Team Sonnenberg curling in Sexsmith. Photo Credit: Shane Clausing

By Shane Clausing

Sports during COVID-19

Sports organizations in Northwestern Alberta struggling during pandemic

May 21, 2020 | 5:30 AM

Sports organizations in Northwestern Alberta are hurting during COVID-19.

Last month the Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection sent out a survey to different sporting organizations throughout Northwestern Alberta asking them about the impact COVID-19 has had on them.

Forty sports organizations responded to the survey which serve over 90,000 athletes.

The following results were found as a result:

• 90 per cent saw a decrease in earned income from sales and fees.
• 93 per cent saw a decrease in earned income from fundraising, grants and sponsorship.
• 92 per cent had to cancel multiple events, tournaments, and competitions.
• 36 per cent have had to layoff employees with another 12 per cent indicating that if COVID continues past June that they will lay off employees.

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Photo Credit: Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection

Karna Germsheid, the Executive Director with the Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection, says this news doesn’t come as a surprise and thinks most organizations will be able to comeback.

“What I would like to really highlight is that sports organizations are planning on coming back, and whether they’re doing something right now or not they’re certainly watching what the government has to say and regional municipalities have to say as far as getting back to action.

“So that’s very positive.”

Germsheid mentioned that 39 of 40 sports organizations are planning on returning whenever that might be.

Germsheid tells EverythingGP that they have had countless talks with organizations about what a return to play could look like. She says that many of them are playing the waiting game and seeing what higher levels of government will say, but there is lots of questions surrounding what school sports and contact sports could look like past COVID-19.

“We don’t know what the landscapes going to look like when we get back. If it (COVID-19) carries on through the fall and past the fall what does that look like for school sports and post-secondary sports? If it takes long enough for us to find a vaccine what does that look like for contact sports? Are they going to switch the formatting and just keep up and switch back after we all get the green light or is it going to look like that from this point on?”

Germsheid mentioned that once the pandemic is over and things can go back to normal, there are a lot of organizations that are fearing that families won’t have the funds to participate in sports and thinks we could see a shift to people playing low cost or no cost sports, but adds it might not be the worst thing.

“It might be a great opportunity for people to re-connect with sport and recreation, there are definitely some silver linings.”