Six Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows sports organizations receive provincial funding

Of the 86 Lower Mainland sport organizations, six from Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows are receiving provincial funding to help them return to normalcy after the pandemic-related closures since last year.

Five sports organizations from Maple Ridge namely, BC Junior B tier 1 Lacrosse League Association, BC Junior “A” Lacrosse League Association Maple Ridge Lacrosse, Ridge Meadows Soccer Club, Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association and Albion Football Club, and Optimist Junior Interclub Curling League from Pitt Meadows, will be receiving up to $7,500 each to help with expenses such as insurance, administrative costs, rent, storage costs and equipment essential to providing sports programs.

“As B.C. makes its way through Step 3 of the province’s restart plan, I want to thank the sport and recreational organizations for the central role they play in bringing people back together and in returning to the activities we love,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.

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A total of $1 million will distributed among 215 sports organizations throughout the province, to recover from the pandemic, and welcome a safe return to play.

“Volunteers have done an amazing job adapting to the pandemic. Our government is proud to support these community-based sport organizations as they work to get people back in the game,” said Mark.

This funding is part of the province’s Local Sport Relief Fund grant, which is in its second round of funding for local sport organizations.

Charlene Krepiakevich, CEO viaSport, expressed her excitement over the province’s return to games, competitions and recreational activity.

“COVID-19 took a tremendous toll on sport organizations across this province. This funding acknowledges the need to financially support local sport organizations to ensure they are ready to help ramp up capacity as sport returns to communities,” she said.

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