Canada Soccer launches Strategic Plan engagement process for 2022-26

Canada Soccer has launched a public engagement campaign to assess the priorities of the Canadian soccer public ahead of the development of its 2022-26 Strategic Plan. The engagement includes a call for user-generated content to support the development of Canada Soccer’s Return-to-Play initiatives. The engagement will run 13-31 May with a target of at least 3,000 responses from across the range of players, coaches, referees, administrators, parents, fans, and supporters young and old. In addition, Canadians can submit videos answering three key questions being posed to Canada Soccer’s National Teams to develop a Return-to-Play campaign as part of the submission. To have your say and submit your videos visit: migmultidev-canada-soccer.pantheonsite.io/strategic-plan-development-survey

The development of the 2022-26 plan follows the 2019-21 Canada Soccer Nation plan that set the organization forward under the DEVELOP, GOVERN, GROW directive. Under the plan, Canada Soccer unveiled a series of programs and initiatives to move the game forward including alignment across its Men’s and Women’s National Team program structure. It also governed support for the launch of the Canadian Premier League, investment in a National Soccer Registry, the launch of Canada Soccer’s Youth Club Licensing Program, as well as the launch of the Canada Soccer Grassroots Coach Education Program online learning platform and a re-developed CanadaSoccer.com.

“The strategic initiatives accomplished under the Canada Soccer Nation Plan were designed to position Canada Soccer, its Member Associations, Professional League in Membership, Professional Clubs, and stakeholders across the game and across the country for the opportunity that co-hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 brings to our country,” said Dr. Nick Bontis, Canada Soccer President. “COVID-19 and the public health challenges faced in many regions of the country have caused us to pause and consider the ways we connect, the ways we gain knowledge, and the importance that sport plays in our lives, and the initiatives that we accomplished under the Canada Soccer Nation plan eased some of the pressures of the pandemic.”

Following the public engagement, Canada Soccer’s Strategic Development Committee will lead an engagement process. The process will ensure that by collaborating with a range of internal stakeholders including Member Associations and Professional Clubs and League in Membership will ensure alignment of efforts across the soccer system to ensure the maximum benefit from the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that co-hosting will bring. The 2022-26 Strategic Plan will launch in early 2022.

Canada Soccer’s Return-to-Play campaign looks to engage Canadians to submit video messages answering three questions:

1. What does the game of soccer mean to you?
2. Why do you play soccer?
3. What have you missed about the game?

Selected responses will be paired with Canada Soccer National Team member responses and shared via Canada Soccer’s social media channels to promote the game, share the benefits of playing soccer, and highlight the challenges and opportunities that the pandemic created.

Visit the user-generated content submission form here: https://canadasoccer.com/return-to-play-user-generated-content-submission/