It’s “game on” in Surrey, B.C., where the city has rolled out dozens of new stations that allow residents and visitors to borrow sports equipment for free.
Surrey is the first city in North America to roll out the Equip Sport program, which uses an app to unlock equipment boxes at dozens of public parks and start playing.
“You just have to have the app on your phone and you go up to the box and you can get out a basketball, volleyball, soccer balls, whatever you’re looking for,” Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said.
“Some kids can’t afford equipment, and so it’s really the equalizer.”
Other items equipped in some stations include ping pong paddles and balls, jump ropes, resistance bands and dumbbells.
Locke said about 20 of the eventually planned 30 lending stations are already in place, including at Cloverdale Athletic Park, Tamanawis Park, Bear Creek Park and South Surrey Athletic Park.
The program is being delivered at no cost to the taxpayer, with funding through Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities.
Equip Sport is a Swiss company that already operates about 400 similar lending stations across Europe.
Locke said in some of those countries the platform requires users to attach a credit card to the app, but Surrey has not enabled that feature.
Global News caught up with Marine James and her son Owen, who were visiting Surrey from Rossland, as they borrowed a basketball from one of the kiosks in Royal Kwantlen Park.
“I’m a former P.E. teacher, so I definitely see sport declining with a lot of the teens these days and I think getting everyone out regardless of age, colour, race, gender, I think is a really good opportunity for everyone,” she said.
“Hopefully, these can spread across the Lower Mainland and into the province. I’d love to see something like this in our little town in the Kootenays.”
You can find a full list of parks equipped with the borrowing stations here.