Silent Saturday

The concept of Silent Saturday in youth soccer has been spreading like a storm. First gaining popular press coverage by this name in early 2000 with youth basketball, youth soccer has seen the benefit of making parents more aware of their behavior at children's games. Although AYSO has had Positive Coaching and Good Sportsmanship for many years as two of its six tenets, many regions are adopting this additional action to drive home the message further. This in addition to adopting a Kids Zone program.

Common to all the forms of Silent Saturday is the key message let the kids play. 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.

AYSO already adopts slogans like "(Let the) Players Play, Coaches Coach and Parents Cheer". Or only Soft, Occasional, Strategic along with Positive, Instructional and Encouraging (P.I.E.) coaching from one coach on each team. And we all know that in any soccer, but especially youth soccer, referee's calls cannot be questioned, argued or discussed with the referee team during a game; period. So what is Silent Saturday to achieve if this is already stressed in our regions and programs?

Silent Saturday goes a step further. By making everyone be quiet who is not on the field, everyone can finally hear what is happening on the field. What a concept! They can hear how supportive and talkative the referees really are with the kids. Or how the referee tells the players they see a trifling or advantage foul. How they warn the kids of behavior approaching a problem. Most importantly, they can hear how the kids support each other as teammates — whether tactically or in sportsmanship for making or missing a great play. Coaches can bite their tongue, as oft needed, and watch the game and share in the triumphs and failures of their team with the parents as it becomes a learning experience for all. That is, be supportive of letting the players act instead of overly controlling of how you want them to act. We go from being Marionette coaches to observers of the great game with our kids.

Some soccer clubs support non-voice noise such as cow bells, drums or other non-whistle items. But usually the local neighbors or the field permit would prevent this from being used as well. So we encourage only clapping as a cheering mechanism. Then save all that energy for after the final whistle when you can cheer on everyone with your voice to a great extent.

So although we silence the cheers of support that are helpful; this is a side-effect to the getting to the real message of the day. The key is to get everyone off the field to learn and understand what is happening on the field. Then maybe, just maybe, in future games, they can be more supportive of what is happening on the field by the players. Let the players try to showcase what they have been learning in practice during the week. This special day, as every soccer game day, parents should sit back and enjoy and coaches should make notes to use later in practices. And everyone should simply let the kids play.

The region should publicize in advance of the special weekend when games will be silent. Referees can remind coaches (and parents, as necessary) of this before the game. Then everyone should sit back and enjoy. Hopefully peer pressure and instruction will keep the few outliers who "did not get the memo" to participate as well. Anyone who fails to participate is handled just as if they are coaching outside the technical area or negatively abusing the youth players.

As borrowed from AYSO Region 20 Santa Monica and adapted by Virginia Giddings of Region 45 Mountain View, we offer the following material for your region to use in a flyer to parents and coaches:


What is Silent Saturday?

"Silent Saturday" is used in AYSO Regions throughout the country with a great deal of success. Its main purpose is to just let the kids play and have fun without having to worry about how their performance is affecting the adults on the sidelines. "Silent Saturday" is a throwback to the old schoolyard days when kids would congregate after school and on weekends just to play the sport all day without regard to who was winning and repercussions for poor play and decision-making. Coaches are requested to communicate and reinforce this with spectators!

The objectives of holding a "Silent Saturday" are:

• To emphasize that the game is about letting the kids play and have fun
• To give the players a chance to play totally on their own
• To help the few parents and coaches who feel they must provide constant direction understand how disruptive it is
• To show all parents that the kids can play well on their own with limited instruction

While the vast majority of adult verbal participation is intended to be positive and constructive, the fact of the matter is that games can (and have in the past) become so loud that the players often have difficulty hearing each other on the field. Taking one week off from any verbal interference may help adults gain perspective on just how loud they've been in the past. You will all be amazed at how quiet the field will become.


Spectators

We request that you make no verbal comments about the game or direct any comments to the players or referees (or coaches) on or off the field. Clapping IS allowed! Be creative in how you choose to cheer your child's team - make signs to hold up or bring a rally towel in the team's color and wave it wildly. There are lots of ways to cheer other than verbally. But please no noise makers and especially no whistles. Often field permits for these school fields surrounded by neighborhoods will not support artificial noise makers. Especially no compressed air horns.

Coaches

It is recommended that you do not provide any direction - verbal or non-verbal - to players who are on the field. You may speak quietly to any players on the bench and have a conversational discussion about the game with the players before and after the game, and during halftime. If absolutely required, rarely and quietly call a player on the field to the touchline to provide tactical instruction while the game is in play. Just like you are allowed to do during a normal game. Then let the player convey the message to his team.

Players

You are encouraged to speak to each other on the field as normal. You are free to support each other and provide direction to each other. Substitute players on the bench must be quiet as well and not cheer or provide tactical instruction to their teammates. Lest they simply replace the coach or act on his behest.

Referees

For this special day, referees are being asked to monitor the spectators and coaches adherence to these guidelines and to offer reminders if the recommendations are not being followed, including stopping the game if necessary. Continue to verbalize often during the game as you normally would and do not to be concerned about the fact they can now hear you off the field as well. Your are there to help the players have a safe, fair and fun time.

Let's always encourage and support our players while they are learning and playing the game, but for this one Saturday, "Mums the Word"

In referee courses, a paragraph that used to be part of the FIFA Laws of the Game is oft quoted and still used. USSF has kept it by including it in their Advice to Referees and AYSO by adding it to their Guidance. It is a high level message about letting the game flow while providing only a few tactical, key controlling points along the way. But with a few word changes, it becomes a great message for coaches as well. See what you think.


(as adapted for coaches by Randy Harr from the 1996 FIFA Laws of the Game, Law V, I.B.D. 8)

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