Designed specifically for elementary schools, the program is based on a series of exciting three to six day soccer sessions per school year. Our master coaches develop age-appropriate skills in every student, regardless of ability. Teachers and parents are also introduced to coaching with the additional help of a manual and a website to provide ongoing instruction and support.

The results get students moving, build confidence and respect for self and others, and develop a sense of fair play, built on soccer’s skills of balance, running, ball handling, team play and concentration. 

More than anything else, Kickin’ - Soccer in School creates enthusiastic, joyful participation.

Using the latest coaching methodology, plus the province wide infrastructure of our District Development Centres as community hubs, this proven program is completing its official pilot year, and the response is outstanding.

Together with our partners from PASS (Play Active School Soccer), the BC Soccer Association is pleased to deliver Kickin’ - Soccer in School to participating schools in Burnaby, Victoria and Prince George during the 2007/08 school year, with strong interest from around the province to both extend and expand the program.

(Please see “Participating Schools” for a complete listing.)

Why schools are choosing soccer

Soccer is called “the beautiful game” around the world. Regardless of their ethnic or socioeconomic background, kids unite around the famous black and white ball. The language of the game – the joyful movement of running with a ball – is universal.

Kickin - Soccer in School brings the healthy action, the joyful play, and the lifelong love of team sports to elementary schools – the ideal place to establish skills and attitudes.

School principals and teachers speak of watching new students become fully included. Students who are new to not only our language, but our country and culture laugh and play together with their classmates.  Students from diverse backgrounds truly connect, with a sense of pride of accomplishment.

And, with rising rates of obesity and dropping rates of activity, soccer drills and games are naturally great workouts. Players quickly make the direct connection between a healthy lifestyle and soccer performance, and our comprehensive approach reinforces smart choices, from nutrition to social activities. The earlier these begin, the more established they will be throughout the students’ lives. And the healthier their lives will be.

In a nutshell, soccer makes the world fit. Beautifully. 

Kickin’.  Continuity for long-term benefits

The graduated Kickin’ program, with development-oriented methods, builds on the skills taught and developed in the previous year, right through from K to 7.

The design of the program, with Kickin’’ delivered in school clusters that feed into one secondary school, allows for a critical mass of students to continue their participation beyond their elementary years. Inter- and intramural teams and competitions are natural developments, and secondary-elementary mentoring is a definite future possibility.

Long-term involvement and continuity is further supported by the community-based club structure, which allows interested players to participate beyond the school. Kickin’ is anchored and administered by the Master Coach, staff, and volunteers of the regional District Development Centres hand in hand with the neighborhood soccer clubs. With eleven DDCs located throughout the province, ongoing leadership, guidance and development support are assured.

How is Kickin’ - Soccer in School delivered?

Kickin’ - Soccer in School is a partnership designed to bring the experience and expertise of resources of the BCSA and PASS together with the school to impart knowledge that creates competent coaches and active, involved students. It enhances the capacity of both the school and the community it serves and the lives of the students.

It is a key focus of the program to not only enrich the school experience for all stakeholders alike, but to also fit as seamlessly as possible in with the individual scheduling and resource realities of each participating school. Ordinarily, schools will opt to have between three to six “soccer days” as part of their annual Kickin’ program, which could be held on consecutive days or over a period of three to six weeks with one “soccer day” per week.

As we respect and embrace the uniqueness each school has to offer and since many variables like scheduling requirements, size and make-up of student population, resource base and connectedness within the community of a school’s catchment area factor into the delivery of the program, BCSA and its partners continue to make diligent efforts to connect with each existing and prospective partner school personally to fully understand your needs and expectations before working with you to create a marvelous Kickin’ experience for all involved.

The development and delivery of this program is supported by the Government of British Columbia through Act Now and 2010 Legacies Now; by the Vancouver Foundation and Telus. Its delivery is monitored and evaluated to ensure it meets the needs of all involved: teachers, parents, the capacity of the community and the BC Soccer Association.

Initially, Kickin’ - Soccer in school is in a total of twenty schools in three clusters in Burnaby, Victoria and Prince George. Each area has lower than average community participation in sports.

The BC Soccer Association is the provincial governing body, and is responsible for establishing technical methods, monitoring and evaluating criteria, and establishing the program and ongoing communications with the schools and community.

The delivery model and DDC/community club structure of the BC Soccer Association is also a vital element in developing the local cadre of volunteers. The interest and dedication of soccer’s vast volunteer community is vital to the success of Kickin’ - Soccer in School in recruiting, instructing and retaining new volunteer coaches, organizers and managers.

The Legacy

The immediate measurable result of Kickin’ - Soccer in school is participation. We can count the numbers of participants and evaluate their development. We can also record the number of new volunteers in the community, and the increase in the number of local teams.

But longer term, the potential benefits are more broad and deep.

How has this participation in a healthy, dynamic, team activity been a factor in the personal success of kids?

How much has this lifestyle changed the community, bringing new social groups together, increasing the sense of inclusion?

Measurement of decreases in crime, in unhealthy eating and other behaviours, plus increases in participation in sports, in non-risky behaviours are the real indicators of success.

These transformations are needed in all of our schools, in every community. Now and tomorrow. And, from our observations of the success of the program to date, responses such as “enthusiasm”, “more energy than we have ever seen”, “a real coming together of the whole student body” are already common.

The BC Soccer Association believes in the power of its sport to create significant change

And it begins with our children, Kickin’ in school.

List of Participating Schools