Will my child be taught to head the ball?

Not at these ages. Canada Soccer's Heading Guidelines (updated May 2025) say heading should not be introduced in training sessions at the youngest ages, and for U6-U7 (3v3) and U8-U9 (5v5) the focus should be on fun activities and game formats that build fundamental movement skills and learning to master the ball at the feet.

In games, small-sided formats and adapted rules (a retreat line, and dribble-in and pass-in instead of throw-ins) are used to reduce how often the ball is in the air.

Coaches in the Grassroots stream must also complete the free NCCP Making Headway concussion module.

Source: Canada Soccer Heading Guidelines (https://canadasoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2025-CS-HeadingGuidelines-EN.pdf)