Stadium

Founders: Seokhoon Jun, James Jun, Nigel Atkinson, Christopher Chun

Website: www.meetup.com/futsal-stadium (external link) 

STADIUM is a Toronto based non-profit organization with the mission of promoting and enhancing the sport of soccer while using it as a tool for social change. Soccer is a powerful tool for personal development and community building, and they work to break down barriers to participation.

By developing and providing opportunities to play, interact, grow, learn, and most importantly to have fun, their goal is to ensure that everyone has an easy and affordable access to quality soccer programs that support their physical and personal development.

In 2016, the founding team noticed that Toronto’s grassroots soccer players were largely neglected from opportunities of participation. STADIUM decided to tackle this social challenge with the Design Thinking and Lean Start-up methods from the Toronto Metropolitan’s Entrepreneurship program. STADIUM was incubated at Toronto Metropolitan’s Social Venture and iBoost zones.

STADIUM organizes adult pickup games in the downtown core of Toronto, along with a kids’ program that operates for free in two TDSB locations, with a special focus on accessibility. Their aim is to build a sustainable ecosystem that accommodates the need of every grassroots soccer player in Toronto and beyond.