Our physical location in the city contributes to this, as do the personal histories of the Tiger-Cats and Forge FC players, but everyone at Hamilton Sports Group are acutely aware of how sports can favourably change the life of a young person.

Amber Aquin not only passionately subscribes to that philosophy, but she has also lived it, which is why she leapt at the opportunity to join the Board of Directors for the Hamilton Sport Group Foundation (HSGF), which was officially born today.

“I have a deep conviction about the power of sport,” says Aquin, whose day job is as the Engagement Officer for Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.

“Sport has the power to transform communities and change lives, bringing people together and positively impacting young people especially.”

“As a lot of young people experience, I was faced with difficult challenges growing up, and sports grounded me. It was a safe space. It’s where I could go, as an outlet, to meet people, to socialize, to be distracted. For me, access to sports was critical and impactful to my well-being.”

Aquin is a community-at-large member of the HSGF Board, which is chaired by Glenn Gibson, who is also the vice-chairman of the Tiger-Cats. The other board members are vice-chair Jim Cimba, and HSG executives Doug Rye, Dan Deighton, Nicole Demers and Courtney Stephen.

In broad strokes, the new Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization designed to encourage healthy, active lifestyles by making it easier for local youth to get involved with sports; by championing “physical literacy” and well-being, and fostering community partnerships with already-existing groups and programs in the city in order to reach a wider audience of young people.

While there will definitely be many new initiatives—including those suggested from outside the Foundation by the community itself—the Hamilton Sports Group has for years helped foster healthy active lifestyles among young people through engaging programs like the Ticats’ FirstOntario BeFit and Forge FC’s ‘Fit with Forge’ in collaboration with Egg Farmers of Ontario.

Courtney Stephen, HSG’s Senior Director of Marketing and Community Partnerships, says the Foundation can help with, for instance, transportation and equipment for local teams. And he says that will be for all sports including football, flag football and soccer which fall under HSG’s formal umbrella “but definitely not limited to those sports.”

“Sport has the power to transform communities and change lives, bringing people together and positively impacting young people especially.”

While the guiding principles are in place, the Foundation will be organic, responding to changing needs. What it looks like today might not be what it looks like in, say, two years.  So in these early days, they’re not locked into specifics.

As Aquin phrases it, “There are several opportunities and examples of how we can give back. When we talk about reducing barriers to participation, it’s also about access to physical spaces, having young people enter buildings they would otherwise never have had the opportunity.”

“You can do that by inviting them in; by creating and fostering trusting relationships with community organizations and school boards which have connections with our young people.”

“Reducing barriers is also about financial means.  Paying for equipment, paying for transportation, paying for field trips, paying for programming. These are real barriers to participating in sport for our families and kids. How can we alleviate financial barriers for community organizations—and also our families—so they can access and experience sport?”

There is long history of young people being invited to Hamilton Stadium and meeting Tiger-Cat and Forge players.

For many, it’s the first time they’ve ever been inside the stadium and the first contact they’ve ever had with professional athletes. It leaves a lasting impression and can also foster a sense of possibility for their own lives.  Additionally, it can trigger an interest in physical literacy, the technical term for the knowledge, motivation and confidence to engage in physical activity for life.

Expect even more of that because fitness is not only about physical health. There are countless proven connections to mental well-being.

“We know there is significant physical impact when we move our bodies, especially at a young age,” Aquin says.  “But the positive effect on mental-health can sometimes be overlooked, or unappreciated, because we can’t see the impact, it is not as visible. Focusing on that aspect is important to our Foundation as well.”

The Foundation’s launch builds upon the legacy of the Hamilton Tiger-Cat Trust, which has been financially supporting amateur football in the area for 65 years. They are two separate entities but the same people who comprise the HSGF Board are also on the board for the Ticat Trust.

The Ticat Trust dates back to 1959 when the CFL East—then known as the Big Four—mandated that its teams be held by private ownership. Led by then-GM and former player Jake Gaudaur, who went on to become league commissioner, the proceeds from the sale went into two separate trusts with their own boards, separate from the football team. One was the Hamilton Tiger-Cat Football Trust, now the Ticat Trust. The other was the Hamilton Athletic Trust which still exists and was named the Hamilton Sport Council until 2004.

Many of the fundamental qualities of those trusts will be central threads in the new Foundation.

“I’m so excited we’re able to do this. There is an opportunity in Hamilton to make a real impact with this work,” Aquin says. “We are bringing together different communities, people who have different experiences, people who have different ideas, on the common ground of sport. Both as participants and as people viewing sport. Collectively, they can experience a connection in a way they may not have had the chance to anywhere else.”

Aquin’s job with the school board involves connecting schools and education in general to the communities they serve. It’s well-documented that a certain percentage of students stay in school primarily for the sports. She also supported community initiatives for the YMCA Burlington/Hamilton/Brantford, and is the Women’s Director for the quickly-growing Burlington Centaurs Rugby Football Club. Across her employment and volunteer history, she’s seen the value of sport in engaging young people and subtly introducing life-skills concepts through having fun, as well as spending time in a positive atmosphere.

“We know the drop-out rates for girls, specifically, in sport is significant. I believe there is also a role for our Foundation to play in empowering and elevating women’s and girls’ sports in Hamilton. There is amazing work being done by some of our young girls in athletics.”

There is more about the Hamilton Sports Group Foundation, and how to get involved, at HSGFoundation.org.

“I firmly believe the Foundation is going to be able to step up and provide a layer of the support our community and young people need,” Aquin says.

“But we can’t do it alone.”