Game Day events also included this year. This funding helps Sport Manitoba continue to work towards its mission of supporting sport for life through access, participation, and excellence in sport by all Manitobans.

“From promoting physical and mental health to fostering a sense of belonging, Sport Manitoba serves as a catalyst for positive change, which aligns with our commitment to helping build better cities,” said David Eggerman, Regional Vice-President, Manitoba & Saskatchewan, Qualico. “We're proud to support Sport Manitoba’s mission of creating healthier, more vibrant communities through sport, and we back the organization to provide great programming for community outreach and collaboration. Hosting events like this allows kids to get involved, connect and learn different sports in a fantastic setting.”

^{Sport Manitoba's Qualico Training Centre}

Game Day originally began in 2019 as an annual open house style event, where people could come to Sport Manitoba’s facility to learn more about what amenities the building has and get exposure to different sports as part of the event. Eventually, the focus of the event narrowed to providing kids the chance to explore different sports all in the same building and at no cost or obligation to register.

This year’s Game Day took place on January 27, and was the second time Sport Manitoba held the event at its facility in downtown Winnipeg. It provided an accessible and engaging opportunity for the 432 participants in attendance, according to Janet McMahon, President & CEO, Sport Manitoba.

“This event brought together kids and their families to try a wide variety of sports and physical activities for free,” she said. “Thanks to Qualico's generous support, Sport Manitoba has expanded its community outreach initiatives to host two additional Game Days in 2024. This has helped us develop and promote physical literacy and active lifestyles. We are grateful for this partnership.”

Game Day took place on levels 2 and 3 of Sport Manitoba’s Qualico Training Centre, where there are three full-sized courts (level 2) and an athlete performance centre and netted flex-space with turf (level 3). There were interactive stations set up, each with a different sport that kids could try out. In total, more than 20 different sports were represented, including archery, cricket, fencing, basketball, badminton, baseball, boxing, darts, lacrosse, and more.

Mariana Echeverri Álvarez, Communications Coordinator, Sport Manitoba, has been working at the organization for a month and this was her first Game Day.

“From my perspective as a new employee, I think it was a really great and successful event,” she said. “I got the opportunity to see all of the sports and families engaging with them.”

Various provincial sport organizations (PSOs) that Sport Manitoba supports and funds were at the event to allow kids an opportunity to learn about their particular sport – whether it was Basketball Manitoba, Baseball Manitoba, or the Manitoba Badminton Association, said Janelle Bohunicky, Events & Sponsorship Coordinator, Sport Manitoba. Registration forms were available to ensure families who wanted to pursue a sport further could do so.

“We were thrilled to welcome children, families, and community groups and give them the chance to participate in and learn more about the sport programming available here in Manitoba,” said Janelle. “We hope they were able to find their next favourite sport. Thank you to all of the provincial sport organizations and programs that were involved, and to Qualico for their amazing support of this event.”

Sport organizations such as KidSport Manitoba, Manitoba Athletic Therapy Association, Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba, Fit Kids Healthy Kids, Winnipeg Sea Bears, and Sport Manitoba Coaching also attended the event.

Janelle said this latest Game Day was well-received by everyone and the event saw more people and some new PSOs participating compared to previous Game Days.

“There were lots of smiling faces, children trying new sports, and parents learning about the programming available for their kids,” she said. “Some sports also handed out swag, and this year hats from Baseball Manitoba, stickers from the Winnipeg Sea Bears, and basketballs from Basketball Manitoba were crowd pleasers.”

Qualico’s support also offered an opportunity for Sport Manitoba to provide bus transportation for the Winnipeg Newcomer Sport Academy (WNSA) this year, which meant that 26 kids from socio-economically disadvantaged groups could participate in an event they may not have had access to otherwise. The WNSA offers programming for newcomers to help introduce them to available sport opportunities in Winnipeg.

In the future, Sport Manitoba hopes to offer Game Day transportation for even more community groups to provide them with exposure to sport.

Game Days are an excellent way for Qualico and Sport Manitoba to collaborate and bring the community together and inspire people to be active and engaged with sports throughout their life. Qualico’s continued support of Sport Manitoba has allowed Game Day to expand each year, with more attendees and more sports represented. Last year, Sport Manitoba was also able to add an outdoor summer version at Assiniboine Park.

^{Qualico's support allowed Sport Manitoba to provide transportation to the Winnipeg Newcomer Sport Academy group, to and from the Game Day event}

A father from a family who attended praised the event in Sport Manitoba’s post-event survey, saying the event was family-friendly and he really appreciated that his family was able to try several new sports that they had never tried before. Him and his wife were also amazed to see what potential sports their kids seemed naturals in compared to others.

The next Game Day in 2024 will take place at the Lyric Field at Assiniboine Park on July 6. Sport Manitoba is also planning to have a third Game Day later this year, potentially in a rural location, with more details to come.