FAQs

Tackle Football and Your Child (Ages 8 – 16)

Why Should My Child Play Football?
How Safe is Tackle Football?
At What Age Should my Child Play Football?
What are my Responsibilities as a Parent?
Fair Play Code for Parents
Why Should My Child's Coach Become Certified?

Tackle Football and Your Child

The following addresses some of the questions and concerns that parents have raised about their child’s participation in football. For more information and resources contact:

Football Canada,

100-2255 St. Laurent Boulevard, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 4K3
Tel: (613) 564-2675
Fax: (613) 564-6309
admin@footballcanada.com

Why Should My Child Play Football?

Children play football because it is fun, challenging and exciting. Most kids love being part of a team.

Football teaches cooperation and teamwork, helps develop positive social skills, and teaches respect for others. It helps build self-confidence, a positive self-image and self-worth. It enables a child to improve upon and develop a broad range of motor skills like throwing, catching, running, kicking, balance, agility and coordination. Because a large variety of skills and physical abilities are required on a football team, there is a position for every child to play.

How Safe is Tackle Football?

Tackle football is a contact sport and injuries do occur. However, the risk of injury is no greater than in other contact sports, when:

Played within the rules that are appropriate to the age and abilities of the players;
Teams conduct business with a “child first” attitude;
Games are well officiated;
Proper playing techniques are taught;
Coaches are appropriately trained; and
Proper, well fitting and maintained equipment is worn.

The safety and well being of participants is the number one concern of Football Canada and its members.

At What Age Should my Child Play Football?

Children at an early age are attracted to competitive sport. Competition is not generally a problem unless too much emphasis is placed on winning. As long as the players are of relatively similar skill level, strength, age and stature they can compete safely in football.

Your child should be encouraged to play football only when he/she exhibits an interest in doing so. As soon as the child can comprehend team play and wants to participate with a team then a child is ready for football.

The choice will be whether your child plays tackle, flag or touch football. Check with your local league or provincial association as to what is available.

What are my Responsibilities as a Parent?

BE A SUPPORTER OF YOUR CHILD AND THE TEAM.

Acquire an understanding and appreciation for football.

The principles of Fair Play are: respect for the rules; respect the coaches and officials and their decisions; respect for your opponents; giving everyone an equal chance to play; maintaining your self control at all times. By promoting these principles, by word and action, you will make football better for your child and for everyone.

Fair Play Code for Parents (1)

I will not force my child to participate in Football.
I will remember that my child plays sport for his or her enjoyment, not for mine.
I will encourage my child to play by the rules and to resolve conflicts without resorting to hostility or violence.
I will teach my child that doing one’s best is as important as winning, so that my child will never feel defeated by the outcome of a game.
I will make my child feel like a winner every time by offering praise and encouragement for competing fairly and trying hard.
I will never ridicule or yell at my child for making a mistake or losing a competition.
I will remember that children learn best by example. I will applaud good plays by both my child’s team and their opponent’s.
I will never question the officials’ judgement or honesty in public.
I will support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from football.
I will respect and show appreciation for volunteer coaches who give their time to provide football for my child.

ASSIST THE COACH AND TEAM

Usually every team requires help. Assess your interest, time and talents, and offer to assist. Driving children to and from practices and games, working flag sticks or the time clock, keeping statistics, filming the game, fund raising, being the teams equipment manager, acting as the team trainer are a few of the activities which will take some of the burden off the coach and allow him/her to spend more time coaching.

Provide the coach with helpful information pertaining to your child’s personality, health and previous athletic experience, so he/she will understand your child better.

(1) Fair Play, A Parent’s Guide, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (Fair Play Canada)

Why Should My Child's Coach Become Certified?

The objectives of the National Coaches Certification Program, through which Football Canada certifies coaches, is to provide formal training in the art and science of coaching; to improve leadership skills, tactics, techniques and strategies, to inculcate ethical standards of behaviour and to emphasis the safety orientation in all aspects of football.