City of Surrey installs new sport equipment boxes in parks

The City of Surrey has launched 30 new self-service sports equipment stations across the city, aiming to make sports more accessible by allowing residents to play with sports equipment for free.

The stations will be at over 20 parks, including Bear Creek and Cloverdale Athletic Park.

While Equip Sport operates equipment stations in Europe, such as in London, Paris, and Switzerland, ​the City of Surrey is the first in North America to implement the self-service lending model and install stations. 

Each equipment station has a barcode that can be scanned using the Equip Sport app. Once the barcode is scanned, the app will display users’ equipment availability at different parks across the city, allowing them to borrow and return equipment easily. 

The lending stations include equipment such as soccer balls, basketballs, and table tennis sets.

Equip Sport brought forward the idea to install lending stations to the City of Surrey’s attention. The city saw many positive benefits from having accessible stations in parks, including the opportunity to encourage community participation in sports.

The city knew it wanted to bring these stations after their first meeting with Equip Sport, says Nicholas Blaga, community services coordinator for Sport Surrey. 

“We wanted to have the opportunity to give our community a chance to grab a ball whenever it is,” Blaga says, adding the city wanted to remove barriers like having to use a credit card, which prevents youth from actively getting involved in sports, to encourage lifelong physical activity. 

“Innovation and trying to be leaders in accessibility for sports and having our community have equitable opportunities to participate in sports is always a major thing for us.”

Jumpstart Charities sponsor the equipment station initiative. The national organization helps children facing accessibility barriers access the same opportunities as others to participate in sports. 

Blaga says the city has a great working relationship with Jumpstart.

“Partnering with Jumpstart … has been a great three-way relationship and it’s just continued to grow our status as leaders in sports and try to ensure that everyone can participate.”

Feedback has been nothing but positive for the equipment stations, Blaga says. There have been over 800 interactions with the stations in the first two days since they were installed in parks.

“I’ve been out … to some of the parks that have [the stations] to see if they are actually being interacted with,” Blaga says. “Three out of three balls are being used. In terms of [the] community, I think everyone’s excited.”

Future plans for the stations include adding more equipment stations and introducing more types of sports equipment, such as footballs and pickleballs. The goal is to continue building up the city’s reputation as a leader in community sports.

“I think it’s been fantastic what we’ve been able to achieve and I think that there’s still a hill to climb,” Blaga says.

“Surrey will become the largest municipality in the Lower Mainland, so we’re trying to set these foundations now.” 

Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play to download the Equip Sport app.