Matt moved to Canada in 2006 with his wife and kids. Prior to his move he had worked as a Football Development Manager in England for The Football Association, completed a Masters Degree in Sociology of Sport and qualified as a UEFA B License Football Coach. Working across the UK and North America has given him a chance to appreciate the value of soccer, its diverse communities and also the importance of clear, national strategies to support sport development at all levels.
Sport in Canada has made fantastic progress in the past 10 years. The introduction of the LTAD Model has enabled many sports to break down an elitist, exclusionary model of performance but there is still a lot of work to be done on inclusion and accessibility. We are only scratching the surface.
We acknowledge the land on which ParaSport® Ontario was built is the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Wendat, and the Haudenosaunee peoples, many of whom continue to live and work here today. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and is within the land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. Today Toronto (also known as Tkaronto) is home to many First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples and acknowledging reminds us that our great standard of living is directly related to the resources and friendship of Indigenous people.