We are asking Canada Soccer and soccer associations across Canada to bring back scoring and offside in U11 and keep it in U13 soccer. 

My 9 year old daughter loves soccer. It is one of the only activities she genuinely enjoys and gets her away from her phone and the TV. When she asked me, “Why do I need to go to soccer if we don’t even keep score?” it broke my heart.

Children need something to work toward.

Competition is not the enemy of fun. It is part of sport.

We want our kids to learn teamwork, sportsmanship and skill, but we also want them to learn how to compete, win, lose, work harder and try again. Those are life skills.

Taking away scoring removes a goal to work toward. Taking away offside removes an important part of learning the actual game. And bringing these rules back suddenly at U15 puts kids at a disadvantage after years of playing without them.

Practice is where we develop. Games are where we compete. Tournaments should mean something.

We are not asking for pressure or an unhealthy focus on winning. We are asking that children be allowed to experience the full game and learn how to handle both victory and disappointment.

Please keep scoring. Please keep offside. Let our kids compete.

If you agree, sign and share this petition with other soccer families across Canada.

Let them play. Let them compete. Let them learn.