Right now, the sport runs almost entirely on volunteers. If we can earn government recognition, we open the door to real funding: the kind that can pay for professional technical officials instead of relying on volunteers forever.

To get that recognition, we need to meet Sport Canada's requirements, plus international sport accord standards. That's a mountain of paperwork and process most federations don't have the time or tools to manage well.

So I built TheSport.Fit. Software that takes everything I learned managing functional fitness and turns it into a platform for national and international governing bodies: membership, competition and qualification management, technical official certification, club directories, governance tools, all built around the standards these federations actually need to meet. The goal is simple: get internationally recognized movement standards and technical officials into the hands of every federation that wants them, faster and cheaper than building it themselves.

I've donated the full product to the Canadian Functional Fitness Federation (CF3) to serve as our beta tester, and it's already running their 2026 National Championship registrations. Next: rolling out subdomains and back end access to all 50 federations under the IF3 (International Functional Fitness Federation), so each one can meet sport accord requirements with efficient, transparent governance of their own.

Check it out: http://cf3.thesport.fit

Overview

The Canadian Functional Fitness Federation (CFFF) is committed to transparency, athlete wellbeing, and the long-term growth of our sport in Canada. Following the 2025 competitive season, and Canada’s participation in the IF3 Junior and Senior World Championships, we reviewed feedback from athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and provincial partners through direct communication and formal event feedback surveys.

This summary focuses specifically on the 2025 CFFF domestic season and Canada’s participation in the IF3 Junior and Senior World Championships. A separate report addressing the IF3 Masters World Championship will be prepared once IF3’s findings from that event are formally released. Feedback related to the Masters event continues to be collected and will be incorporated into that subsequent report.

This review also includes reflection on national leadership responsibilities. A consistent theme in the feedback was that we need clearer role definition, stronger delegation, and expanded on-site national representation at major events so athletes, coaches, and families feel supported and connected to CFFF leadership. That is on us to improve, and those lessons are already being built into how we plan and staff future seasons.

What follows outlines what we heard, what we learned, and what we are doing next to strengthen athlete experience, improve alignment across the sport system, and ensure Canada continues to meet international and Sport Canada expectations.

Key Themes Identified

1. Athlete Experience and Event Expectations

Athletes value clear communication, consistent standards, and visible leadership presence at national and international events. Feedback reinforced how important it is to know who to approach, what support exists on-site, and how national leadership is represented in real time.

Key takeaway: Athlete experience is directly tied to clear roles, accessible support, and consistent expectations across provincial and national levels.

2. Funding and Event Scale

CFFF Nationals are currently funded primarily through registration fees and modest annual athlete memberships. Without predictable, shared funding alignment across provinces, national events face limits in scale, production quality, and athlete services.

Key takeaway: Sustainable growth of Nationals requires stronger national and provincial funding alignment, and shared responsibility for national programming.

3. Communication, Governance, and Leadership Structure

Feedback pointed to confusion caused by fragmented communication pathways and unclear escalation processes. In some cases, this was compounded by insufficient clarity around national leadership roles and the scope of on-site responsibilities at events.

Key takeaway: Clear governance structures, defined communication pathways, and well-supported national representation are essential for trust, consistency, and effective engagement.

4. Coaching Standards and Athlete Development

Observations at international competition reinforced the importance of emotional regulation, respect for officials, equipment safety, and coach behaviour as part of long-term athlete development, particularly for youth and junior athletes.

Key takeaway: Competitive success must be balanced with psychological readiness, safety, and development principles that support athletes over the long term.

Alignment With Long-Term Athlete Development

These themes align closely with the Functional Fitness Long-Term Development (LTD) Framework. When competitive intensity increases faster than developmental readiness, challenges can emerge related to stress management, behaviour, and athlete autonomy.

CFFF remains committed to reinforcing LTD principles across all levels of the sport to support athlete wellbeing, retention, and sustainable performance.

What Happens Next

This is where we move from “themes” to “implementation.”

The actions below are designed to be practical, non-punitive, and focused on clarity, consistency, and sustainability. They are not about calling out individuals. They are about building a stronger system that supports athletes, protects officials and volunteers, and improves the experience for everyone involved.

1) Stronger National Representation at Major Events

• Clearer, published role definitions for CFFF representatives at major competitions (so athletes and families know who does what, and where to go for what).
• Expanded delegation and on-site support, so national leadership presence is not dependent on one person trying to do everything.
• Better advance planning for event-specific responsibilities (including presence management), so athlete support does not get lost inside logistics.

2) National and Provincial Alignment on Funding and Responsibility

• Formalizing a shared funding model that supports Nationals and national programming. This includes a phased approach for implementation beginning in 2026, with the goal of full alignment by 2027.
• Clear annual reporting on how national funds are allocated, including Nationals production quality, athlete services, judge and volunteer development, and standards enforcement.
• Stronger integration of provinces into national planning so expectations and realities are aligned early, not debated under pressure later.

3) Governance Representation and Clear Communication Pathways

• Encouraging each province to have formal representation within national governance and operations, including Board and committee involvement.
• Strengthening national committees (Athlete Development, Coaching and Education, Technical Officials and Standards) with broader provincial participation so decisions reflect real on-the-ground context.
• Defining clear, consistent communication and escalation pathways so athletes, clubs, and provinces know where “official updates” live, and how concerns are raised and addressed constructively.

4) Coach and Guardian Expectations That Match the Level of Competition

• Implementing a formal Coach Code of Conduct for CFFF Nationals and IF3-sanctioned events, aligned with Safe Sport and long-term development principles.
• Requiring acknowledgment of that code as part of coach accreditation or nomination processes (without creating new, parallel disciplinary systems).
• Standardizing a mandatory pre-event orientation for coaches and guardians attending Nationals and Worlds, delivered annually (roughly 60 to 90 minutes), covering:
  • international event realities and rule clarification processes
  • access limitations at IF3 events
  • expectation setting, escalation pathways, and athlete support best practices

This is a simple step that prevents a lot of avoidable conflict.

5) Consistency Through Shared Tools, Event Sanctioning, and Continuous Improvement

• Improving visibility of sanctioned events, standards, and expectations so athletes are not relying on informal channels to stay informed.
• Developing clearer event sanctioning protocols across levels to support consistency and quality.
• Expanding committee and volunteer involvement to reduce over-reliance on individual roles and build a more resilient federation structure.
• Continuing to use athlete and member feedback to guide ongoing refinement, with a stronger cadence of review and follow-up.

A Shared Responsibility

The continued growth and credibility of Functional Fitness in Canada depends on collaboration between athletes, coaches, clubs, provincial federations, and national leadership. Strong provinces help shape national standards. National alignment ensures consistency, fairness, and international credibility.

Our objective is simple: build a system where athletes feel supported, informed, and proud to represent Canada, with leadership structures that are clear, accessible, and resilient.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who contributed feedback and engaged constructively throughout the 2025 season. Your input directly shapes how CFFF evolves and improves. Ongoing feedback is always welcome at: www.cfff.fit/feedback

Simon Damborg

CFFF President

🔥 To the only greens supplement I've ever actually enjoyed drinking, and their willingness to jump head in to support the athletes on every event I'm part of @bioedgesciences

🤤 The only brand who I blindly trust every product they make, and I can finally go back to my daily consumption of egg white protein @blonyx

💦The hands down best tasting and actually refreshing ready to drink whey protein on the market @team.gud

🍬The newest on my brands/products I'm completely obsessed with and consume daily @gotgummygainz

👕My printer for every piece of apparel I've done with @raincityathls or @functionalfitnessleague in the last 6+ (maybe more?) years @whiterabbitcreative

🙏Thank you to @claytonphysio for their generous donation of massages & more which we gifted to my good friends (and old bosses) at @hybridathletic who stepped up to save my 🍑 and host this awesome event

🤩Also big shout out to @bodyenergyclub for the athlete bags, @celsius_canada for a caffeinated energy drink that doesn't make me think of alcohol.

🤝Also massive thank you to @djrhynoyvr who couldn't make it but lent me the gear to make sure the tunes were poppin, @hyroxkyle for coming out to show represent the #hyrox community and show that all versions of #functionalfitness can be friends, and @harboursideyouthfoundation for everything they do to support me and my @raincityfitclub kids.

I don't remember much from the weekend, but I do remember a few moments of looking up and realizing the line of tents at the event were literally all of my favorites in a row, and that meant a lot 🤗

#thortakespics (just not of the brands he loves apparently).

#functionalfitness #sportoffitness #canadianfunctionalfitness #nationalchampionships #CFFFpartners #brands #supportlocal #canadianbrands

Becoming a sport Canada recognized sport can only be accomplished via a non profit governing body. And the benefits that brings are something I believe so whole heartedly in that I'm putting a lot of @raincityathls and @functionalfitnessleague money on the line to support @canadian_functional_fitness in trying to make it happen.

All I'm asking from you is to show up, in literally ANY capacity. If you do, over the next 4 years as president I hope to get Functional Fitness government recognition. Which means not only access to massive amounts of government funding (that 100% goes back to supporting athletes via keeping large scale events affordable, helping with travel costs, and even helping pay for and to train internationally recognized judges - for ALL types of events) but I'm doing this because it's how we can get all variations of Functional Fitness into schools.

I want to see your kids get school credit for attending your gym. I want to see your coaches get hired by the school to run functional fitness style workouts and programs. I want to see the next generation growing up with the same love and passion for fitness that this community gave us.

This isn't about FF vs CF vs Hyrox - if I can accomplish what I hope over the coming years we can make all variations of Functional Fitness something that all kids grow up doing.

This can only be done via a non profit organization, and I'm putting everything I've got on the line to try to make it happen.

Signup as an individual athlete, join a team, or volunteer - or even just come say hi and support some of the incredible Canadian brands that will be there.

🙏 Help me change the world and bring whatever brand of functional fitness you support into every kids life for generations to come.

www.cfff.fit/nationals

Please tag or share this with someone you know would support this goal.

Not just because we're partnering with @canadian_functional_fitness to host the first-ever multi-day super playoff event, but because if we can make that event what it deserves to be, it'll help show the Canadian government that Functional Fitness is a sport Canadians care about—getting me one step closer to my real dream...

When I opened @raincityathls a decade ago, I dreamed of kids coming to my gym and earning PE credit for working out with their parents, being part of a healthy community. I imagined my coaches being hired to teach the proper mechanics of an air squat or a burpee in schools.

If I can legitimize FF as a sport in Canada, I can finally make that happen. One of the biggest hurdles? Awareness.

Functional Fitness isn’t here to replace @crossfit, @hyroxworld, obstacle racing, or anything else. We're here to legitimize the umbrella so we can access grant funding—and, more importantly, so I can finally get my @raincityfitclub kids school credit for all the torture I put them through (jkjk 😉).

So I’m asking for your help. I have 💯 confidence in my ability to run incredible events—if you've been part of any of the 25 FFL seasons or playoffs I’ve run, you know that's true...

The only thing I don’t know how to do? Get the word out.

I'll be sharing a LOT of videos and content over the coming weeks. If you can help spread the word, I’d appreciate it more than you can ever imagine 🙏

#FunctionalFitness #FunctionalFitnessCanada #canadianfunctionalfitness #FunctionalFitnessLeague #FFL #FFLYVR #sportgovernance #nationalsportorganization
#nso #volunteer