Tournament weekends should be about kids competing, learning, and testing themselves. But for us, it’s often something else entirely. We walk into certain events and you can feel it before the first whistle: we’re not welcome and stick out like a sore thumb.
Our teams are diverse. Our club is volunteer-run. Our families are multilingual, immigrant, working-class, and doing their best with what they have. And for some reason, that combination brings out the worst in people who should know better.
Parents Who Don’t Want Us There
Our sidelines aren’t packed as our families are often at work or juggling life. But somehow, we always end up surrounded. Opposing parents drift toward our half of the field, crowd behind our goal, and cheer loudly right over our goalie’s shoulder. It’s meant to intimidate. It’s meant to distract. And shocker: no ref ever steps in.
If our parents even walked behind the goal? They’d be warned in seconds. I was threatened a yellow card by one ref during a game and told that I'm responsible for the parents behavior. Everyone sees it.
Coaches, Field Staff, and Parents Complaining About… Loudness?
I coach loudly, not disrespectfully. The kids we serve traditionally get channeled into football and that’s the coaching style they respond to. My voice is firm because many are still learning the game. I coach in real time because I’m typically the only adult advocating for them on that sideline.
But at tournaments, my coaching suddenly becomes a “problem.” Meanwhile, paid coaches can shout endlessly with zero pushback.
We’ve had complaints go all the way to tournament directors, not because we were rude or confrontational, but because the way we coach.
Call it what it is: a double standard rooted in bias.
Zero Grace for Our Kids
Our players don’t get “he’s still learning” when they accidentally run on a field. They don’t get “kids make mistakes” when they pick the ball up for throw-ins or perform slide tackle challenges. They get cards, lectures, and opposing parents shouting things no child should hear like "do you understand English. The ref said it's our ball."
When I push back, I get snarky comments like:
“They don’t respect you.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“What are you teaching them?”
My answer is simple: “I’m a volunteer doing my best. If you want to help, step up. Their parents couldn’t be here today.”
For many of our players, there is no sideline support. That’s exactly why we exist: to give these kids a safe, developmental space without judgment.
The Warriors Way: Compete With Dignity
Here’s the beautiful part: our kids are taught to respond the way people expect.
- They don’t talk back. We correct it immediately.
- They don’t get into it with parents or refs. We preach “next play” nonstop.
- They don’t feed the noise. We teach them to wear blinders and compete.
We are training them for life, not just soccer. Our Youth Development and Mentorship program is the foundation of everything we do.
They’re becoming mentally strong competitors and the world won’t be able to ignore that forever.
We’re Not Asking for Special Treatment
All we want is the same grace and the same humanity that other kids get every weekend across this country.
We’re volunteers giving everything we have. These kids are just trying to play the sport they love. And every time they step onto a field where people think they don’t belong… they prove that they do.
We’re not going anywhere and neither are the kids. When intentions are pure and money isn’t the driving force, all the noise fades and the mission comes into focus!
About 703 Warriors
703 Warriors is a free, community-rooted youth development club based in Arlington, Virginia. We focus on building competitors, leaders, and confident young people through soccer, fitness, and life skills for families often overlooked by traditional systems.