About Free Play for Kids
Free Play for Kids (FPFK) is a registered charity based in Edmonton, founded in 2007 as Free Footie. What started as a weekly free soccer program for kids in need quickly expanded to include basketball, hockey, flag football, and food education, leading us to rebrand to Free Play for Kids.
The critical need for safe, accessible community spaces continues to be highlighted — especially now, as families face rising costs, instability, and economic uncertainty. We responded by growing programming from one day a week to every day. This means we double as free childcare, helping families save money for essential needs while providing reliable, high-quality after-school care during the most vulnerable hours of the day.
Today, Free Play is recognized as an essential community unifier – an organization that brings children and families together across neighbourhoods, cultures, and backgrounds, strengthening community resilience during uncertain times. With an estimated $4.50 return to Edmonton’s economy for every $1 invested, Free Play represents one of the region’s highest-impact social investments.
Our Approach
Our mission is to empower communities through play. We provide safe, accessible, and inclusive after-school programs for kids in grades 3 to 12 through a variety of sports and recreation opportunities.
We believe in holistic support and positive youth development through a three-pillared curriculum of physical literacy, nutritional literacy, and social-emotional learning. Together, these foundational components form our Sport to Life curriculum, guiding children to build confidence, resilience, teamwork, and leadership.
By offering consistent mentorship and a sense of belonging – even when families are navigating financial stress or change – Free Play helps create meaningful, generational change and prepares young people to become future community leaders.
Our Programs
Free Play supports 4,500 families per year through our intentional pathway of programs:
1. Welcome to Play for Newcomers: The Welcome to Play program helps children, youth, and parents who are in the early stages of the resettlement process in Edmonton. These families are recent refugees, currently living in hotels or transitional housing, and their kids are not yet attending school. This program provides children and parents the opportunity to play, make friends, and become comfortable participating in social recreation and sport in Canada.
2. Free to Play (Grades 3-6): Free to Play is a daily after-school program designed for children from marginalized, low-income, and newcomer families. Offered at 24 high-needs schools across the city, the program transforms the vulnerable hours after school into a time of opportunity and connection. Using our researched curriculum on social-emotional learning (SEL), kids feel good about themselves and learn how to play with others. To help kids practice their SEL and their learned sport skills, they attend weekly tournaments with other schools in Free to Play.
3. Play to Lead (Wolves): Youth who age out of elementary school can join our “Wolves Athletic Club”. They can join soccer, hockey, or basketball teams that compete in city-wide leagues. Here, youth receive advanced sports training, leadership skills, and continued mentorship support. Our social-emotional curriculum continues through these teams, driving towards our goal of building leaders in our community.
Each child/youth receives:
● an average of 350 program hours
● safe, inclusive, and accessible place to play
● social, emotional, and mental health skills
● trained and experienced coaches and mentors
● transportation and financial support
● daily snacks, weekly food literacy classes, and monthly take-home food hampers
● fun and unique experiences like playing ball hockey in Ford Hall!
This ensures every child not only plays, but is nourished, supported, and connected.
The Results
● 100% of kids feel they belong at Free Play
● 94% of parents say that Free Play is a mental health resource for their child
● 90% of kids have made new friends
● 88% of parents say that their child views their Free Play coach as a positive mentor in their life
● 85% of kids know more about healthy foods
● 84% of kids are encouraged to go to school because of Free Play
● 75% of parents stated that Free Play has had a positive impact on their family’s financial situation
To donate to Free Play for Kids, visit: www.freeplayforkids.com/donate/
