What is Grassroots Soccer

The Canada Soccer Grassroots Standards have been designed to create the best possible learning and development environment for young players in Canada. First introduced in 2020, the Grassroots Standards are based on Sport for Life’s Long-term Athlete Development (2005) and Canada Soccer’s Long-term Player Development (2008) as well as global best practice while considering the realities of Canadian soccer and will become mandatory for all member organizations (clubs, academies, districts/regions, leagues) in Canada in advance of the 2026 playing season.

Canada Soccer's Grassroots Standards will be applied to all levels of play from  U13 and below where participants take part in small-sided games with fewer than 11 players per team using modified rules and regulations. The focus of these programs is building a love of soccer, sport, physical activity, skill development, and fostering a sense of belonging within a positive learning environment. 

Guiding Principles

• Grassroots Programs should be appropriately structured for the age and stage of the participating players andallow for the opportunity for multi-sport participation, activity sampling, and life balance.
• Grassroots Matches should be played on fields, with goals and balls, and following a match day format that is developmentally appropriate for the participating players.
• Coaches have the greatest impact on the experience of players and every child deserves a properly qualified coach.
• Children register to play soccer, not to watch others play or spend time traveling. Teams should strive for fairplaying time and limit travel time as much as possible. 
• Talent identification and selection should be delayed as long as possible to provide as many players as possible with the best training environment available. 
• Match results should not be the focus of grassroots soccer as this restricts player development and negatively impacts the player experience.

Resources

What Is Grassroots Soccer

Canada Soccer Grassroots Standards

Canada Soccer Grassroots Program Guide