Silverlakes needs to take the lead on player safety

Justafan said:
I was at SL for CRL playin, wasn’t that who you were complaining about? And yes suck it up for one game. If it’s a tournament and they schedule multiple games on turf, then almost certainly one game will be either early or late. Also when it’s very hot, refs will almost always have water breaks. And if they are all playing on the same surface, the better team should still win. And please name all the other times you’ve experienced “kids running in the streets” because of overbooking.
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You're missing the point. I looked back the Discovery League schedule from last year and saw that about half of our games were on turf on some of the hottest weekends. And the teams that played on turf during the CRL playin this year were at the hottest part of the day. The ones that were on grass were bearable. Why are you arguing with facts, all you have to do is look at the schedules and see that some teams got a bad draw and were stuck in bad conditions. The schedulers have enough time in advance to make a plan that is based around the well-being of all involved. If they can't manage that, then don't overbook or try to schedule events that is not in the best interests of players. Both teams playing on the same turf surface when it's more than 130 degrees is actually the problem. Do you remember the women's world cup in Canada in 2015? Do you remember the protests about the heat on the turf? So if elite athletes can't handle it, are you saying that our kids should just deal with it? Did you notice that the rules changed and all the players played on grass this year in the world cup? Were you complaining that they should also man up?

My point is, when conditions are unbearable on turf, it sucks for both teams, both teams are just trying to get through it. The enjoyment of the game is gone. The refs are going to miss calls. The parents are going to be upset. Why put any team in this situation? Why not just make the game at night under the lights, or use one of the 20-30 other fields? Everyone knows that it's going to be hot and smoggy in Norco in June - October. And what do you mean about kids running around in the streets? Kids who play club don't have that problem. That's a different issue.
 
According to this guidelines we should not be playing soccer at all in CA
 

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US Soccer also suggests that tournaments shouldn't be played. Especially at the younger ages (I'll have to hunt for the article on this). But that never stopped anyone from trying to make a buck.
 
Kicker4Life said:
To be fair, how many times over the past few years has Albion Showcase been cut short or had rain problems?

Nothing is perfect but as you’ve said, choose wisely!
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In the past 10 years Albion was cut short once due to heavy thunderstorms. I have no affiliation to Albion but have been attending this tournament almost every year.
 
There's a much greater chance of Silverlakes being close to 100 degrees in July/August than there is of thunderstorms in San Diego.

You also run a medium/high risk of a tournament getting rained out in January. Especially if it is scheduled on Irvine city fields.
 
For Silverlakes in the summer, When it’s 100 degree weather just run tournaments from 8am to noon and 6pm to 9pm. Heck they have so many fields they should be able to run most of Them in the morning.

You could also reduce playing time by 10 minutes.

They can even get some of those water sprayers in each corner or temporary shade on some of the fields. This obviously cost a lot of money but there is a way.
 
Eagle33 said:
According to this guidelines we should not be playing soccer at all in CA
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The US Soccer document you shared assumes light winds, which is rarely the case in California's inland areas.

Since we are talking about Norco ... today at 3pm the temperature will be 99F, with humidity at 27% with a windspeed around 17mph. Using the US Soccer chart, which does not take into account wind speed, that puts the WBGT at 91, which is under the 95 max threshold. Because Norco typically experiences average winds of 15+ mph during the really hot periods, its drives the WBGT rating down further (around 81), which is within the "Orange" range for Category 1 areas (81.1 to 84.1).

This is a good calculator to use because it takes into consideration all of the factors, including wind speed.
https://www.weather.gov/tsa/wbgt
 
MWN said:
The US Soccer document you shared assumes light winds, which is rarely the case in California's inland areas.

Since we are talking about Norco ... today at 3pm the temperature will be 99F, with humidity at 27% with a windspeed around 17mph. Using the US Soccer chart, which does not take into account wind speed, that puts the WBGT at 91, which is under the 95 max threshold. Because Norco typically experiences average winds of 15+ mph during the really hot periods, its drives the WBGT rating down further (around 81), which is within the "Orange" range for Category 1 areas (81.1 to 84.1).

This is a good calculator to use because it takes into consideration all of the factors, including wind speed.
https://www.weather.gov/tsa/wbgt
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Says the person sitting under the umbrella drinking a cold drink...
 
Couldn't agree more! We played Discovery last season so all games were scheduled in Norco. Most of the games were in the 90's with a few over 100 degrees. That is a recipe for disaster. We had players complaining of headaches and witnessed a player on an opposing team slightly disoriented during the game walk to the sideline and throw up. It's only a matter of time before there is a life threatening heat illness.

justified said:
Silverlakes, one of the most used soccer complexes in Southern California, and due to the density of the population of the surrounding areas, likely one of the most used venues in the United States, needs to take the lead on player safety. While the complex has a lot of space that allows players to seek shade between games and cool off, a set of core values beyond making more money needs to be established in order to ensure player, parent and referee safety.

1) Do not schedule games on turf during the hottest months between 10-5 PM. Some kids can handle it, some can't, but in all cases, a game on turf from June-November is not a game, it's a war. There are plenty of grass fields that are fine to use when it gets hot. If there is a small sacrifice on field quality in order to improve the lives of children, it's worth it. Playing on turf in extreme heat, as everyone knows, is toxic to even the parents who can't afford a drink in the bar overlooking the field. Extreme heat takes the fun out of the game and the only reason that games are scheduled at that time is because people who are not sensitive to the needs of children are the ones scheduling them. Make no mistake, a scheduling issue is not a valid reason to play a game on turf in extreme heat. Everyone who has a kid in college knows that an athletic trainer will stop an NCAA game if conditions are extreme. A trial by fire as a kid is not a pre-condition for playing in college. A number of the fields have lights, and evening games are a better way to end the day than hydrating for hours after a game in hell and having a headache the next day in recovery.

2) Don't schedule multiple events during soccer game. Everyone who endured National Cup this year during a concert saw kids running down the street in order to reach their field in time for their game. Factor in the gas money, parking money, road rage, stress, that's not a day of soccer, it's a quagmire. And this is all down to the organizers greed and lack of empathy for parents and players. If there's a big tournament, break it up to different locations where it's cooler and safer and everyone gets the quality of experience they deserve.

A set of core values would ensure better treatment for all. Parents can help this situation by pressuring club directors to adhere to a standard that is better for all. If enough speak up, the schedulers will listen. Yes, that's a tall order considering who is charge of these games and schedules most of the time. Yes, safety is an afterthought. Everyone knows it. Parents who tell their kids things like, "in my day we didn't worry about stuff like this" are missing the point and are not in reality. Times have changed. Those in powerful roles in the soccer community in Southern California need to stand up and take note and focus on the children, not the bottom line. It's a huge ask for these folk who are used to doing whatever they can to increase profits, but it's time to step up and take responsibility for child safety.
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justified said:
Silverlakes, one of the most used soccer complexes in Southern California, and due to the density of the population of the surrounding areas, likely one of the most used venues in the United States, needs to take the lead on player safety. While the complex has a lot of space that allows players to seek shade between games and cool off, a set of core values beyond making more money needs to be established in order to ensure player, parent and referee safety.

1) Do not schedule games on turf during the hottest months between 10-5 PM. Some kids can handle it, some can't, but in all cases, a game on turf from June-November is not a game, it's a war. There are plenty of grass fields that are fine to use when it gets hot. If there is a small sacrifice on field quality in order to improve the lives of children, it's worth it. Playing on turf in extreme heat, as everyone knows, is toxic to even the parents who can't afford a drink in the bar overlooking the field. Extreme heat takes the fun out of the game and the only reason that games are scheduled at that time is because people who are not sensitive to the needs of children are the ones scheduling them. Make no mistake, a scheduling issue is not a valid reason to play a game on turf in extreme heat. Everyone who has a kid in college knows that an athletic trainer will stop an NCAA game if conditions are extreme. A trial by fire as a kid is not a pre-condition for playing in college. A number of the fields have lights, and evening games are a better way to end the day than hydrating for hours after a game in hell and having a headache the next day in recovery.

2) Don't schedule multiple events during soccer game. Everyone who endured National Cup this year during a concert saw kids running down the street in order to reach their field in time for their game. Factor in the gas money, parking money, road rage, stress, that's not a day of soccer, it's a quagmire. And this is all down to the organizers greed and lack of empathy for parents and players. If there's a big tournament, break it up to different locations where it's cooler and safer and everyone gets the quality of experience they deserve.

A set of core values would ensure better treatment for all. Parents can help this situation by pressuring club directors to adhere to a standard that is better for all. If enough speak up, the schedulers will listen. Yes, that's a tall order considering who is charge of these games and schedules most of the time. Yes, safety is an afterthought. Everyone knows it. Parents who tell their kids things like, "in my day we didn't worry about stuff like this" are missing the point and are not in reality. Times have changed. Those in powerful roles in the soccer community in Southern California need to stand up and take note and focus on the children, not the bottom line. It's a huge ask for these folk who are used to doing whatever they can to increase profits, but it's time to step up and take responsibility for child safety.
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Bummed we're not playing this weekend but don't miss the heat out there. Hopefully the tournament folks checked out this thread.
 
SoccerFan4Life said:
For Silverlakes in the summer, When it’s 100 degree weather just run tournaments from 8am to noon and 6pm to 9pm. Heck they have so many fields they should be able to run most of Them in the morning.

You could also reduce playing time by 10 minutes.

They can even get some of those water sprayers in each corner or temporary shade on some of the fields. This obviously cost a lot of money but there is a way.
Click to expand...
At 1900.00 per team they can afford it.
We played out there this afternoon and there was quite a breeze and it was pretty dry, not so bad.
Girls weren’t complaining too much.
 
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