Toddler soccer program scores popularity in northern Ont.

A U.K.-based soccer program for kids under the age of eight is seeing growth in northern Ontario.

The Little Kickers program brought to Greater Sudbury by Steve Gergis and Rita Bareh-Gergis in 2022. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)The Little Kickers franchise was brought to Sudbury by couple Steve Gergis and Rita Bareh-Gergis in November 2022. They heard of the program while living in the U.K. The pair are qualified soccer coaches and have a passion for the sport.

A SOCCER PROGRAM FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

Little Kickers offers four age categories:

• Little Kicks for ages 1.5 to 2.5
• Junior Kicks for 2.5 to 3.5
• Mighty Kickers 3.5 to 5
• Mega kicks which is 5 to 7

"When we moved to Sudbury we noticed there wasn’t a lot of activities for ages 2 and under," said Gergis.

"I am from England. I lived there for 40 years and I fell in love with this program. If it wasn’t for my wife, Rita, we wouldn’t be doing this."

A PASSION

Bareh-Gergis, who is a teacher, said the lack of available programs combined with the damaging effects of the pandemic on children were the driving factors behind wanting to bring the franchise to the north.

"I want the kids back in parks. I want the kids back in sports," she said.

"I want the kids to kick the anxiety without knowing they are kicking it by just running and exercising."

Bareh-Gergis told CTV News the decision was also about following a passion and that the children bring her joy.

"I always believe in one thing: follow your passion," she said.

"Knowing that you are helping a child to find a balance or a confidence or getting out of an environment that is always closed and doing what he wants and enjoying it, brings so much joy to my heart."

• Download the CTV News app now and get local alerts on your device
• Get local breaking news and updates sent to your email inbox

Little Kickers teaches the fundamentals of soccer in a non-competitive setting. Bareh-Gergis said the 18-month age range has been most popular thus far adding that her and her husband chose to focus on this age range because the infants were born during the pandemic.

"If you want to fix the top, you have to fix the base. And the base is the children," she said.

"Right down from the beginning. 18 months is when a child starts walking, running, talking."

Little Kickers has existed in the U.K. for more than 20 years, started by a mother who saw that there were few programs available for little ones and saw a rise in obesity amongst children.

"It started with a mother just like me, so it spoke right to my heart," said Bareh-Gergis.

Gergis said popularity has certainly grown in northern Ontario – beginning with just 20 kids in a single class to now more than 200 children being part of the program in the Greater Sudbury area. Little Kickers classes are available year-round – with both indoor and outdoor classes.

Coach Brooke Chamberland said parents find it surprising how much a child can learn at such an early age.

"We do teach them soccer skills but it's also a lot of cognitive skills, so with the younger age groups like one-and-a-half to 2 we're doing our colours, our numbers," said Chamberland.

"As they get older it's more soccer-related, more ball control, once they hit ages like five to seven, a mixture of education and soccer."

Sudbury Little Kickers players on the field in Greater Sudbury on June 8/23. (Supplied/Little Kickers Greater Sudbury/Facebook)Parent Samantha Kuula has been bringing her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to Little Kickers for eight months, drawn to it because it was something she'd never seen before.

"It’s a great way to introduce a love of sport without pressure at a very young age,” said Kuula.

“This program isn’t about just developing soccer skills, it’s about developing little humans."

Kuula told CTV News her oldest daughter is enrolled in the program and now shares something in common with her younger sister.

"She loves to pose and show how she can dribble the ball," she said.

"It's something she can do at home. Her older sister plays soccer so they can bond about these sets of skills they have now."

Another parent, Steven Back said he and his wife were looking for an extracurricular activity for their two-year-old son and saw this as a good learning opportunity.

"He really likes sorting different colours and colour recognition," said Back.

"There's also a social aspect where he can interact with other kids and other friends and make connections there."

Gergis said plans are currently underway to offer Little Kickers in North Bay in September. They are also working on offering a class in September for kids with autism – organizers are in the process of finding a location for the additional classes.

For more information on Little Kickers Sudbury, visit their Facebook page.