An exhibition soccer match Saturday in Whalley will focus on issues much bigger than offsides, goals and yellow cards.

The Vancouver Whitecaps will team up with KidSport Canada and local refugee youth on for the first annual Fair Trade Soccer Match at 2 p.m. Aug. 28 at Tom Binnie Park (10665 City Parkway).

"This is the first year we are doing this and the whole idea behind it based on the fair trade movement and what it implies and applying it to a sporting event," said Harish Raisinghani, an organizer of the event who also works with Engineers Without Borders and Fair Trade Vancouver.

"We wanted to call attention to the root causes for refugees leaving their countries in the first place and fair trade helps address that. The idea then was to bring it together in an innovative fashion and that's how the Fair Trade Soccer Match came about."

Raisinghani explained soccer was a natural choice given that most of the soccer balls produced in the world come from developing nations and are made by child labourers.

Many of the kids taking part in Saturday's game escaped from countries where child labour is an accepted part of life. There are roughly 50 kids in the program ranging in age from 11 to 16 years from such far-flung homelands as Pakistan, Ghana, Honduras, Burma and Thailand.

"This game will actually be played with a fair trade soccer ball to symbolize their solidarity with youth in developing countries around the world," Raisinghani said. "The way that the fair trade process works is that it is regulated by an international body called the Fair Trade Labelling Organization. A premium is added to the cost of the product and that premium is invested back into the community, whether it is to develop a school or provide funds for teachers. The money has to be used for social causes in the community."

A half dozen members of the Vancouver Whitecaps will be on hand for the match as well as a group of Whitecaps Alumni. The Whitecaps and Alumni players will help the kids go through a warm-up before the game. The Whitecaps will then be available for autographs during the game.

The format of the match will see the Surrey Champions team combine with members of the Whitecaps Alumni to play one half against a Sur-Del under-15 girls soccer team and a second versus a Whalley U-15 boys side.

For more information, visit www.fairtradevancouver.ca.