Case Studies ❯ Canada Soccer’s School Program

Canada Soccer’s

Soccer in Schools Initiative

Introduction

Canada Soccer is enhancing its engagement with youth through the Soccer in Schools initiative, connecting schools, educators, and students nationwide. This program removes barriers to sport participation, ensuring every child has access to quality soccer experiences. Through trained coaches and age-appropriate curriculum, Canada Soccer inspires a passion for soccer and promotes lifelong physical activity, positioning its programs as trusted educational resources that encourage active lives beyond the classroom.

The Goal

Canada Soccer envisions a world where every child has access to quality sport and recreation. Recognizing the important role of school in kids’ lives, the Soccer in Schools initiative aims to be the starting point for a child's soccer journey. By removing barriers to sport participation i.e. transportation and registration fees, the program ensures that youth have access to trained coaches, age-appropriate curriculum, proper equipment, and supportive environments, promoting lifelong physical activity and wellness. The goal is to showcase Canada Soccer's programs as trusted and reliable educational resources, sparking classroom engagement and encouraging curiosity that goes beyond the school yard. Ensuring accessibility is a priority, as well as creating passion for an active life among youth.

The Challenge

While soccer is one of Canada's most popular sports, with millions of registered participants, there are still obstacles preventing some youth from participating fully. These barriers include transportation issues, registration fees, extracurricular schedule demands, and seasonal registration processes.

The Solution

To promote equity, diversity, and inclusion, Canada Soccer reached out to Kidzsmart to develop a series of activity booklets – the Canada Soccer Playbooks. These resources work as instructional and awareness tools for the Soccer in Schools program, highlighting accessibility and engagement. Key components of the solution include:

The Playbooks feature soccer activities for school and home, along with nutrition information, trivia/games, and aspirational content from the national team

Three versions of the Playbooks are developed for different age groups: K-2 (Youth aged 3-6), 3-5 (Youth aged 7-10), and 6-8/9 (Youth aged 11-14)
The Playbooks are available in seven languages, including English, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, Yue (Cantonese), Spanish, and Tagalog
Additionally, Canada Soccer collaborated with Indigenous partners to develop an Indigenous Playbook Package, featuring content tailored to Indigenous languages, culture, and art, promoting Indigenous ways of knowing and incorporating Indigenous perspectives on soccer