Soccer

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February 11th, 2008

AFP

NAIROBI (AFP) — It is a hot, humid afternoon and the children of Nairobi's Mathare slum are once again playing football and trying to put behind the tribal violence that nearly tore them apart.

Like many other kids across Kenya, these children aged 12 to 18 were caught up in the turmoil that erupted after disputed presidential polls in late December.

But unlike their counterparts, the children of Mathare are unique in that they are products of a local sports association which has helped thousands of children in the sprawling slum of about 300,000 people since it was created in 1987.

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November 7th, 2007

Argus Courier

As Petaluma’s youth soccer season begins to wind down and 2,500 players get ready to hang up their cleats for another year, one very controversial game has provided Petaluma soccer parents and their children with a valuable opportunity to contemplate the importance of respect, good sportsmanship and considerate behavior on and off the sports field.

For many Petaluma kids, the soccer field is one of the very first places where these and other important values are introduced and instilled. That is, unless the parents or coaches fail to appreciate their significance.

That appears to be the case in the now-infamous game played by a Petaluma under-16 girls soccer team in Windsor recently in which angry verbal exchanges and profanity by players and parents alike culminated in the Petaluma coach unzipping his pants and bending over in a crude message of intense disrespect to the opposing coach and his team. 
 

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By Darrell Cuenca

January 31st, 2008

The Virginian Pilot

The superintendent of Virginia Beach’s public schools wants all of the city’s interscholastic soccer players to wear mouth guards this spring.

But Dr. James Merrill said this week if there’s enough opposition from parents, he’ll reconsider his stance.

“It’s a little short of a mandate right now,” Merrill said. “I’m very, very firm and interested, but I’m still listening to opinions and getting feedback.”

With less than a month until practice officially begins, a number of Beach District coaches have expressed opposition to Merrill’s decision, but they’ve declined comment and said repeatedly they’ve been advised not to speak out about the issue.

Numerous parents and players also disagree with Merrill’s position on mouth guards. No other district or city in the Eastern Region requires soccer players to wear mouth guards.

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By Effie Dawson

January 30th, 2008

Examiner

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - The little Salvation Army on Hilltop Lane in Annapolis is a couple miles from City Dock by car, and much farther from downtown in terms of organized nightlife. But in the chill of winter, it is a nightly beacon for young soccer players. On weeknights until 10 and weekends until nearly midnight, players stream past the collection trailer of household goods, past the day care center’s fenced-in playground, to compete in the Annapolis Soccer Club winter futsal league.

Some are excellent public or private high school players, looking for a place to get some touches on the ball with their friends in the offseason. Some are recreational players, preferring a scoreboard that stops keeping track once a team gets ahead by five goals. Some live nearby, particularly in the growing Annapolis Hispanic community, and just show up looking for a team that needs an extra player for the evening.

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