Canadian Tire's Jumpstart charity started building multi-sport courts last year after seeing demand from youth who want to see more accessible places to play sports.
It's intended to be a safe space for children with unique accessibility needs to be able to participate in adapted versions of sports.
Recently, the city announced that Cambridge would be getting one of these new multi-sport courts, thanks to a nomination from a local Canadian Tire retailer.
"No matter what your physical ability is, you will be welcome here," Marco Di Buono, chief operating officer of Jumpstart, said in an interview with CambridgeToday.
By the end of this year, Jumpstart will have built eight multi-sport courts with four coming in 2023, including the Cambridge facility.
They are set to break ground on the 13,000 square foot sports area early next year, whenever the ground thaws, Di Buono confirmed.
They hope to have it open and ready for the community to use next summer.
In 2017, Jumpstart started building accessible playgrounds and so far they've created 16 accessible play spaces across Canada with more in the works.
The new fenced-in sports area will have at least one basketball court, tennis court or volleyball court, pickleball and a sensory play area.
Di Buono said everything inside of it is included as a gift to the community from Jumpstart.
"Children in wheelchairs will be able to participate in adapted versions of basketball or volleyball or tennis because of those adjustable nets."
They created shaded play spaces for children who have developmental disabilities and can't be in the heat with accessible seating.
"The fencing around the facility provides an extra layer of safety for children who are neurodivergent or on the autism spectrum. It protects them from leaving the space and from potential harm when they are at an organized activity with their parent or a community organization," Di Buono said.
Research on each facility is done in conjunction with the University of Toronto, which reports that these spaces are "bringing kids of all abilities together to play in a safe space."
Along with the multi-sport courts in Canada, this year, Jumpstart is also building para hockey rinks and accessible skate parks.
"There is barely enough recreational infrastructure in communities to begin with. Where it does exist, a lot of it was built around the centennial mark in the late 1960s. So, it doesn't meet modern-day inclusion standards," Di Buono said.
Right now Cambridge is the only space Jumpstart has planned a multi-sport court for this part of Ontario. The next closest one is in the Niagara region.
