Will Port Coquitlam soon become the nerve centre for B.C. sports?

Port Coquitlam will be the best sporting community in B.C. — “no if, ands or buts.”

That’s the word from Ryan Clark, executive director of the Port Coquitlam Sports Alliance, who on Tuesday, Sept. 3 gave an overview of the nonprofit’s past and upcoming activities.

In his presentation to the city’s committee of council, Clark spoke about the group’s plans to build a strong sporting culture in PoCo by nurturing local talent and hosting tournaments and events around the city.

“It’s something that we’ve always talked about and it’s going to happen,” Clark said of turning PoCo into a nerve centre and destination for amateur and professional athletes.

Clark, who also oversees the collegiate transition programs and showcase events for the Vancouver Whitecaps and BC Soccer, said the PoCo Sports Alliance now boasts 25 members, including the City of Port Coquitlam, School District 43 and sports academies.

This summer, it hosted its second sports festival at Gates Park and the Port Coquitlam Community Centre for residents to try out different sports and get involved.

At the fest, Clark said, he met a Vancouver couple that had recently opened a boxing club in PoCo because they “heard Port Coquitlam is the spot to be for sports and recreation. That was really, really cool the fact that messaging is going on […] and this is the place where they landed.”

Clark said the planning and facility investments that are being made in PoCo are paying off with PoCo athletes and teams — for boys and girls — clinching provincial titles and trophies, especially in lacrosse, football, basketball, volleyball, swimming, softball and soccer.

These tangible results, he said, put PoCo on the map.

Clark said the annual sports awards evening and Sport Hall of Fame inductions, as well as the recognitions from city council, also go a long way to building sports foundations and inspire youth to go forward. By bringing the “rising stars” on stage and honouring them for their hard work and dedication gives them a boost before their parents and peers.

As for next year, PoCo Sports plans to:

run a BC Soccer provincial ID weekend from May 17 to 19 at Gates Park
host its recognition evening on Friday, June 14 at Riverside Community Church
stage its third annual PoCo Sports Festival on July 13 and 14
partner with the Special Olympics
collaborate with the city for a local champions display

“The future is very bright,” Clark said.

Mayor Brad West said the city is going through an unprecedented growth in sports and PoCo Sports is playing a part to encourage healthy living.

Coun. Nancy McCurrach, council’s arts and culture liaison, said she was thrilled with the high-quality video presentation at the awards night. And she suggested a future partnership, or similar recognition model, to lift up PoCo artists and performers.

Coun. Paige Petriw also remarked on the video production value by PoCo Sports that puts young residents’ developmental years in sports in the spotlight.