I think it should be mandatory that all coaches & DOC get drug tested twice a year.

Ugh
I am not going to out the coach but there is a wellllllll documented case of substance abuse and parents ignoring signs and then an eventual free fall.
There is well documented example of a severe case of etoh abuse on an elite team resulting in DOC intervention
It's life- we all have flaws. But PLEASE all of you spare me with the "oh my I have never heard of such a thing" act. If you play for an elite club you do.
If you don't know about it good for all of you.

Parents not only ignored it, but laughed it off and sang his praises. While he was coaching their 8 year olds. Parents will forgive a lot of things if their kids are winning medals.
 
If you believe your coach is abusing drugs or alcohol, please speak up to the doc. If you think your coach is verbally or emotionally abusive to their players, speak up. I don't think the drug testing is necessary, but parents should be doing their jobs and assessing the environment they are putting their kids into. At the end of the day, their safety and well being is in our hands, not some coaches.

It is upsetting that the former surf coach is currently employed by another club. I do believe in forgiveness and second chances but rumors would have me believe there has been alcohol and drug abuse issues there for years. To the point where he was not able to make games, or showed up still under the influence. This is second hand knowledge of course.
 
Are you talking about Coach Steve? All he did was run from the Sheriff and drive the wrong way on I-5 (allegedly). He's now coaching again (actually).
You forgot the "O." And he is not only coaching, he is driving! How in the hell did he not lose his license? But he is a perfect example of why drug testing coaches will not work. First, it does not include alcohol and I don't have personal knowledge if he did drugs too? But in any case, his alcohol use was common knowledge with parents, older players, the DOC, the Board etc. Yet not until his wrong way police chase made the new, did Surf decide to release him.

Unfortunately he is not the only example and too many parents and clubs will look the other way for a winning coach. As long as there are enablers, nothing will change. All we can do as parents is decide what is best for our child and where we draw the line.
 
Why is it that NCAA student athletes get drug tested regularly and they aren't paid but congress doesn't and they are paid and what they do is way more consequential?
A little something called right to privacy but let's stick to soccer.
I was being a little sarcastic about the fact that many get a check on the 1st and the 15th and should really be tested..I see this abused every shift I work. Sorry @Map and @chargerfan didn't see that. But as @chargerfan stated...we can stick to soccer..(but privacy my ass when it comes to abusing the system..but that's a whole other story for another day)
 
But in sticking to this story. If you suspect your coach is under the influence of either drugs or alcohol..then you need to speak up. But you have to be present to know this too. How many parents drop their kids off at practice and think they have a built-in baby-sitter for 2hrs so they can go run a bunch or errands, get their nails done, etc. Or they send their kids to games with a teammate/another family. My kid went to the clinic at UCLA last weekend. I couldn't believe how many parents were babbling about having the whole weekend free to do whatever. If you are simply paying to play and keep your kid busy (any sport or hobby) and not taking a vested interest in what they are doing or who they are doing it with then you are failing at the first line of defense for you child imho.
As others have stated..random testing isn't going to solve the problem or fix the flaws in the system..and most certainly won't catch those that may need to be caught. If you have obvious proof of substance abuse..you need to DO something..not just SAY something..hoping others will make that call. The suspected abuser is not only a threat/liability to the kids around them..but to every person on the road as soon as that person gets behind the wheel and starts to drive.
 
It is literally flooring me that anyone on here could possibly worry about the cost to the clubs or how this could inconvenience the coaches & clubs administrators ha ha WTH are you thinking? Who cares what kind of small issues this might cause anyone when we are talking about children! Are you -F-ING NUTS!?
This is an issue that needs to be addressed and I myself could care less about your clubs extra work load this might cause when talking about making the safest envoirment possible for the children.
I would like to know what SD clubs are against this idea?

Sandshark-Why did you post this idea on a discussion board if you did not want to discuss it? You made an assertion and then act shocked that others don't automatically agree.

If you want to fully discuss your thesis that mandatory drug testing should be required (by whom?) for youth soccer coaches in the San Diego area, I would suggest that you support your assertion with statements that demonstrate that drug use is a problem among youth soccer coaches (or youth coaches in other sports, or adult soccer, or...). This does not mean posting that "John Smith or XYZ Club is a drug addict, and everyone knows it." Instead, can you provide examples of arrests, personal experiences, or even statistics?

After you have convinced your reader that this is a real problem, can you support your proposed solution with examples of how mandatory drug testing has been effective in other settings? Were there any unforeseen consequences when policies such as these have been implemented in other settings?

These steps could lead to a thoughtful discussion. Otherwise, we can all just post personal opinions on here and then act shocked when others don't agree. I, for one, don't like the color of SoCal Blues uniforms. Should they be forced to change them because I said so?

Of course, no one wants coaches who are drug addicts coaching our kids. But we also don't want coaches to be sexual
predators, or just plain jerks. Would drug testing lead to an improvement in the soccer experience for our kids? Maybe. But you haven't convinced me, and it looks like I'm not alone.
 
Drug testing is not necessary. Now does anyone know if they check against any type of child molester database? I hope so. If not, yikes!
 
I don't believe there is rampant drug problem among youth soccer coaches in Southern California causing injuries to children that would justify this?

If you are so paranoid about this perhaps your children shouldn't be involved in any activities or attend school. Lock them up away from all potential drug users in the world!

Before you create a solution you should make sure there is problem that needs to be solved.
 
Sandshark-Why did you post this idea on a discussion board if you did not want to discuss it? You made an assertion and then act shocked that others don't automatically agree.

If you want to fully discuss your thesis that mandatory drug testing should be required (by whom?) for youth soccer coaches in the San Diego area, I would suggest that you support your assertion with statements that demonstrate that drug use is a problem among youth soccer coaches (or youth coaches in other sports, or adult soccer, or...). This does not mean posting that "John Smith or XYZ Club is a drug addict, and everyone knows it." Instead, can you provide examples of arrests, personal experiences, or even statistics?

After you have convinced your reader that this is a real problem, can you support your proposed solution with examples of how mandatory drug testing has been effective in other settings? Were there any unforeseen consequences when policies such as these have been implemented in other settings?

These steps could lead to a thoughtful discussion. Otherwise, we can all just post personal opinions on here and then act shocked when others don't agree. I, for one, don't like the color of SoCal Blues uniforms. Should they be forced to change them because I said so?

Of course, no one wants coaches who are drug addicts coaching our kids. But we also don't want coaches to be sexual
predators, or just plain jerks. Would drug testing lead to an improvement in the soccer experience for our kids? Maybe. But you haven't convinced me, and it looks like I'm not alone.

Very simple - I myself think when it comes to children being around adults that we as parents allow to have a mentor position in our children's lives having a simple drug test is not to much to ask, especially when we are talking about just one more easy step towards the safety of the children.
I cant imagine anyone, parents, coaches, clubs having a choice of knowing if the person that you son or DD see's 3-4 times per week is drug free is something worth debating. I'm keeping this very simple as it should be, this is 100% about the children and just taking a very simple step to insure child safety. What exactly is the argument on why a youth coach should not be subject to a drug test?
We are not talking about a random person on the street here, we are talking about people in a very important position of influence, safety and responsibility.

Are you under the impression that some how Soccer coaches have dodged this fact.

2014 Statistics: 22.7 million Americans needed treatment for a substance use disorder – almost 9% of the population over the age of 12. Only about 2.5 million received such treatment. It is estimated that more than 41% of treatment admissions were for alcohol abuse, 20% of admissions were for opiate addiction treatment, and 17% were for the treatment of marijuana abuse back in 2009 and this number has gone up substantially since 2009.
 
Drug testing is not necessary. Now does anyone know if they check against any type of child molester database? I hope so. If not, yikes!

That is a Live Scan where they do a finger print and then conduct a simple check for back records "convictions" for felonies. It is not the best because it is for "convictions" but it is better than nothing! So ad a simple drug test in the Live Scan process also. Random Drug testing 1-2 times per year.
 
Very simple - I myself think when it comes to children being around adults that we as parents allow to have a mentor position in our children's lives having a simple drug test is not to much to ask, especially when we are talking about just one more easy step towards the safety of the children.
I cant imagine anyone, parents, coaches, clubs having a choice of knowing if the person that you son or DD see's 3-4 times per week is drug free is something worth debating. I'm keeping this very simple as it should be, this is 100% about the children and just taking a very simple step to insure child safety. What exactly is the argument on why a youth coach should not be subject to a drug test?
We are not talking about a random person on the street here, we are talking about people in a very important position of influence, safety and responsibility.

Are you under the impression that some how Soccer coaches have dodged this fact.

2014 Statistics: 22.7 million Americans needed treatment for a substance use disorder – almost 9% of the population over the age of 12. Only about 2.5 million received such treatment. It is estimated that more than 41% of treatment admissions were for alcohol abuse, 20% of admissions were for opiate addiction treatment, and 17% were for the treatment of marijuana abuse back in 2009 and this number has gone up substantially since 2009.


The majority, if not all, school districts do not require random drug testing of their teachers. Why would we force something on a soccer coach we don't force on a teacher? Honestly, if a coach enjoys a couple Scotches every night, or weed, I don't care.
 
2014 Statistics: 22.7 million Americans needed treatment for a substance use disorder – almost 9% of the population over the age of 12. Only about 2.5 million received such treatment. It is estimated that more than 41% of treatment admissions were for alcohol abuse, 20% of admissions were for opiate addiction treatment, and 17% were for the treatment of marijuana abuse back in 2009 and this number has gone up substantially since 2009.

Source?

I have know idea if the above statistics are reliable, but they show the most abused intoxicant to be alcohol, which is generally not tested for. I am not advocating for adults using drugs in front of children, but I am certain that most players that have traveled for soccer tournaments have seen the coaching staff and chaperones having drinks in the bar or hotel lobby, and some of those people were certainly inebriated to some extent. Have you ever drunk alcohol in front of your children or on a team trip?
 
Do you ask for your children's math tutor, piano teacher, or camp counselor to be randomly drug tested? What about school volunteers? Their friends' parents before sleepovers?
 
The majority, if not all, school districts do not require random drug testing of their teachers. Why would we force something on a soccer coach we don't force on a teacher? Honestly, if a coach enjoys a couple Scotches every night, or weed, I don't care.

I'm guessing the last 1/2 of that was a joke? Well again we are talking about YOUTH SOCCER on a YOUTH SOCCER TALK FORUM not your kids teacher.
 
I'm guessing the last 1/2 of that was a joke? Well again we are talking about YOUTH SOCCER on a YOUTH SOCCER TALK FORUM not your kids teacher.

No, it's not a joke. Why would I be concerned with a coach smoking pot or having a few beers at their home after a practice? If a coach came to practice belligerently drunk, or high on meth, yeah there'd be a problem. But if they're doing something on their own time that doesn't affect my child? Who cares
 
No, it's not a joke. Why would I be concerned with a coach smoking pot or having a few beers at their home after a practice? If a coach came to practice belligerently drunk, or high on meth, yeah there'd be a problem. But if they're doing something on their own time that doesn't affect my child? Who cares

Well first of all anyone who smokes pot and drinks Scotch "every night" has a real problem! So YA I don't want that person in my child's life!
The rest of what you wrote is also full of open ended holes.."belligerently drunk"? as opposed to slightly drunk would be OK??
If I knew of a family member or anyone within reach of my child that did drugs for weekend or weekday recreational drug use YA I have an issue with that person having any influence on my child.
 
Well first of all anyone who smokes pot and drinks Scotch "every night" has a real problem! So YA I don't want that person in my child's life!
The rest of what you wrote is also full of open ended holes.."belligerently drunk"? as opposed to slightly drunk would be OK??
If I knew of a family member or anyone within reach of my child that did drugs for weekend or weekday recreational drug use YA I have an issue with that person having any influence on my child.
If you drink, you use recreational drugs.
 
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