Sport Rental Allocation Guidelines

Purpose

The purpose of the Sports rental allocation guidelines is to establish a clear, equitable, and efficient process for allocating time and space at the City of Kitchener’s sport facilities including sport fields, gymnasiums, indoor/outdoor courts, cricket nets, and multi-purpose rooms.

Scheduling priorities

Booking requests for the use of outdoor sport fields, which are received by the required deadlines, will be processed according to the following priority listing:

1. City of Kitchener programming and operations
2. Special events and tournaments
3. Affiliated minor sport organizations
4. Non-affiliated not-for-profit sport organizations
5. City of Kitchener neighbourhood associations
6. Resident private renters and casual users
7. For profit sport organizations/renters

Competing requests at the same level of priority will be prioritized as follows:

• Special events and tournaments
• Leagues
• Games
• Practices

Timelines

The timelines below are goals for field requests and allocation. These goals may vary based on the season and will be communicated in writing to user groups. All dates are subject to change at the discretion of the City of Kitchener.

If timelines are not adhered to, a group may forfeit their place (partially or entirely) in the scheduling process if notice has not been given by the city. This includes the loss of historic times and preferred locations.

• December 1
  • Outdoor booking requests are due from all user groups except non-affiliated casual groups and private renters.
• March 1
  • Outdoor sports field permits are signed and returned.
  • Booking requests are due from non-affiliated casual groups and private renters
• April 1
  • Indoor sports field booking requests are due from all user groups
• August 1
  • Indoor sports field permits are signed and returned.

Facility allocation principles

1. Equity and emerging sports: The City may, at its discretion, allocate or reallocate time to support equity‑seeking groups or emerging sports where reasonable and feasible.
2. Residence priority: City of Kitchener resident user groups are prioritized over non‑resident groups within the same allocation category.
3. School board facilities: For facilities located on school board property, the applicable school board retains first right of refusal and City permits may be adjusted accordingly.
4. No guaranteed entitlement
   
   • Allocation does not carry forward automatically: Facility allocations are established on an annual basis and must be requested each season in accordance with published timelines. Previous allocations do not automatically renew and are subject to review against current operational needs, facility availability, allocation priorities, and overall demand.
   • Historical use does not guarantee future access: While historical use may be considered as one factor during the allocation process, it does not create an entitlement to continued access, preferred locations, specific dates, or time slots. The City does not recognize grandfathered or permanent allocation arrangements.
   • Underutilization or non‑compliance may impact future allocations: User groups that consistently underutilize allocated time, fail to comply with permit terms and conditions, return time late or frequently, or do not meet payment obligations may be subject to reduced or denied access in future allocation cycles. The City reserves the right to reassign facility time to maximize utilization and support fair and equitable access for the broader community.
5. Scheduling norms
   • Younger participants are generally scheduled earlier in the day where feasible.
   • While prior season allocations are considered, they do not create entitlement...
6. Unused time
   • Affiliated organizations must release unused time at least 14 days in advance, unless otherwise approved.
     
   • Released time may be reallocated based on priority order.

Facility specific considerations

1. Cricket facilities: Due to limited inventory, allocations are generally stable year-to-year, subject to maintenance, closures and operational needs.  Newly available time will be allocated equitably.
2. Seasonal facilities - operating windows 
   • Artificial turf: generally available early April to early November
     
   • Natural grass: generally available mid‑May to late November
   • Unlit fields: to be used during daylight hours only

Note: Access to seasonal facilities is weather, maintenance, and staffing‑dependent.

Conflict Resolution

Any conflicts will be reviewed by a scheduling supervisor who will act as arbitrator. Any group involved in a conflict will submit their rationale for their request in writing to the scheduler and scheduling supervisor.

Along with this information, consideration will be given to the following factors as a guide to the final decision: 

• Allocation priorities
• User category and status
• Historical use
• Purpose of use (league, game, practice, event)
• Account standing and payment history
• Overall fairness of allocation

Decisions issued by the Scheduling Supervisor are final.

How to book a sports field

Visit our how to book a field page for instructions.