The idea of creating a central administration office for all minor sports in Prince George has been brewing for months.
This Saturday at 1 p.m., a meeting at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club could well determine if that idea becomes reality.
Sports Central, an offshoot of the Northern Capital Sports Society, has invited all local sports groups to the meeting to discuss plans to create an one-stop shopping office for volunteer-based athletic groups. The office would serve the public as a place to gather information about sports organizations and a physical location for people to register for programs or leagues.
For the people running those groups, the central office would offer a chance to move their largely home-based operations into a place of business where they could interact with and mentor other sports administrators while swapping ideas and services to help create efficiencies. The centre would provide information on grant applications and how to bid on tournaments and would help develop pools of volunteers to help at special events.
"We feel there is a need for a central sports office, so the little groups like (minor) basketball or people who don't have administrators or don't have offices could get together and put an office together," said Heather Carter, a Northern Capital Sports Society committee member.
"It would be nice for new people coming to town if they want to find out about karate or basketball and we would have current information on all the groups and who they should contract.
The office could be used as a meeting place or for conducting clinics and would provide groups a mailing address. User groups would have access to computers, a fax machine and other office supplies and work space.
The office could be funded on a user-pay system, through memberships, or through administrative fees charged to athletes when they register The group is looking into whether government funding is available. The office might be able to hire staff to handle administrative tasks, bookkeeping and event registration. Staff could also co-ordinate booking hotel rooms for tournaments and help organize multi-sport fundraising projects. A website could be developed to help the group organize itself
"There's talk of a facility but it's just talk right now, nothing is confirmed," Carter said. "We don't want to put the cart before the horse."
The group is entirely open to ideas from the public offered at the meeting Saturday.
"This meeting is to sort it out to figure out what we should do next because I've taken it as far as I can on my own with this group of people," Carter said.
For more information call Heather Carter, 250-962-8187.
