City stocks parks with free sports equipment like balls, frisbees

Gear lockers with various types of sporting equipment are now available for anyone to use for free. CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa has the story.

Edmontonians can now freely access sports equipment like balls, frisbees and bocce ball sets at 30 different locations across the city.

The equipment is stored in lockers and can be rented from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. through the Equip Sport app, which unlocks the locker so the equipment can be picked up and returned.

“It’s really cool because usually you got to plan it,” said Grade 11 Harry Ainley High School student Oliver, who was playing basketball with friends at Confederation Park on Tuesday. “Me and my friends come here and play basketball almost every weekend, so to see a good ball that’s high quality to just be available, no money, no nothing… It’s pretty cool.”

“I started (playing basketball) a little bit later, but it always started at an outdoor court, after school and during school,” Abraham added.

“(This) makes it a lot easier for people to get active and go have some fun, especially younger kids.”

The city says the five-year initiative, funded by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, makes active living more accessible.

“Play doesn’t have to be structured all the time, so this is what it’s all about: making sure that play can just be something people pick up and do, low barrier to access, and start having some fun. That’s good for their physical health and it’s great for their mental health,” Mayor Andrew Knack said.

The city says it is the first municipality in the province to do this.

The 30 lockers are located in 20 parks and are stocked with equipment best suited to nearby courts and fields.

The city will be monitoring usage at the sites and hopes to add more locations in the future.

In B.C. and Ontario cities where the lockers are already in use, Jumpstart Charities spokesperson Brad Ellard said the organization has been very positively reviewed.

“There’s roughly five star ratings across the board in terms of the usage of the app and (how easy),” Ellard said. “Then the comments … from those interactions is how it creates that sense of community and it’s really welcoming from the perspective of it’s a city giving back to their community and finding a way to build that sense of connectivity and belongingness within the spaces they live.”

Another Grade 11 student, Olu, echoed this: “Edmonton’s a growing community. We have a growing sports atmosphere. Basketball is going up; football is going up; volleyball is going up. I feel it’s important to let (kids) try different things.”

A map of the lockers in Edmonton is available online.

They will be stocked from spring through fall.

Users can report damage at the sites. If a locker is damaged twice in two separate occasions, it will be relocated.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa