Having lived here for quite a while now, we regularly see posts on Facebook community groups, especially women’s pages, from people saying they’re new to the area, or they’ve lived here a while but their friends have moved on, and they’re struggling to meet new people.
These posts come up weekly, sometimes even daily.
And they’re often really honest. People simply asking if anyone wants to go for a walk, play sport, grab a coffee, or just meet up. What stands out is how wide this is. It’s not one specific age group or background. It’s students, working professionals, people new to Canada, and people who have been here for years.
Some are experienced skiers looking for a pal to go out with. Others are just looking for a friend to go on a hike with, grab a coffee, or try something new together. But underneath it all, it’s the same thing. People looking for connection.
And honestly, it’s something that quietly repeats itself far more often than most people realise.
Because it doesn’t feel like people aren’t trying. They are. It just feels like the current ways of meeting people aren’t really built for this kind of need.
Facebook groups weren’t designed for friend finding. Posts get buried quickly, conversations don’t always go anywhere, and it can feel a bit like hoping the right person happens to see your message at the right time.
It’s made us think a lot about what could be done better in cities like Vancouver, Whistler, Squamish, and across the island.
Especially in a world where there’s already so much noise and negativity, it feels like real life connection should be easier than this.
From what we’ve seen, one of the most natural ways people connect is through sport and movement. It breaks down awkwardness, gives people something shared to focus on, and makes meeting new people feel more natural. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced.
This is something we’ve experienced ourselves too, meeting through tennis and quickly realizing how important it is to find people at your own level and pace.
And that’s really what led us here.
If people are already going online every day trying to find friends or activity partners, there should be a better way to make that happen.
That’s why we’re building SPORTAMii.