Montreal's sports ecosystem

A sports club that offers services in the borough or city where it is located. The club is typically open to everyone and has active members who are primarily from that borough or city. The organization’s mission is to promote its sport within its local area, and it is recognized as such by its sports federation.

A structured, federated organization that oversees the development of athletes in a specific sport with a focus on performance within regional, provincial, national, and international networks. A sports club is a single-sport or multi-sport organization composed of members who share a common interest in practicing their sport. Its membership comes from several boroughs or neighboring cities.

An organization composed of members who share a common interest in the regional development of one or more sports recognized by a provincial or national sports federation or by an official body. It promotes and supports the healthy development of athletes and their sport, at both the recreational and competitive levels:

• by extending the scope of its sports federation's mission to the region, where appropriate;
• by overseeing, and sometimes organizing, competitions in their sport within the region;
• by supporting the organization and staging of events at various levels, such as the regional finals of the Quebec Games and the Montreal Games;
• by providing services to its members, such as training for coaches and officials, or other types of services;
• by promoting the development and support of local clubs and athletes under its purview;
• by promoting consultation and collaboration among its members and consultation with partner organizations;
• by ensuring compliance with the sports federation’s rules, both in technical matters and in terms of safety and ethical practices;
• by establishing democratic and transparent regional consultative bodies;
• by recruiting and training qualified volunteers to ensure the sound management and optimal development of its sport

Montreal Sports Council : The Montreal Sports Council is a non-profit organization whose vision is to be the leader of the city’s sports community.
For more information, visit the About Us page.

Sport et Loisir de l’île de Montréal : Sport et Loisir de l’île de Montréal is a regional, independent, non-profit organization that contributes to the development and promotion of recreation, sports, physical activity, and outdoor pursuits on the Island of Montreal by supporting communities and stakeholders and fostering synergy among them through consulting services, networking, promotion, and training.

Montreal – Healthy City and its “Physically Active Montreal” initiative : As a member of the TIR-SHV Collective, Montréal-Métropole en santé is mandated to serve as a regional intersectoral roundtable on healthy lifestyles.
Montréal — Métropole en santé supports networks of stakeholders who join forces to promote healthy lifestyles for all Montrealers.
Montréal Physically Active supports networks of stakeholders who join forces to promote physically active lifestyles for all Montrealers.

Sports Montréal: Sports Montréal’s mission is to foster a passion for physical activity from an early age by creating positive, educational, and accessible sports experiences. Sports Montréal is the organization that runs the Montreal Games, owned by the City of Montreal.

RSEQ Montréal: RSEQ Montréal is a non-profit organization that brings together all schools in the Centre de services scolaire de la Pointe-de-l’Île, the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal, and 31 French-language private high schools in Montréal.
RSEQ Montréal’s mission is to contribute to student retention and educational success, as well as personal development, by promoting health, sports, and physical activity in the student community.

RSEQ Lac-Saint-Louis: As a key partner in promoting educational success through sports, physical activity, and healthy lifestyles, RSEQ Lac-Saint-Louis is a service organization that supports school service centers and private schools within its territory.
The RSEQ Lac-Saint-Louis territory comprises the elementary and secondary schools of the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Service Center (CSSMB), the Trois-Lacs School Service Center (CSSTL), and the private schools (FEEP) located within the territory (as defined by the two school service centers).

RSEQ GMAA: The Greater Montreal Athletic Association (GMAA) is a school sports organization dedicated to promoting athletics in English-language schools in the Greater Montreal area.

Quebec federations recognized by the ministry responsible for sports, or Canadian federations recognized by Sport Canada. A sports federation A sports federation is responsible for:

• to develop and implement a plan to promote excellence in sports;
• to implement training and professional development programs for sports administrators;
• to help develop and manage a network of competitions within its territory in its discipline(s);
• to regulate the discipline(s) within its field of activity;
• to represent the structure of its sport(s) in dealings with other organizations (national or international federations).

Sports Québec : To fulfill its mission and promote the interests of the Quebec sports system, SPORTSQUÉBEC oversees and coordinates numerous programs aimed at developing sports in Quebec.

Sports and Academics Alliance : Recognized and funded by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, the Alliance Sport-Études brings together 46 colleges, the Cégep à distance, and eleven universities. Its mission is to support the academic and athletic perseverance and success of high-level Quebec athletes pursuing higher education.

RSEQ : The Quebec Student Sports Network is a sports federation responsible for the development of sports within Quebec’s educational institutions.

Aléo Foundation : The Aléo Foundation offers scholarships to promising student-athletes to ease their financial burden and encourage them to balance their athletic and academic pursuits. It provides support services to its scholarship recipients to foster their overall development and encourage them to continue their studies and athletic careers.

Sport’Aide : Sport’Aide’s mission is to provide leadership in implementing initiatives that promote a healthy, safe, and harmonious sports environment for young athletes and to offer support services to various stakeholders in the sports community, at both the elite and recreational levels.

Canadian Federations: National sport organizations (NSOs), sometimes referred to as national sport federations (NSFs), are national governing bodies for their respective sports in Canada. They perform many important functions, including:

• • govern all aspects of a sport in Canada;
  • manage their elite sports programs;
  • select and manage their national team;
  • implement initiatives aimed at developing and promoting their sport;
  • approve national competitions and tournaments;
  • provide professional development opportunities for coaches and officials in their respective sports;
  • submit and support bids to host international competitions in Canada.

Canadian Olympic Committee: The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is the private, non-profit organization that represents Canada on the International Olympic Committee. The COC is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization.

Canadian Paralympic Committee: The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a private, non-profit organization with 25 member sports organizations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic movement. The Canadian Paralympic Committee’s vision is to be the best Paralympic nation in the world. Its mission is to lead the development of a sustainable Paralympic sport system in Canada to enable athletes to reach the podium at the Paralympic Games.

Sports Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC): The SDCC’s objectives focus on education and prevention. Its role is to provide tools and guidance to ensure that minor disputes are resolved quickly and informally.

Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport : The CSE is an independent, non-profit multisport organization. Its vision is fair, safe, accessible, and inclusive sport. The organization believes that the purpose of sport is to contribute to society, and that ethics in sport is the best way to achieve this. The organization believes that by working to promote True Sport, advocating for ethical sport, and protecting the integrity of sport, they will fulfill their mission and make their vision a reality. 

U Sports : U Sports is the governing body for intercollegiate athletics in Canada. The organization coordinates the staging of Canadian university championships, oversees the presentation of various team and individual awards, and promotes the practice of sports at the university level.

City of Montreal: The City of Montreal is the capital of Quebec and the second most populous city in Canada. 

In the area of sports, following a review of municipal responsibilities and consultations on regional sports activities, the Sports Division of the Department of Major Parks, Mount Royal, and Sports (SGPMRS) has been tasked with coordinating regional sports initiatives, effective January 1, 2021. These responsibilities include managing partnership agreements related to the Regional Sports Associations Support Program, as well as managing reservations for outdoor sports fields in the Montréal-Concordia area.

To enable the SGPMRS to oversee the organization of regional sports and the administration of the Recognition and Support Policy, the boroughs of the City of Montreal have delegated authority over regional sports to it, pursuant to Section 85 of the Charter of the City of Montreal.

Montreal boroughs: The City of Montreal is divided into 19 boroughs. Each borough is governed by a borough council that has powers, responsibilities, and obligations regarding urban planning, fire safety and civil protection, the environment, local, community, cultural, and social economic development, culture, recreation (sports), parks, and local roads. Here is the list of Montreal boroughs:

• •  Ahuntsic-Cartierville
  • Anjou
  • Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
  • Lachine
  • LaSalle
  • Plateau-Mont-Royal
  • The Southwest
  • Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève
  • Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
  • Montreal North
  • Outremont
  • Pierrefonds-Roxboro
  • Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles
  • Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
  • Saint-Laurent
  • Saint-Léonard
  • Verdun
  • Ville-Marie
  • Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension

Related cities: The Greater Montreal area comprises 16 cities. In addition to the City of Montreal, here are the 15 affiliated cities located on the island of Montreal: 

• • Baie-D’Urfé
  • Beaconsfield
  • Côte-Saint-Luc
  • Dollard-Des Ormeaux
  • Dorval
  • Hampstead
  • Kirkland
  • East Montreal
  • Montreal West
  • Mount Royal
  • Pointe-Claire
  • Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
  • Senneville
  • Westmount

Montreal Metropolitan Area: The territory of the metropolitan area includes the entire island of Montreal, Bizard Island, and a few other small islands. The metropolitan area therefore covers the same territory as the administrative region of Montreal. The agglomeration should not be confused with the Montreal Metropolitan Community, which includes the Montreal agglomeration and all other municipalities and RCMs in the Montreal metropolitan area (the city of Laval, the North Shore, and the South Shore). The Montreal Agglomeration Council is responsible for a number of functions, including public transit, police and fire services, water supply, support for elite athletes, and national and international sporting events, to name just a few.

INS Québec: The Institut national du sport du Québec is a non-profit organization that supports all athletes involved in Olympic or Paralympic sports, as well as elite coaches in Quebec.
The Institute offers scientific, medical, and professional services. As a member of the Canadian Network of Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institutes and the Francophone Olympic Network for Sports Medicine Research, the Institute operates throughout Quebec through its network of 8 regional multisport training centers, 22 single-sport training centers, and its Olympic Park Complex.
In addition, through a partnership with the relevant Canadian associations and provincial sports federations, INS Québec hosts 10 resident sports at its Olympic Park Complex.

• Boccia
• Boxing
• Fencing
• Gymnastics
• Judo
• Swimming
• Artistic swimming
• Short-track speed skating
• Diving
• Water polo

Single-sport training centers: Single-sport training centers offer discipline-specific coaching and facilities and are designed for both current elite athletes and the next generation of athletes. The single-sport training centers currently located on the Island of Montreal are:

• Center 21.02 (women's hockey)
• Quebec Karate Center of Excellence
• Olympic Basin Center for Excellence in Rowing
• Montreal National Training Centre (Figure Skating)
• Montreal National Short Track Centre (Speed Skating)
• National Tennis Center
• National Track and Field Development Center

Other organizations are part of Montreal’s sports ecosystem, either by operating in Montreal or through activities that impact the city. These include the Alliance Montréal (basketball), the Montreal Canadiens (hockey), CF Montréal (soccer), the Montreal Alouettes (football), the World Anti-Doping Agency, La Force de Montréal (hockey), La Toundra (basketball), and Le Royal de Montréal (Ultimate)…