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Canada Soccer is committed to providing soccer experiences that are safe, inclusive, and free of maltreatment and abuse.

At the national level Canada Soccer is a signatory of the Canadian Safe Sport Program which is administered by the Canadian Center of Ethics in Sport. All formal complaints at the National level are submitted and managed by the Office of the Sport Commissioner (OSIC) through the Canadian Safe Sport program.

To file a formal complaint as a national level participant:

Report Here

To file a formal complaint at the club, provincial, or territorial level of participation below are the direct links to use within your province or territory to file a complaint with the applicable Independent Third Party.

British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Newfoundland
Yukon
NWT

The Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport is the core document that sets harmonized rules that have been adopted by Canadian National Sport Organizations and Multi-Sport Service Organizations. The goal of the UCCMS is to advance a respectful sport culture that delivers quality, inclusive, accessible, welcoming and safe sport experiences.

The UCCMS addresses:

  • common principles and a commitment to advance a respectful sport culture;
  • standard definitions of various forms of maltreatment, including grooming, neglect, and physical, sexual, and psychological maltreatment;
  • a list of other prohibited behavior such as retaliation, failure to report maltreatment, intentionally filing false allegations, misuse of power, etc.; and
  • a framework for determining appropriate sanctions against such prohibited behavior.

For additional resources:

All participants deserve a sport experience that is safe, inclusive and free of maltreatment and abuse.  To this end, we work diligently and proactively to ensure all soccer experiences are great ones. We also are in consistent communication with our member associations to ensure processes, policies, and programming are in place including the transfer of information from club infractions to Canada Soccer are upheld. 

Our provinces and territories are set up with independent complaint management  to ensure complaints are dealt with without perceived or real conflicts of interest as well as handled by Safe Sport experts to ensure due process and information transmission. 

If you have witnessed or experienced maltreatment, the following are steps that can be taken:

1

Instance Assistance
  • If this is an emergency, please dial 911.

2

File a Complaint Regionally or Locally
  • I am a member of a local club and this happened at the local or provincial level:
  • Look at your local organization’s website for steps to be taken at the local or provincial/ territorial level to file a complaint. Complaints outside of National level programming can be directed to the Independent third - party reporting mechanism that is in effect for all clubs and administered at the PTSO level.
  • If your local organization does not have this information on their website, please refer directly to your PTSOs website for process and contact information.

3

File a Complaint at the National Level
(For National Level Participants)
  • I am a participant at the National level or this is an incident that happened at a National level event:
  • If you are a participant at the National Level, Canada Soccer is mandated to use Abuse-Free Sport and all complaints can be directed directly to Abuse-Free Sport on their website .
  • Not all concerns need to be a formal complaint and we also recognize anyone experiencing or witnessing maltreatment may be confused on where to go or how to navigate the system. Further, it is our goal that anyone witnessing or experiencing maltreatment is provided with various options and opportunities to seek a resolution. To this end, we have also set up a confidential* email address that is monitored by our Safe Sport Officer. You can reach out to our Safe Sport Officer at safesoccer@canadasoccer.com for support.
    *Based on the nature of information received there may be a duty to report to authorities.
Canadian Safe Sport Program
safesoccer@canadasoccer.com

The Canada Soccer Safe Sport Roster is a progressive package of programs, policies, and procedures designed to ensure that all organisations that offer soccer programming in Canada create safe, fun, and welcoming experiences for all participants.

Canada Soccer, as the governing body for sport, provides periodic updates to the requirements of member organisation clubs in support of its Safe Sport Roster. For amateur soccer organisations in Canada, the expansion of the Canada Soccer Youth Club Licensing Program as a requirement of membership has been implemented as a direct result of the unanimous adoption of the Canada Soccer Safe Sport Roster at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Members.

Ahead of the start of the 2023 soccer season, all member organisations that offer soccer programing in a Canada Soccer Member Association Province and Territory will be required to meet the minimum standards of the Quality Soccer Provider level of the Canada Soccer Youth Club Licensing Program is support of the guiding principles of the Safe Sport Roster.

Canada Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics

All who participate in sanctioned soccer from grassroots through professional and National Teams play shall abide by the Canada Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics. Any violation of the code should be reported to discipline@canadasoccer.com

Canada Soccer Disciplinary Code

The Canada Soccer Disciplinary Code specifies the organisation, procedures, and functions of the Judicial Bodies of Canada Soccer. The Code defines disciplinary measures or sanctions that may be imposed upon those found to have breached the Canada Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics, Canada Soccer Rules & Regulations, relevant anti-doping policies and regulations, or Canada Soccer competition regulations.  

Whistleblower Policy

To file a submission of concern in accordance with the Canada Soccer Whistleblower Policy, 

contact the Canadian Sport Helpline at 1-888-837-7678. 

The Canadian Sport Helpline is a free, anonymous, confidential and independent service in both official languages. They can be reached by phone, text or via email (info@abuse-free-sport.ca); or  

File a Complaint or Report to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) by submitting a secure, interactive online intake form at https://osic-bcis.i-sight.com/portal.

All submissions should include contact information in the event an investigation takes place and additional information is necessary.

Canada Soccer Club Licensing Program

Launched in July 2017 with the granting of Canada Soccer Professional Club Licences to Canada’s five professional clubs at the time, the Canada Soccer Club Licensing Program expanded to include amateur football in 2018 with the addition of the Canada Soccer National Youth Club Licence, 1, and Quality Soccer Provider designations.

Developed in consultation with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, the youth component of the Club Licensing Program established standards to ensure a quality experience for every amateur athlete who registers with Canada Soccer. Two of the fundamental principles that underpin the program are devoted to Safe Sport:

  • Physical, mental and emotional safety of all participants; and,
  • Accessible, inclusive, and welcoming environments for all participants.

In support of the principles of the Safe Sport Roster, Canada Soccer’s Youth Club Licensing Program includes a collection of resources including a comprehensive Guide to Safety and Guide to Accessibility and Inclusion. As well, the Canada Soccer Grassroots Standards were designed to create the best possible learning and development environment for all young players in Canada.

National Soccer Registry

Canada Soccer’s National Soccer Registry project is designed to provide a unified system to track the attraction, retention, progression, and transition of players, coaches, referees, administrators, and volunteers in the game from grassroots through high performance in support of the Safe Sport Roster 

Coach Education, Certification, and Registration

Canada Soccer has updated its Rules and Regulations to include Regulations for the Registration and Control of Coaches in support of the Safe Sport Roster. In addition, as part of the requirements of the system-wide adoption of the Youth Club Licensing Program coaches will be required to complete the following:

  • The appropriate Canada Soccer Coach Education Program workshops for the age and stage of their athletes;
  • The following Coaching Association of Canada’s National Coaching Certification Program workshops:
    • “Make Ethical Decisions” to further safeguard athletes by ensuring that coaches are fully equipped to handle ethical situations with knowledge and confidence;
    •  “Making Head Way” gives coaches a greater understanding of how to prevent head injuries along with the knowledge and skills to manage them properly; and,
    • “Emergency Action Plan” that prepares coaches to respond calmly, quickly, and effectively if a sport participant is seriously injured during practice or competition; 

In addition, member organisations will be required to ensure that all team staff adopt the requirements of the Responsible Coaching Movement:

Canada Soccer Medical Committee

The Canada Soccer Medical Committee is responsible for providing guidance on injury prevention and treatment. Recent advances have included Canada Soccer’s implementation of gold standard concussion protocols to prevent head injuries and to manage them effectively when they do occur.