Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC)

What Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) does

The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC / CRDSC) is an independent, federally-constituted not-for-profit organization headquartered in Brossard, Quebec, that provides alternative dispute resolution services to the Canadian sport system at the national level. Established under the Physical Activity and Sport Act (Bill C-12, enacted March 2003; opened April 2004) and funded by the Government of Canada through Sport Canada, the SDRCC operates four tribunal divisions—Ordinary Tribunal (team selection, carding, eligibility, discipline, governance), Doping Tribunal (active since June 2004), Safeguarding Tribunal (created 2021 for maltreatment matters), and Appeal Tribunal—delivered through a roster of arbitrators and mediators located in every region of Canada and trained in Canadian sport law. Services span resolution facilitation, mediation, med/arb, and binding arbitration, supplemented by a Dispute Prevention Resource Centre offering workshops, webinars, model policies, publications (including the triannual "In the Neutral Zone" newsletter), and a continuously published jurisprudence database also mirrored on CanLII.

The SDRCC's revenue model is anchored by federal appropriation from Sport Canada, with a complementary Fee-for-Service Program that extends services to non-federally-funded organizations. Resolution facilitation and mediation are provided free of charge to disputes arising from federally-funded sport organizations; arbitration carries a $500 CAD filing fee plus applicable taxes. Fee-for-Service pricing includes a $750 CAD case management flat fee per case, $350/hour Dispute Resolution Professional rates, $1,500 fixed fees for conservatory measure rulings, and $2,500 fixed fees for jurisdictional arbitration, with travel and ancillary costs passed through at cost. Go-to-market is bilingual (English/French), delivered through the SDRCC website, online filing portals, workshops/webinars, press releases, public meetings, LinkedIn, and a Vimeo-hosted promotional channel, serving National Sport Organizations, Multisport Services Organizations, athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, and volunteers across Canada.

Operations are governed by a 12-member Board of Directors appointed by the federal Minister responsible for sport, with a minimum of three seats reserved for athletes and balanced regional and cultural representation. Recent activity includes a CEO transition in 2025 (outgoing CEO departure announced May 5, 2025; Francis Ménard nominated as new CEO August 20, 2025), successive updates to Service Conditions in 2025–2026, publication of the Corporate Plan for fiscal year 2026-2027, and the June 19, 2026 closure of the Abuse-Free Sport Registry and OSIC Signatory Portal. The SDRCC operates only at the national level; provincial, local, professional, and international disputes fall outside its mandate.

Name

Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC)

Legal name

Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada

Website

https://crdsc-sdrcc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) is a federally-constituted not-for-profit organization that delivers alternative dispute resolution—including mediation, arbitration, and specialized tribunals—to Canadian National Sport Organizations, athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators at the national level.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Dispute Resolution Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Compliance, Governance & Integrity Services (Safeguarding, Anti-Doping, Match Integrity) (MPAKAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB), Conflict Resolution & Negotiation (EDABAMAE)

Keywords

• Sport dispute resolution
• Arbitration services
• Mediation services
• Safe sport tribunal
• Doping tribunal

Headquarters

HQ city

Brossard

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The SDRCC is funded by the Government of Canada (Sport Canada) and is constituted by a federal act (Physical Activity and Sport Act). This is the primary source of operational funding for the organization.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The SDRCC delivers alternative dispute resolution services for sport-related conflicts at the national level in Canada, including resolution facilitation, mediation, med-arb, and arbitration through specialized tribunals (Ordinary, Doping, Safeguarding, and Appeal). The organization also operates a Dispute Prevention Resource Centre offering educational workshops, webinars, model policies, and a public jurisprudence database. Services are delivered by qualified mediators and arbitrators located across Canada in both English and French.

Product overview

The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) operates as a single integrated platform combining dispute prevention and dispute resolution services for Canadian sport. The organization offers two core elements: the Dispute Prevention Resource Centre (providing educational resources, model policies, workshops, publications, and a jurisprudence database) and the Dispute Resolution Secretariat/Tribunal (providing resolution facilitation, mediation, med/arb, and arbitration services). The Tribunal operates through four specialized divisions: Ordinary Tribunal (team selection, carding, eligibility, discipline), Doping Tribunal (anti-doping violations), Safeguarding Tribunal (maltreatment, harassment, abuse), and Appeal Tribunal (appeals of Doping and Safeguarding decisions). Services are delivered through qualified mediators, med/arb neutrals, and arbitrators located across Canada, and are available to federally-funded organizations at no cost, with fee-for-service options for other sport organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Abuse-Free Sport: A program within the SDRCC for preventing and addressing maltreatment in sport, including a public registry for safe sport.
• In the Neutral Zone

Quantifiable outcome

• Dispute resolution is faster and less costly than court proceedings
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• JAMS: Large US-based private alternative dispute resolution provider offering arbitration, mediation, and tribunal services across sectors including sport. Comparable business model (roster of neutrals, paid case management, fee-for-service pricing) but operates at much greater scale and across many industries.
• ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC): National professional association for alternative dispute resolution in Canada, certifying mediators and arbitrators and setting practice standards. Comparable to the SDRCC in providing dispute resolution infrastructure, though sector-agnostic rather than sport-specialized.
• Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS/TAS): International sport arbitration body headquartered in Lausanne, providing the highest-level arbitration for sport disputes worldwide. While operating internationally rather than nationally, CAS shares the SDRCC's core function of providing specialized, binding sport arbitration and serves as an appellate venue for cases originating at national ADR bodies.
• International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS): Global not-for-profit focused on sport integrity, safety, and security, including advisory services on safeguarding and governance frameworks. Comparable mission overlap with the SDRCC's Safeguarding Tribunal and integrity work, though operating at international policy/advisory level rather than case adjudication.

Direct peers

• Sport Resolutions (UK): UK-based independent body providing alternative dispute resolution services exclusively for sport, including arbitration, mediation, and safeguarding case management. Operates under a similar national-sport-ADR model with a roster of specialist arbitrators, making it the closest international analogue to the SDRCC.
• Sport Integrity Canada: Canadian federal body responsible for anti-doping program delivery and integrity programming; the SDRCC's Doping Tribunal adjudicates cases brought by Sport Integrity Canada. Operates as the upstream enforcement body feeding cases into the SDRCC's tribunal system.
• Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC): Canadian independent body administering the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS). Closely intertwined with the SDRCC — the SDRCC's Safeguarding Tribunal hears OSIC cases — making it the most directly co-dependent Canadian sport integrity peer.
• Sports Dispute Resolution Commission of New Zealand: Sport New Zealand-aligned body providing arbitration and mediation for New Zealand sport disputes. Operates as a smaller, national-level sport ADR peer with a directly comparable mandate and service portfolio to the SDRCC.
• National Sports Tribunal (Australia): Australian independent tribunal providing dispute resolution services for sport, covering anti-doping, safeguarding, and general sport disputes. Operates under a near-identical national-mandate model to the SDRCC, with comparable divisions for doping, member protection, and general arbitration.

Emerging players

• Canadian Sport Law Association: Canadian legal practice specializing in sport law, governance, and dispute-related advisory work. Provides overlapping expertise on sport disputes but as a private legal service rather than an independent tribunal, making it a partial-comparable emerging player in Canadian sport ADR.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sport-dispute-resolution-centre-of-canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC)