HAMILTON, Ont. —— Canada Basketball and Canadian Tire JumpstartCharities (Jumpstart) today announced the renewal of a multi-year partnershipfocused on a shared commitment to increasing access to sport, developing futuresport leaders, and creating pathways to employment within basketball.

 The partnership centers on threeinterconnected pillars: presenting partner of Canada Basketball Community SuperClinic — a national series of community coaching and officiating clinics; avolunteer program connecting youth to meaningful sport industry experience; anda funded internship program supporting the next generation of women in sportleadership.

"Our partnership with Jumpstart is rootedin something we both believe deeply. That sport has the power tochange the trajectory of a young person's life. Over theyears, we've seen that firsthand through the coaches we've reached,the interns we've supported, and thecommunities we've invested in together. Renewing thispartnership isn't just a continuation of that work. It's acommitment to building a sustainable pathway for the next generationof basketball leaders in this country. 

— Stephanie Withall, Vice-Presidentof Business Operations and Marketing, Canada Basketball

“Every child and youth deserves thechance to experience what sport can make possible. Not only as athletes, but asfuture coaches, officials, mentors and leaders. Together with CanadaBasketball, we’ve helped open those doors in communities across thecountry. By continuing this work together, we can build on that momentum andcreate more pathways for young people to see a future for themselves in sport.”

— Marco Di Buono, President, Canadian TireJumpstart Charities

Canada Basketball Community Super Clinic, presented by Jumpstart

Central to the partnership is a nationalseries of community super clinics, coaching and officiating developmentworkshops designed to help young athletes learn, compete, build confidence, andfall even more in love with the game.

Each clinic is designed to directly serveapproximately 70 coaches, officials and athletes, with a reach ofmore than 10,000 participants annually. As the Community Superclinic’spresenting partner, Jumpstart’s investment supports free access for allparticipants at every clinic. 

According to Jumpstart’s 2025 State of YouthSport in Canada report, basketball is one of the top sportsyouth play in Canada, with 41 per cent of youth saying they play the game.In organized sport programs, basketball ranks second overall, with 31per cent participation. By supporting free community clinics for coaches,officials and athletes, the partnership is helping meet that interest with moreaccessible opportunities to learn, lead and stay involved in thegame. 

Play to Lead Volunteer Integration

Furthering the partnership’s sharedcommitment to creating professional pathways to employment withinbasketball, Canada Basketball will integrate Jumpstart’s Play to Leadalumni into volunteer roles at domestic basketball events in 2026.

Jumpstart’s Play to Lead program isaimed at creating a network for girls and their coaches to cometogether through the power of sport and experience hands-on training andmentorship and build lasting relationships that contribute to gender equitywithin their local sport organizations and communities. 

Investing in Women’s Sport Leadership

Jumpstart will provide funding support towardCanada Basketball’s annual internship and co-op program, with a focus onincreasing the representation of women in sport operations and leadership.Supported roles will span partnership marketing, events, communications andcommunity programming.

Building on Existing Community Investment

The partnership builds on momentum establishedin 2022, when Canada Basketball and Jumpstart first teamed up onGLOBL JAM Jumpstart Legacy Day, wherelocal youth participated in a series of basketball-related activitiesled by local community coaches, a community-based cost-free basketball program, andfeatured athletes and coaches from Belgium, Brazil, Canada,France, Italy, and USA.        

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About Canada Basketball

Canada Basketball is the national governing body for the sport,recognized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Governmentof Canada. A not-for-profit organization, Canada Basketball leads the growthand development of the game at all levels, from grassroots participation to high-performance international competition, including the development of athletes,coaches, and officials across the country, in alignment with its provincial andterritorial sport organizations. The organization strives for excellence on theworld stage while serving the best interests of Canada by making basketballsafer, more accessible, more equitable, and more impactful in communities coast-to-coast-to-coast.Canada's Senior Women's, Men's, and 3x3 National Teams, along with itsage-group programs, proudly represent the nation in international play,competing with the best in the world. For moreinformation visit basketball.ca.

 
About Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities

Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities(Jumpstart) is a national charity committed to enabling lifelong successthrough access to sport and play for children and youth across Canada byaddressing financial, physical, and systemic barriers. With an extensivenational network comprising more than 1,000 grantees and 289 localchapters, Jumpstart is dedicated to empowering community partners in thedevelopment of inclusive programming and infrastructure for Canadian kids ofall abilities. Supported by Canadian Tire Corporation, Jumpstart has providedmore than 4.5 million opportunities for Canadian kids to get into the gamesince 2005. Learn more about how Jumpstart ishelping remove barriers to sport and play, by visiting jumpstart.canadiantire.ca.