ParticipACTION, a not-for-profit organization that encourages exercise and active lifestyles, is partnering with the CBC to launch Sports Day in Canada. On Sept. 18, thousands of amateur teams will play in organized events around the country, in what Kelly Murumets, president and CEO of ParticipACTION calls a ‘grassroots level celebration of sport.’ CBC will air two hours of coverage about eight events across the country, while an additional two-hour broadcast will focus on one amateur sport in particular, she says.

More than 800 teams have already registered with ParticipACTION’s not-for-profit community partners, but a microsite and TV campaign launching today aims to increase that number over the next two months. Organized internally between CBC and the brand, promotions leading up to Sports Day include two 30- to 45-second vignettes, which will air twice per week until mid-September during CBC Sports programming. The ads will plug the Sports Day microsite, launching today, where users can register and find out more about the philosophy behind the event.

ParticipACTION is also looking for corporate sponsors, as the only way to ‘change the world’ is to have a collaboration between the private and the public sectors, says Murumets. The opportunities for brands who want to be involved include brand presence on CBCSports.ca; the opportunity to be featured on any broadcasting of Sports Day events, and in any of the promotional materials being sent out to ParticipACTION’s local partners.

‘This is designed to really build off the magic of the Olympics and get out and touch Canadians in whatever small or large communities they live in,’ says Murumets. ‘ParticipACTION is never going to change the advent of technology, and the propensity for Canadians to use screens. So we thought, let’s go to Canadians where they live and eat and breathe, but at the same time we’re going to inspire them to tell us their stories and to get off the couch and live those stories again.’