Youth Soccer Bans 3 Adults for Brawling

Handing out the toughest punishment in its history, the American Youth Soccer Organization on Wednesday banned for life three adults who allegedly took part in a melee last month during a Southern California youth soccer tournament.

The league also disbanded the two boys soccer teams.

National officials called the fight, which involved more than 30 adults, “a wake-up call” for the organization that required swift action to make it clear the league would not accept such behavior.

“The message we are sending with these decisions is unmistakable,” said National Executive Director Cherie Tucker. “The AYSO will not tolerate such conduct . . . and we are working to eliminate it.”

In the wake of the incident, the league has beefed up security at some soccer games and is about to roll out a new safety program at tournaments in which parents sign pledges not to disrupt games with aggressive yelling or actions.

The move is the latest reaction to a wave of violence by adults at youth sports events across the country, ranging from fistfights at Little League games to a case last year in Massachusetts in which the father of one young hockey player was beaten to death by another parent.

The American Youth Soccer Organization is a national association of nearly 630,000 boys and girls from ages 4 1/2 to 18 who play soccer in 46 states. Founded in Torrance in 1964, the nonprofit organization has 250,000 volunteers who serve as coaches, referees and administrators.

The June 24 brawl at a San Juan Capistrano field, the worst ever at an a league game, resulted in three arrests as parents and coaches clashed after the final game of an under-14 tournament featuring the Chino Chiefs and Palmdale Eagles. One parent was treated for minor cuts and a swollen eye and another suffered a 2-inch bite on his arm.

In the wake of the clash, regional league directors in Palmdale decided to disband the Eagles for the rest of the season and prohibited all local teams from playing in Chino tournaments for three years. The region also launched a special committee of parents and other volunteers to monitor behavior by spectators and players at tournaments and immediately correct any problems.

Directors in Chino went even further, disbanding the Chiefs for good and banning two coaches from ever training league teams again. Soccer officials declined to name the coaches.

Mark Kaylor, a parent arrested at the game on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, was banned from all events. He declined to comment on the action. Orange County prosecutors have yet to decide whether to file criminal charges against Kaylor.

The punishments, officials said, are intended to keep parents and volunteers involved in the melee away from each other to prevent future violence. But league officials conceded that the punishment will also affect the players on both teams, many of whom will now spend the summer on the sidelines.

“That’s what is so unfortunate about this,” said league spokeswoman Lolly Keys. “Because of the crazy actions of a few parents and spectators, the kids lose out in what otherwise would have been a fun summer for them playing as a team.”

Keys said the two sets of punishments followed separate investigations by each region. The league, she said, did not conclude that one team was more at fault than the other.

League representatives in Chino and Palmdale declined to comment on the punishments. But in recent weeks, coaches and parents from both sides have given different descriptions of the fight--each team blaming the other for the violence.

The league’s new safety program, called Kids Zone, will require parents to sign a pledge at the beginning of the season promising not to disrupt games. Signs will be posted at some games stating that people who violate the rules will be removed. The program was developed over the last year and will be rolled out throughout the nation this year.

The youth league is only the latest to grapple with the issue of adult violence. Some organizations have gone so far as to stop keeping score to reduce fan competitiveness.

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Times staff writer Richard Fausset contributed to this story.