Sports: Soccer

Although the real Olympic Games won’t be held until next year, there’s no reason why your family can’t enjoy some Olympics-themed fun at home this summer.

During COVID-19, coaches have had to evolve fast to keep athletes engaged and active while they’re apart from their teammates.

It’s not easy to be shuttered indoors during COVID-19, but these are some simple ways to help kids stay active and distracted.

One key indicator is showing confidence while attempting new activities

Many parents have asked me if I think competition is healthy for kids. Is it healthy? Is it “toxic”? Does it diminish self-confidence?

As parents and coaches, we must make youth sports fun for kids. Tim Hortons’ latest advertisement highlights this.

Caleigh MacPherson, a soccer player for the Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers, fell in love with the sport from a very young age. She was just four years old when she first started playing soccer, but she said the fact that she spent time spent playing other sports too is what helped her become the high-performing athlete … Continued

From early specialization to costly programs to hyper-competition, this documentary tells its story through the voices of people directly involved: parents, coaches, and teachers.

Casual sport and neighbourhood play are important. But as our urban centres grow, competition for our public spaces increases as well.

It’s important to understand how yelling in the stands might affect your child’s focus and his or her overall enjoyment of the game.

“Any questions?” This well-meaning phrase, when posed to a group of young female athletes, often results in 10 or more hands shooting up, and you as a coach end up standing there fielding questions like you’ve just entered your own personal press conference. You may be thinking to yourself, “Well that’s just how kids are.” … Continued

Playgrounds and unstructured free play have always been my go-to options for my two boys’ exercise and entertainment. But as they’ve grown in height, they’ve also been growing apart in terms of their interests, as well as their physical and social skills. Despite their five-year age difference, when they were younger both would happily play … Continued

There is a lot of money in kids’ sports. In Canada alone, recent research suggests that youth sport has become an industry worth $8.7 billion per year. Unfortunately, amid this flow of dollars, and the sometimes astronomical cost for parents, many kids from lower-income homes are getting left on the sidelines. Enter Tim Adams with … Continued

A new free multisport program in Nova Scotia is helping more Cape Breton Island children develop physical literacy while learning how to play various sports. Capers in the Community launched this summer and is being offered at no cost in towns throughout the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM). The four-day camp gives children ages five to … Continued

We don’t sell commercial ad space on Active for Life, but once in a while, we recognize advertising campaigns that promote important messages. This is the case with the Visa ad campaign developed for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which started earlier this month. The campaign video shows a series of female soccer players … Continued

Don’t change your dream. Change the world. That’s the messaging behind Nike’s newest ad, highlighting girls and the game of soccer.  In the three-minute video, a young female player realizes her potential by running alongside the game’s biggest names. From shooting a video game cover with Brazil’s Andressa Alves to coaching alongside former English … Continued

But role models are not enough to change the lives of Canadian girls

Ready, Aim, Kick! to the rescue One particularly difficult day, we tried an activity called Ready, Aim, Kick! (see Activity #6) from the APPLE Seeds program. This robust program introduces physical literacy skills in a sequential way within everyday play. Ready, Aim, Kick! involves playing kicking games using targets and a variety of materials, including pylons, … Continued

About once a year a sharp pang of regret hits me. It’s most likely to strike on one of two occasions: in the winter after a big snowfall or out on the lake at a summer cottage. The two situations are vastly different, yet both stir up similar feelings of regret, embarrassment, and frustration. So, … Continued

Multisport mission We want to help kids reach their potential through sport! CBRM Multisport is a collaborative project between community sport organizations, CBRM Recreation Department, and Cape Breton University (CBU), with the support of numerous community sport stakeholders. The program vision is simple, to provide children the opportunity to grow through sport by developing physical … Continued

How does an athlete become great?

Physical literacy opens many doors for students

AfL Role Model Amy Walsh shares her message of the importance of movement

Multi-sport camps keep the focus on fun