The 6,000-player Arlington Soccer Association (ASA) will implement “Silent Soccer” rules in its recreational and teen leagues this weekend.
Parents and spectators will be encouraged to only silently support their kid’s team, and coaches will be asked to only provide “positive and encouraging feedback and allow players the time to work through issues on the field.”
“The reason for Silent Soccer is to let the kids enjoy the game of soccer and make decisions on their own,” the ASA said in a blog post. “While the practice does remove positive cheering of the kids accomplishments from the field, the goal is to make parents aware that the kids can play without their coaching, yelling, and other disruptive influences during play. At any age. So we remove all voices coming from off the field for this one day.”
Players are encouraged to speak to each other on the field as normal, but those on the bench are asked to remain quiet.