Two Saanich Peninsula dads say they built CampMatch out of necessity.
Craig Frew and Michael Doyle, both stay-at-home fathers on the Saanich Peninsula, found themselves overwhelmed last year trying to plan school breaks and summer camps for their young sons.
“Our oldest boys were 5 and 6 at the time,” said Frew. “Planning school holidays really became important for both of us.”
The idea for CampMatch took shape during a conversation around Christmas, as spring camp registration loomed.
“Why don’t we just build something to solve the problem ourselves?” Doyle suggested.
Once the kids returned to school in January, the two dads got to work.
Frew, who moved to Brentwood Bay from Scotland nine years ago, has a background in web design and development. Doyle has worked in various tech startup roles and now runs a family e-commerce business called Moon Raven.
Both continue to do part-time work while parenting their two young boys.
They began coding the platform in early January, often working late into the night after their children were in bed.
“We lost track of the hours,” Frew said. “It never really felt like work. We were just excited to build something that could be awesome.”
CampMatch is designed as a free, centralized platform where parents can search and compare camps and youth programs.
According to the founders, there are currently more than 6,000 camps and programs listed, with the majority based in the Victoria and Vancouver area.
Over the past few weeks, the platform has seen more than 5,500 unique visitors. In its first week alone, CFB Esquimalt added more than 25 camps, and new programs continue to be added regularly as providers reach out or parents request listings.
The tool is free for both parents and camp providers. For now, Frew and Doyle say their focus is on building a genuinely helpful community resource rather than monetizing it.
The response so far has been encouraging.
They’ve received positive feedback from families not just in Victoria, but across Canada. Local parent advisory councils have also shown support, helping spread the word within school communities.
Media coverage has helped increase traffic and awareness, with more camps contacting them directly to get involved.
For the founders, what sets CampMatch apart from a simple Google search is the planning component.
Parents often juggle dozens of tabs while comparing dates, locations and prices. CampMatch includes a visual planner that allows families to lay out their entire summer, shortlist camps for each child and see how weeks line up.
“The goal isn’t just discovery,” Frew said. “It’s helping families plan with confidence and less stress.”
While the initial focus has been Victoria, the pair say they’ve already received interest from other communities across Canada and have begun adding camps in new regions as requests come in. Long term, they hope to expand nationwide.
They are also working on new features, including an automated summer camp planner that suggests programs based on a child’s interests.
As local dads, Frew and Doyle say their goal is simple.
“We just hope CampMatch becomes something families genuinely find helpful and rely on,” Frew said. “If we can make life a little easier for parents and help camps fill their programs so they can continue to add value to the community, that would be a huge success for us.”
