‘No need for the punishment’: Parents of Halifax soccer players upset by suspension

Parents are speaking out after a soccer facility in Halifax cancelled their children’s practices for a week with no refund after allegations of 'aggressive behaviour' from players.

Parents are speaking out after a soccer facility in Halifax cancelled their children’s practices for a week with no refund after allegations of “aggressive behaviour” from players.

It’s an allegation the parents and volunteers of Ignite Soccer Club — an organization primarily made up of newcomer families — dispute.

“We were all very confused when we got this long email,” said Hadia Bedoui, a parent volunteer with Ignite Soccer.

She says the club, which has more than 500 youth players, had all its bookings cancelled at the BMO Soccer Centre facilities.

She adds Ignite was first told that the sweeping ban was because of “aggressive behaviour” from players, before the club was presented with video footage.

“It turns out that it was a group of four to five and six-year-olds, who typically arrive early because their mothers rely on public transit to get here, who are from a different background,” she said.

“And when they arrived early, the kids were on the sidelines of the turf playing before their time.”

She says it’s unfair that the entire club was punished, especially since Ignite consists of many new Canadian and immigrant families whose kids rely on soccer as an extracurricular activity.