Sport Abbotsford

07/28/2026

For all Sport Abbotsford members and community stakeholders, this is an opportunity to give some input!

Let's Talk Abbotsford

07/01/2026

🍁 Happy Canada Day from Sport Abbotsford! 🍁

Today, we celebrate the country we love and the communities that make it so special.

Across Canada, sport brings people together on fields, courts, rinks, diamonds, tracks, trails, and sidelines. It teaches teamwork, resilience, respect, and pride in something bigger than ourselves.

To every athlete, coach, volunteer, parent, official, and community builder in Abbotsford and beyond: thank you for helping make sport such a powerful part of Canadian life.

Wishing everyone a safe, joyful, and memorable Canada Day!

🇨🇦 Stronger Together. Proudly Canadian. 🇨🇦

06/26/2026

📼 **Remember the 1980s?**

Leg warmers.

Cassette tapes.

Walkmans.

Neon windbreakers.

Big hair.

The Rubik's Cube.

Back to the Future.

It doesn't feel like **40 years ago**... but somehow it is.

Here's the part that made me stop and think...

Some of the timelines in Abbotsford's current sport facility strategies stretch **15, 20, even 30 years into the future.**

That means some of the projects we're talking about today could be completed almost as far from **2026** as the **1980s are from us today.**

😳 Let that sink in for a minute.

Now, before anyone grabs their leg warmers and comes after me...

This isn't about criticizing the City of Abbotsford.

In fact, we're encouraged that the City is planning ahead through comprehensive strategies for arenas, aquatics, sport fields, courts, and recreation. Planning is essential.

The question is simply this:

**Can we work together to move from planning... to progress... a little faster?**

As our community grows, demand for sport continues to grow with it.

What does that mean for our athletes?

Our volunteers?

Our coaches?

Our families?

What role can all of us play in helping move great ideas toward reality?

These are exactly the conversations we want to have at tomorrow night's **Sport Abbotsford Sports Mingler**.

If you're a President, Board Member, or leader of an Abbotsford Local Sport Organization, we'd love to have you join us.

Let's bring our ideas.

Let's build stronger partnerships.

Let's support the City's vision.

And let's explore how we can advocate—together—for the facilities our community will need in the years ahead.

📧 **Please email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) to confirm your attendance.**

Because if the next generation is going to look back at *our* decisions...

Let's give them something even better than cassette tapes and shoulder pads to remember us by. 😉🏒⚽🏊

06/26/2026

The numbers surprised me.

Maybe they'll surprise you too.

📈 Abbotsford is projected to grow by 50,000 more residents over the next 15 years.

🏒⚽🏊 At the same time, the City has identified the need for significant new investments in sport fields, courts, arenas, aquatic facilities, and recreation infrastructure over the coming decades.

So here's my question...

Do these numbers feel right to you?

How do they make you feel?

* Concerned?
* Encouraged?
* Frustrated?
* Optimistic?
* Curious?

And perhaps the biggest question of all...

Are we comfortable with where we're headed, or do we believe we can do better?**

This isn't about criticizing anyone.

The City of Abbotsford is doing exactly what good municipalities should do; planning for the future through thoughtful strategies and public engagement.

But planning alone won't build the future our community needs.

That takes conversation.

Partnership.

Advocacy.

And a shared vision.

That's exactly why Sport Abbotsford is bringing local sport leaders together.

**Tomorrow night is our Sport Abbotsford Sports Mingler.**

If you're a President, Board Member, Executive Director, or leader of an Abbotsford Local Sport Organization, I'd love to have you join us. If you are a community advocate or community stakeholder and want to learn more... join the conversation tomorrow night!

Let's talk about:
✅ What these numbers mean for our athletes.
✅ Whether we're moving quickly enough.
✅ How we can work together with the City and other community partners.
✅ How one united voice for sport can help shape a stronger future.

Whether you agree with these numbers, question them, or simply want to better understand them...

**Your perspective matters.**

Because the future of sport in Abbotsford shouldn't be built by one organization.

It should be built by all of us.

📧 Please confirm your attendance by emailing:
[email protected]

This is not open to the general public, but if you think you should be a part of the conversation, you're probably right! Send me a message and let's chat.

Let's start a conversation that leads to action.

One Community. One Voice. Stronger Together.

05/27/2026

Next month, Sport Abbotsford is hosting the Presidents of all local sports organizations at our Sports Mingler event. We are looking for ways to make sports and sports infrastructure better in our city. We are also looking for door prizes to reward the busy sports leaders who are making our community stronger. If any generous local companies are interested in supporting local sports, please send me a private message. Thank you!

04/05/2026

Steve Coleman

04/04/2026

Sport Abbotsford is stepping into election season, and we want to hear from you!

As President, I've begun meeting one-on-one with candidates who are planning to run for Mayor, City Council, and School Trustee in Abbotsford's municipal election this October.

To the candidates who have already reached out to set up coffee chats, thank you. That kind of initiative tells us a lot about how seriously you take our community.

Sport Abbotsford is home to 40+ member organizations and represents tens of thousands of Abbotsford residents who are directly impacted by the state of our sports infrastructure; our fields, courts, arenas, aquatic facilities, and training spaces. These are not small issues. They affect our kids, our athletes, our coaches, our families, and our local economy.

We have three simple questions for every candidate:

What is your commitment to improving sports and recreation infrastructure in Abbotsford?

Will you support the investments our community needs in a timely manner?

How will you ensure the voices of Abbotsford's sports community are heard at City Hall?

Later this year, Sport Abbotsford will host an All-Candidates Meeting, a dedicated forum where every mayoral, council, and school trustee candidate will have a fair and equal opportunity to speak directly to our sports community.

If you care about sport in Abbotsford, this is your organization.
👉 Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to stay updated.
💬 Tell us in the comments, what's most important to you when it comes to candidates' platforms on sports and recreation?

Voting Day: Saturday, October 17, 2026.

03/31/2026

Here is a fun podcast episode! An interview with the President and Vice President of Sport Abbotsford! Thanks, Rob Brandsma, for a great conversation.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1kfzIkNl35NJgHl5leseg3?si=mITVy2blS7qo3Zg1tK_xOg

Lead Between the Lines · Episode