Cheering from the sidelines is what parents do when their kids are playing sports, but some people take it too far and one soccer club is trying to put a stop to it. Montana Surf Soccer Club wants to stop the drama coming from parents while their kids are on the field, so they’re asking the grown-ups to zip it altogether.
Over the weekend, the club was hosting teams from all around the state in Bozeman for more than 70 games. For the event, they implemented what they call “Silent Saturday,” which they did to curb parents from putting unnecessary pressure on the young athletes, coaches and referees. The rules include:
- No talking, yelling or "conversation" on the parent sidelines of the game
- Minimal direction from coaches on the sidelines, mainly subbing/position changes only
- Absolutely no direct conversation to the referees other than thanking them after the game
- No cheering until the game is over
Montana Surf Soccer Club even had field marshals on every field to enforce the rules and ask those watching the games to be quiet. One of the policy’s goals is for parents “to take a step back and sit quietly to watch their athletes play the beautiful game of soccer.” While a lot of parents slammed the rule on social media, calling it “absurd” and “absolutely miserable,” the Montana Soccer Referee Committee supported “Silent Saturday.” It turns out, more than 50-thousand soccer referees in the U.S. have quit in the last five years and abuse from parents is the biggest reason for that decline, according to Justin Harcrow, a Montana youth referee administrator.
Source: Scary Mommy