How National Partners Are Using Sport for Life’s New-to-Canada Pathway to Transform Newcomer Sport Participation
Bell Starting Line built its entire methodology around Sport for Life’s framework—here’s why that matters.
87% of newcomers say participating in activities that make them feel comfortable and welcome increases their sense of belonging in Canada. Yet newcomer youth remain significantly underserved in sport due to cost, proximity, awareness, and program capacity.
This gap is exactly what Bell Starting Line—a legacy program from Team Canada and Bell—was designed to close. And when building their approach, the program’s architects turned to Sport for Life’s New-to-Canada Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity Pathway (NLTD) as their foundation.
The Framework Behind the Program
The NLTD provides a stage-by-stage approach to newcomer inclusion, built on Sport for Life’s Long-Term Development framework while addressing realities specific to newcomers: unfamiliarity with Canadian sport culture, financial constraints, language barriers, and simply not knowing where to start.
Central to the NLTD are two critical pre-stages: Awareness (you cannot participate in what you don’t know exists) and First Involvement (a participant’s initial experience determines whether they return).
Bell Starting Line adopted this structure directly, splitting their strategy between sport introduction and retention—exposure events paired with subsidized club access.
“When sport is made accessible, we see newcomer youth gaining confidence, building friendships, and feeling a real sense of belonging,” said Kabir Hosein, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Sport for Life, who advised on the program’s design. “It supports language learning, community inclusion and gives them tools for lifelong participation in their new community.”
From Framework to Field
The exposure component brings newcomers face-to-face with sport through try-it events featuring Team Canada Olympians. In October 2025, Toronto hosted a try-athletics event where 74 newcomer youth participated alongside Olympians Andre De Grasse, Jacqueline Madogo, and Jazz Shukla in track and field games and drills. Montreal will host a similar speed skating event at Arena Maurice Richard.
But Bell Starting Line understood that exposure alone isn’t enough. The retention component provides subsidized access to participating clubs—track and field memberships in Toronto, a six-week First Strides speed skating program in Montreal—ensuring positive first experiences lead to sustained participation.
“The focus was on building authentic, lasting partnerships with organizations where newcomers already feel comfortable,” Hosein explained. “By fostering these relationships, clubs can better understand and support the needs of newcomer families, setting the stage for long-term participation and success.”
Why This Model Matters Now
With Canada projecting roughly one million new immigrants over the next three years, systematic approaches to newcomer sport inclusion have never been more urgent. Research shows newcomers who feel isolated from recreational activities are more likely to leave Canada entirely.
The NLTD addresses this by meeting people where they are, offering multiple entry points, and equipping sport organizations to welcome participants with diverse backgrounds and skill levels. Bell Starting Line demonstrates what happens when major funders align with this evidence-based approach: programming that creates lasting pathways into sport and community life, not just one-time events.
The program plans to expand to additional Canadian cities and incorporate more national sport organization partners. For organizations looking to enhance newcomer inclusion, the NLTD provides both the strategic framework and practical tools to begin.
Resources for Implementation
Organizations can access Sport for Life’s newcomer engagement tools at sportforlife.ca/nltd and sportforlife.ca/new-to-canada-participants, including the full NLTD pathway document, workshops, eLearning modules, and the Checklist for Newcomer Inclusion.