The Manitoba government is offering up money for sports gear in an effort to keep young people away from a criminal life.

The $500,000 Sport Opportunities Fund, announced Friday, will let recreational groups apply for cash for equipment and facility upgrades.

Children and Youth Opportunities Minister Kevin Chief knows the value of sports in keeping kids from making the wrong choices.

He grew up in poverty in Winnipeg's North End and credits sports for keeping himself out of trouble.

"I had such a love for sport, so I was able to do things within my community, get a positive sense of belonging," he said.

"And that's a key factor because if we don't give young people something positive to belong to, someone will seek them out to get them involved on something negative."

According to Statistics Canada, the number of crime cases completed in youth court fell in every province last year except Manitoba, whereit was up three per cent from the previous year.

With files from The Canadian Press