Sports Card in Cañada

Boys and girls from Cañada now have a user card for the Red Deporte sports facilities in Cañada. The delivery of this accreditation has three main objectives. The first and most important is to reinforce the sense of belonging to a space and project whose goal is to improve the socio-educational inclusion of children and young people in Cañada through sport.

The second objective is to take a step forward in organizing sports activities by avoiding that youths of very different ages are mixed in the same team. During a football tournament recently organized by Red Deporte, aimed at young people aged 13 and 14, an older youth player entered the field in the final minutes, decisively unbalancing what had been an even match. In youth categories, a two-year age gap can lead to big differences in height and weight, which can result in a significant advantage for the team with the “older” player. For this reason, the sports card includes the category to which the player belongs, preventing the mixing of age groups in both tournaments and training sessions.

The third objective, no less important, is to promote respect for the rules of the field and the sports program in general. Basic rules are handed out with the card to each participant, which everyone commits to follow and promote. In case of serious or repeated violations, the card may be withdrawn, temporarily limiting access to the sports facility. The front of the card reminds players of the most basic obligations—which can be summed up as respect for both people and the Cañada field and facility—as well as the most fundamental rights: enjoying playing football and gaining access to better education through sport.

The Red Deporte sports program in Cañada is supported by streetfootballworld and the UEFA Foundation for Children.