Technical director of Yorkton United Soccer, Andy Wyatt, didn't foresee the Ontario Soccer Association's decision to take the scoreboard away from U12 teams as of 2014.
"I was surprised they decided to do that," he said. "But I wasn't totally shocked. I know people have talked about it before."
The Ontario Soccer Association made the decision based on European studies that suggest it will improve players' long-term development. The move has received mixed reviews, but for the most part, they haven't been overly positive to say the least.
As far as Saskatchewan soccer goes, Wyatt doesn't see them axing the scoreboard in their tactics to improve long-term development.
"I don't think they'll go to that extreme," he said. "It wouldn't be a popular decision among a lot of coaches and parents."
Wyatt does, however, agree that there needs to be less attention paid to the score and more focus on long-term development.
"I think it's important to not focus on the score, but rather skill development," he said. "We need to work on training our coaches and making them more knowledgeable on the game like a lot of hockey coaches are on their sport. I think some coaches are focusing too much on winning."
Saskatchewan soccer associations, including Yorkton United F.C. Soccer, are focusing on improving players' development by enriching their coaches' knowledge.
"We are trying to improve our coaching, that's the big thing," said Wyatt. "We need guys that can show the kids the ins and outs of the game on a in-depth level. There is a real demand for that."
With more minors in Canada signing up for soccer than hockey in 2012, it seems the demand for knowledgeable coaches will just grow.
"The sport is definitely growing," said Wyatt. "We need to keep up and help improve the sport in Canada."
