Create healthy opportunities for everyone living in our communities.
Our Story
The Canadian Sports Opportunities Foundation (CanSO Foundation) is a nonprofit organization that aims to create healthy opportunities for everyone living in our communities. Our mission is to provide affordable access to sports facilities and programs to people of all ages, income levels and abilities.
After watching our three predecessors fail, we have been successfully operating the Calgary Central Sportsplex for the past four years, helping over 240,000 people get more involved with exercise and keep active by participating in the sport of their choice. We are passionate about continuing to grow a strong, healthy community around us, and to provide the optimum environment and equipment in order for them to thrive in their sport. Whether this means providing support for low income families that otherwise may not be able to afford to participate, by helping get seniors more involved in exercise, or simply by up-keeping the facilities needed for aspiring athletes to continue growing; we are committed to keeping people moving.
Throughout our short history, we have supported the likes of Blizzards Basketball and the Western Ball Hockey League to help them become some of the biggest organizations in each of their fields, as well as aided over 100 athletes take part in low cost basketball programs. We have made it our life’s work to help each promising athlete reach their full potential and unite a strong community of healthy, happy members.
4 Arms of Support
The CanSO Foundation strives to make an active lifestyle affordable for low income families through partnering with both youth and adult sport programs.
Low Income Families
Everyone knows that kids thrive when they have access to sports, but research suggests that providing access to healthy lifestyle options, especially in group settings, for low income adults leads to a better home life for the entire family. When adults have the ability to participate in team sports, it increases the participants' sense of self esteem and self worth, leading to lower levels of domestic abuse, and increasing opportunities to access further education and employment through relationships developed when a person is part of a team.
Special Interest Groups
We partner with educational institutions with limited access to recreational facilities, special needs groups, and other charitable organizations to ensure they have the resources necessary to achieve their full potential. We believe that those who are educated, mentored, and empowered have a profoundly positive impact on their communities and the world.
Seniors Organizations
By empowering partner organizations that offer low impact physical activities for seniors, the CanSO Foundation hopes to help lower levels of social isolation which has a drastic effect on how people age, impacting both their mental and physical well being.
Promising Athlete Program
Active lifestyles, sports, and fitness should be a tool that bridges the income gap. Unfortunately, this is not the case in today's society. If an amateur coach identifies two athletes that show great potential, on possible paths for scholarships or even a career in the sports industry, the athlete who can afford the extra mentoring, nutrition help, and skills coaching will have a much higher chance of success, even though they have a lower need for the benefits that come from scholarships or other programs.
The "Promising Athlete Program" is here to identify the athletes that need that last boost to realize the full potential from all their hard work.
Our Home
The Calgary Central Sportsplex
In an effort to fulfill our goals of offering community access to sports resources and maintaining sports infrastructure, The CanSO Foundation is the proud operator of The Calgary Central Sportsplex.
See everything the CCS has to offer our community. Come out and try something new today!
