Silverlakes needs to take the lead on player safety

justified

SILVER ELITE
Silverlakes, one of the most used soccer complexes in Southern California, and due to the density of the population of the surrounding areas, likely one of the most used venues in the United States, needs to take the lead on player safety. While the complex has a lot of space that allows players to seek shade between games and cool off, a set of core values beyond making more money needs to be established in order to ensure player, parent and referee safety.

1) Do not schedule games on turf during the hottest months between 10-5 PM. Some kids can handle it, some can't, but in all cases, a game on turf from June-November is not a game, it's a war. There are plenty of grass fields that are fine to use when it gets hot. If there is a small sacrifice on field quality in order to improve the lives of children, it's worth it. Playing on turf in extreme heat, as everyone knows, is toxic to even the parents who can't afford a drink in the bar overlooking the field. Extreme heat takes the fun out of the game and the only reason that games are scheduled at that time is because people who are not sensitive to the needs of children are the ones scheduling them. Make no mistake, a scheduling issue is not a valid reason to play a game on turf in extreme heat. Everyone who has a kid in college knows that an athletic trainer will stop an NCAA game if conditions are extreme. A trial by fire as a kid is not a pre-condition for playing in college. A number of the fields have lights, and evening games are a better way to end the day than hydrating for hours after a game in hell and having a headache the next day in recovery.

2) Don't schedule multiple events during soccer game. Everyone who endured National Cup this year during a concert saw kids running down the street in order to reach their field in time for their game. Factor in the gas money, parking money, road rage, stress, that's not a day of soccer, it's a quagmire. And this is all down to the organizers greed and lack of empathy for parents and players. If there's a big tournament, break it up to different locations where it's cooler and safer and everyone gets the quality of experience they deserve.

A set of core values would ensure better treatment for all. Parents can help this situation by pressuring club directors to adhere to a standard that is better for all. If enough speak up, the schedulers will listen. Yes, that's a tall order considering who is charge of these games and schedules most of the time. Yes, safety is an afterthought. Everyone knows it. Parents who tell their kids things like, "in my day we didn't worry about stuff like this" are missing the point and are not in reality. Times have changed. Those in powerful roles in the soccer community in Southern California need to stand up and take note and focus on the children, not the bottom line. It's a huge ask for these folk who are used to doing whatever they can to increase profits, but it's time to step up and take responsibility for child safety.
 
Tournaments existed long before Silverlakes was around.
There is a tournament (or 5) every weekend in So Cal. Some are closer to the coast.
Why anyone would enter a tournament being played in Norco in the summer is beyond me.
If you’re lucky, the high in july/August will only be 90 degrees.

If your club/coach needs to play in Norco because of some reciprocal agreement with a friendly DOC, vote with your player. Take a vacation that weekend and let the team play without you.
 
I agree. Why not have night games? Seems like a no-brainer. Just need to get more lights. I "tried" to watch my girl play a game at 3 pm this past summer at Silverlakes on a turf field and, in the shade, I was sweating and just trying to beat the heat. With 6 water breaks in a single game I wonder how this was soccer. Luckily I padded my girl's shoes with foil to absorb the 130 degree cleats. I can't image any college would like to endure that pain to watch the game.
 
Your points may have some validity, however SL is a for profit business and has a large debt to service. They are going to look to have as many events as possible at every point of the year. I can’t blame them for that. It’s a business. When their customers (the club organizers) demand changes and impact their business then these points might have some validity. In the meantime, your option is not to attend events there or reach out to the club/organization running events there.

Although in most posts here it is easier to complain on a forum than try to institute change by getting involved with the with people really in charge or that can influence.

Btw I love SL and I am thankful that people invested in our kids by building a for profit business to service the soccer needs of the community. Also, thank you to the developers of the GP. These are great facilities compared to what was available before.
 
Silverlakes, one of the most used soccer complexes in Southern California, and due to the density of the population of the surrounding areas, likely one of the most used venues in the United States, needs to take the lead on player safety. While the complex has a lot of space that allows players to seek shade between games and cool off, a set of core values beyond making more money needs to be established in order to ensure player, parent and referee safety.

1) Do not schedule games on turf during the hottest months between 10-5 PM. Some kids can handle it, some can't, but in all cases, a game on turf from June-November is not a game, it's a war. There are plenty of grass fields that are fine to use when it gets hot. If there is a small sacrifice on field quality in order to improve the lives of children, it's worth it. Playing on turf in extreme heat, as everyone knows, is toxic to even the parents who can't afford a drink in the bar overlooking the field. Extreme heat takes the fun out of the game and the only reason that games are scheduled at that time is because people who are not sensitive to the needs of children are the ones scheduling them. Make no mistake, a scheduling issue is not a valid reason to play a game on turf in extreme heat. Everyone who has a kid in college knows that an athletic trainer will stop an NCAA game if conditions are extreme. A trial by fire as a kid is not a pre-condition for playing in college. A number of the fields have lights, and evening games are a better way to end the day than hydrating for hours after a game in hell and having a headache the next day in recovery.

2) Don't schedule multiple events during soccer game. Everyone who endured National Cup this year during a concert saw kids running down the street in order to reach their field in time for their game. Factor in the gas money, parking money, road rage, stress, that's not a day of soccer, it's a quagmire. And this is all down to the organizers greed and lack of empathy for parents and players. If there's a big tournament, break it up to different locations where it's cooler and safer and everyone gets the quality of experience they deserve.

A set of core values would ensure better treatment for all. Parents can help this situation by pressuring club directors to adhere to a standard that is better for all. If enough speak up, the schedulers will listen. Yes, that's a tall order considering who is charge of these games and schedules most of the time. Yes, safety is an afterthought. Everyone knows it. Parents who tell their kids things like, "in my day we didn't worry about stuff like this" are missing the point and are not in reality. Times have changed. Those in powerful roles in the soccer community in Southern California need to stand up and take note and focus on the children, not the bottom line. It's a huge ask for these folk who are used to doing whatever they can to increase profits, but it's time to step up and take responsibility for child safety.

1) Did you just move to SoCal? Did your kid just start club soccer? Brother, everybody plays in the heat in the Southwest. You ever played in Coachella in the summer? Vegas? Phoenix?Yes, turf is a little tougher in the heat, but c’mon. To their credit, I didn’t see any games on turf last weekend during CRL playin, so if they can avoid it they probably do.

2) you're complaining about a one time incident that got you there 10 minutes late? You make it seem like it’s every weekend. We’ve been to SL about 50 times and that has never happened. Discovery league was in SL every weekend last year and never saw it. Can you just suck it up one time? Geez.

I love SL. Real bathrooms, a bar, and food. I’ll take that over portapotties any day!
 
Silver lakes is a fantastic soccer campus. The summer heat sucks especially when it’s u-littles and they have 2 games in the afternoon.

the team’s parents should decide the tournaments to play in the summer. I prefer beach locations or OC tournaments.
 
1) Did you just move to SoCal? Did your kid just start club soccer? Brother, everybody plays in the heat in the Southwest. You ever played in Coachella in the summer? Vegas? Phoenix?Yes, turf is a little tougher in the heat, but c’mon. To their credit, I didn’t see any games on turf last weekend during CRL playin, so if they can avoid it they probably do.

Don't forget Lancaster or beautiful Bakersfield in the summer. My son did the Galaxy Cali Cup in Bakersfield last summer. Even though it was May, it was still Bakersfield and it was still hot. Even our game at 7pm was in the 90s. Fun times.
 
Your points may have some validity, however SL is a for profit business and has a large debt to service. They are going to look to have as many events as possible at every point of the year. I can’t blame them for that. It’s a business. When their customers (the club organizers) demand changes and impact their business then these points might have some validity. In the meantime, your option is not to attend events there or reach out to the club/organization running events there.

Although in most posts here it is easier to complain on a forum than try to institute change by getting involved with the with people really in charge or that can influence.

Btw I love SL and I am thankful that people invested in our kids by building a for profit business to service the soccer needs of the community. Also, thank you to the developers of the GP. These are great facilities compared to what was available before.
Asking Silverlakes to take the lead on player safety isn't complaining on a forum, it's bringing a problem to the surface. If the business model is to only increase profits, then the players lose. If the model is to create a better and safer experience then everyone wins. But what do you mean by my option is to not attend events there? For kids, due to child labor laws, their first experience in an environment that resembles work is to be on a team. If my kid is on a team that plays in poor conditions at Silverlakes then I should just choose not to go? What message does that send to the kid? The reason I'm bringing up this problem is because my kids have been attending events at Silverlakes in poor conditions for years, and I'm asking for more for my kids and your too. Why take the attitude that I just shouldn't go? The people that run schedules who book at events at Silverlakes have the power, all Silverlakes has to do is take the approach of what's best for players, parents and referees, and I was just referring to games on turf in hot weather. Why are you putting a business model in place of player safety?
 
1) Did you just move to SoCal? Did your kid just start club soccer? Brother, everybody plays in the heat in the Southwest. You ever played in Coachella in the summer? Vegas? Phoenix?Yes, turf is a little tougher in the heat, but c’mon. To their credit, I didn’t see any games on turf last weekend during CRL playin, so if they can avoid it they probably do.

2) you're complaining about a one time incident that got you there 10 minutes late? You make it seem like it’s every weekend. We’ve been to SL about 50 times and that has never happened. Discovery league was in SL every weekend last year and never saw it. Can you just suck it up one time? Geez.

I love SL. Real bathrooms, a bar, and food. I’ll take that over portapotties any day!
I'm just talking about games on turf. I grew up, played and coached in Socal and my kids have played in every condition. I never played on turf fields as a kid. There may have been fields around, but I never played on one. The first 10 times my kids played on turf in the summer and said it was too hot to play on, I was like, whatever. After a while, I noticed that there's no reason we should be dealing with those conditions, and it was the schedulers and the people in charge of the fields that are creating the problem for the players and everyone involved. Any I don't know where you were during the CRL playin, but games were played on turf at Norco college, you can see it on the schedule. Some teams played multiple games there, good teams that didn't advance that I'm sure were as a result of playing on turf that was probably over 120 degrees (since it was more than 90 outside). And this is exactly what I'm talking about. The person creating the schedule was not thinking about the players, they were thinking about the bottom line. Didn't matter to us, we were on grass the entire time.

And what do you mean, can I suck it up? When Silverlakes overbooked during National Cup, I was in the car watching the kids run by and parents stressing out. It's not a one time incident, it happens at most big tournaments there. As the complex becomes more of a destination for teams, it's not going to get any better.
 
Another snowflake wanting someone else to look out for their kid. Be a dang parent and make a decision....
So snowflakes look out for kids and want to improve the experience for everyone. What does that make you, the opposite of a snowflake? What is that?
 
Silver lakes is a fantastic soccer campus. The summer heat sucks especially when it’s u-littles and they have 2 games in the afternoon.

the team’s parents should decide the tournaments to play in the summer. I prefer beach locations or OC tournaments.
Team parents don't decide what goes on, coaches decide and managers typically go along with it. Most parents are too scared to say anything because they are just happy to be on the team, maybe just joined, are new to the environment. Overall, no one wants to stand up to a coach and as a result the players suffer. If the venue has rules and standards, then the venue is taking the lead on safety because coaches, DOCs and schedulers want to make events happen. Most of the time, they don't care about the overall experience. They are mainly just looking at making money.
 
Weather report says Norco will be 99 on Saturday and Sunday.

Del Mar will be 77.

So glad we are playing Copa Del Mar.
 
I'm just talking about games on turf. I grew up, played and coached in Socal and my kids have played in every condition. I never played on turf fields as a kid. There may have been fields around, but I never played on one. The first 10 times my kids played on turf in the summer and said it was too hot to play on, I was like, whatever. After a while, I noticed that there's no reason we should be dealing with those conditions, and it was the schedulers and the people in charge of the fields that are creating the problem for the players and everyone involved. Any I don't know where you were during the CRL playin, but games were played on turf at Norco college, you can see it on the schedule. Some teams played multiple games there, good teams that didn't advance that I'm sure were as a result of playing on turf that was probably over 120 degrees (since it was more than 90 outside). And this is exactly what I'm talking about. The person creating the schedule was not thinking about the players, they were thinking about the bottom line. Didn't matter to us, we were on grass the entire time.

And what do you mean, can I suck it up? When Silverlakes overbooked during National Cup, I was in the car watching the kids run by and parents stressing out. It's not a one time incident, it happens at most big tournaments there. As the complex becomes more of a destination for teams, it's not going to get any better.

I was at SL for CRL playin, wasn’t that who you were complaining about? And yes suck it up for one game. If it’s a tournament and they schedule multiple games on turf, then almost certainly one game will be either early or late. Also when it’s very hot, refs will almost always have water breaks. And if they are all playing on the same surface, the better team should still win. And please name all the other times you’ve experienced “kids running in the streets” because of overbooking.
 
Tournaments, general locations and expected temps this weekend:

1. Copa Del Mar - Del Mar- 77
2. Albion Showcase- Oceanside - 80
3. Rangers Summer Open- Fullerton - 89
4. Slammers Classic- Norco - 99
5. Hotspurs USA Cup - Central San Diego- 90
6. OC Surf Invitational- Great Park -88
7. Oxnard United Invitational- Oxnard- 80

These are pretty “standard” tournaments locations for summer. And pretty “standard” temps for this time of year.

Why we need 7 tournaments within an hour of each other (pretty much every weekend) is another story.

But ask yourself- Why did your coach/club choose to enter your team on the surface of the sun when there are 6 other options? Did your teams get a discount? Did the club hosting the tournament promise to play in your clubs tournament? Is your club an affiliate and is mandated to play (pay) in this tournament? Is it for the competition? Is it for college scouting?

And then ask yourself -why are we bringing guests? Are we missing lots of players? (If So- why enter a tournament?) how many guests are we bringing? Are these players ringers from another club? From another team within our club? Are we bringing guests because we know it will be too hot and we need lots of subs to survive?
 
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Tournaments, general locations and expected temps this weekend:

1. Copa Del Mar - Del Mar- 77
2. Albion Showcase- Oceanside - 80
3. Rangers Summer Open- Fullerton - 89
4. Slammers Classic- Norco - 99
5. Hotspurs USA Cup - Central San Diego- 90
6. OC Surf Invitational- Great Park -88
7. Oxnard United Invitational- Oxnard- 80

These are pretty “standard” tournaments locations for summer. And pretty “standard” temps for this time of year.

Why we need 7 tournaments within an hour of each other pretty much every weekend is another story.

But ask yourself- Why did your coach/club choose to enter your team on the surface of the sun when there are 6 other options? Did your teams get a discount? Did the club hosting the tournament promise to play in your clubs tournament? Is your club an affiliate and is mandated to play (pay) in this tournament? Is it for the completion? Is it for college scouting?

And then ask yourself -why are we bringing guests? Are we missing lots of players? (If So- why enter a tournament?) how many guests are we bringing? Are these players ringers from another club? From another team within our club? Are we bringing guests because we know it will be too hot and we need lots of subs to survive?

The reason for the "need" is the demand - every coach, parent, player (well maybe not so much the players) wants to spend the summer hopping from one tournament to another.
 
Tournaments, general locations and expected temps this weekend:

1. Copa Del Mar - Del Mar- 77
2. Albion Showcase- Oceanside - 80
3. Rangers Summer Open- Fullerton - 89
4. Slammers Classic- Norco - 99
5. Hotspurs USA Cup - Central San Diego- 90
6. OC Surf Invitational- Great Park -88
7. Oxnard United Invitational- Oxnard- 80

These are pretty “standard” tournaments locations for summer. And pretty “standard” temps for this time of year.

Why we need 7 tournaments within an hour of each other (pretty much every weekend) is another story.

But ask yourself- Why did your coach/club choose to enter your team on the surface of the sun when there are 6 other options? Did your teams get a discount? Did the club hosting the tournament promise to play in your clubs tournament? Is your club an affiliate and is mandated to play (pay) in this tournament? Is it for the competition? Is it for college scouting?

And then ask yourself -why are we bringing guests? Are we missing lots of players? (If So- why enter a tournament?) how many guests are we bringing? Are these players ringers from another club? From another team within our club? Are we bringing guests because we know it will be too hot and we need lots of subs to survive?
To be fair, how many times over the past few years has Albion Showcase been cut short or had rain problems?

Nothing is perfect but as you’ve said, choose wisely!
 
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Team parents don't decide what goes on, coaches decide and managers typically go along with it. Most parents are too scared to say anything because they are just happy to be on the team, maybe just joined, are new to the environment. Overall, no one wants to stand up to a coach and as a result the players suffer. If the venue has rules and standards, then the venue is taking the lead on safety because coaches, DOCs and schedulers want to make events happen. Most of the time, they don't care about the overall experience. They are mainly just looking at making money.

You are right, parents often let the coach and manager make all the decisions and we just go along. I understand at the higher levels, you cannot really make an impact.

However, at the younger level and flight 2, flight 3 level, we should speak out more often. To see little kids playing two games in 100 degree weather for a flight 3 or flight 2 team, this is just painful. Personally I do speak up and I see other parents either agree or disagree. At the end, we are paying customers so we should have some say on decisions made by the manager and coach.

At the higher levels, I understand that you just need to let the coaches take care of these decisions.
 
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