Safer Recruitment: Building Safer Sport from the Start

Sport has the power to bring people together, build confidence, and create a sense of belonging that lasts a lifetime. But those benefits don’t happen by accident. They are the result of intentional decisions about culture, values, and the people we invite into our sport environments.

That’s where safeguarding comes in. Safeguarding is about creating conditions where everyone can participate in sport free from harm, abuse, or fear. It includes prevention and response. And one of its most important building blocks is safer recruitment.

Safer recruitment is more than background checks or paperwork. It’s about how we think about risk, trust, and responsibility as we recruit and select coaches, volunteers, staff, contractors, and others who work directly with participants.

These ideas were at the heart of viaSport’s recent Safer Recruitment Kickoff Workshop, which brought together leaders from across BC’s sport system to learn from one another and shape this initiative to build safer recruitment practices together. This marked the beginning of our work with the pilot cohort of six Designated Sport Organizations, which included Swim BC, Volleyball BC, BC Alpine, SportAbility, and Judo BC.

The conversation began by connecting this work with personal purpose. Participants shared why they chose a career in sport: a love of community, pride in teamwork, and a belief that sport can make the world a better place. Many also spoke about wanting today’s athletes and participants to have experiences that are safe, inclusive, and positive, especially knowing that this hasn’t always been the case.

That shared “why” matters. It reminds us that safer recruitment isn’t about suspicion or red tape. It’s about protecting what makes sport meaningful.

Workshop discussions also highlighted some real and common challenges. Trust is deeply rooted in sport, but leaders acknowledged that too much informal trust, especially in small or close‑knit communities, can create risk. Limited volunteer pools, short‑term contractors, and long‑standing norms can make consistent screening and role clarity difficult. At the same time, changes to recruitment practices may feel uncomfortable for people who have “grown up” in the sport.

Another key insight was that recruitment already shapes sport experiences more than we sometimes realize. Even when organizations don’t directly recruit athletes or volunteers, decisions about performance metrics, selection criteria, and informal pathways send powerful messages about what behaviours and values matter. Safer recruitment offers an opportunity to align those messages with the kind of culture we want to see: respectful, accountable, and safe.

Participants were clear that there is no one‑size‑fits‑all solution. Capacity varies widely across clubs and organizations. What does matter everywhere is clarity. Clear roles, clear expectations, and practical processes must be simple enough to be used consistently at both provincial and local levels.

There was also a strong agreement about urgency. Young people expect safe sport environments. Communities notice when organizations take safety seriously. And when safer recruitment is embedded into everyday practice, people are more likely to speak up and act when boundaries are crossed.

Safer recruitment isn’t new work, it’s foundational work. As this pilot cohort moves forward, the focus will be on learning together, sharing what works, and building recruitment practices that reflect our shared values, so sport can truly be a place where everyone belongs and thrives. We will continue to share what we learn along the way.

Learn about Safe Participation in sport.