The economic impact of sport tourism in Surrey has eclipsed $10 million a year, according to a report to the city council, triggering a call for changes to the city's 10-year-old guidelines for related grants.
Surrey wants to expand grant eligibility to include sport tourism conference hosting, in addition to tournaments drawn here by Sport Surrey.
Under current program guidelines, organizations can receive up to $5,000 per application — an amount that would jump to $15,000 per event, if approved Monday (June 9).
Funding levels have not been increased since the program's inception in 2015, according to the report to council.
"To remain a premier sport tourism destination, and a continued leader in the sports tourism industry, updating the program’s funding level and current guidelines to reflect the growing demand is imperative," urges Laurie Cavan, Surrey's GM of Parks, Recreation & Culture.
"By ensuring sport hosting organizations are receiving adequate funding resources, the City can continue to draw sport tourism events and maintain a positive experience and relationship with these organizations."
Sport tourism conferences "play a key role in attracting industry leaders and event organizers" to Surrey, "generating new opportunities to host higher-calibre events," trumpets a news release from city hall.
Surrey already hosts a number of local, national and international sporting events including the Wickfest female hockey tournament, Canada Soccer national club championships, the huge Surrey Mayor's Cup soccer tourney, Canada Cup softball championships and more.
In 2024, the sport tourism grant program received $235,000 in funding requests, the highest amount since the program was established, Cavan notes. As of March 2025, the program has already received $39,000 in funding requests for 10 events.
Updated eligibility rules mean funding could be used for operational costs including facility rentals, marketing and promotion, volunteer management, equipment rentals, local transportation, seating/bleachers and audio-visual services.
Sport Surrey, the city's sports tourism driver, is a partnership of the City of Surrey, Surrey Hotel Motel Association and Discover Surrey. The Sport Surrey website sells Surrey as "Canada's year-round sports hub" and "one of Canada’s most sought-after destinations for major sporting events."
Surrey's Sport Tourism Strategy will soon involve new facilities including a multi-sheet hockey arena in Cloverdale and a third field hockey turf at Tamanawis Park in Newton.
In 2025, Sport Surrey's successful-bid events include the Fortinet Cup golf tournament hosted by PGA Tour Americas (in September at Morgan Creek), the Canadian National Championships for Master Bowling (June, Scottsdale Lanes) and Canadian Youth and Open Chess Championships (July, Sheraton hotel in Guildford).
“Council recognizes the significant injection sports tourism has on our local economy, which is why an additional $500,000 in funding was allocated to Sport Tourism Grants in April," noted Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke in a news release.
Larger events "with significant bid requirements and economic impacts," such as BC Summer Games and Canada 55+ Games, are considered separately by the city council, with Sport Surrey's guidance.
