To the parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, coaches, and extended families of Morgan Hill Pop Warner and our visiting communities,

 

A number of incidents occurred last Saturday at our first home game of the season at the Outdoor Sports Complex.  The grass area between the sidewalk of the parking lot and the grandstands became an all out game of rough house football/soccer incorporating about 30 children between the ages of 16 and younger.  Most if not all of the children were completely unsupervised.  All of the adults were watching the game in the grandstands, or out on the soccer fields.

 

Some children were injured as a result of their rough play requiring minor medical attention for sprained wrists, twisted ankles and such.  Other children became involved in skirmishes as a result of their "pick-up" game of football/soccer or keep away, which seemed at times to be more closely related to rugby!  No reports of serious injury have come to my attention.  However, some of these altercations involved children from our visiting organization Cambrian Valley, and the visiting soccer groups.  Not only were these children endangering themselves, but they also aggravated spectators/siblings walking to and from the restrooms and snack shack who were under fire dodging & ducking footballs and soccer balls.  I have talked with the President of Cambrian Valley and we have concluded that all of the adults of both organizations are responsible for supervising our children.

 

Therefore, we are asking all of you when you arrive on any field to play your games, home or away, that you please keep your children and siblings under close supervision.  As this applies to the Outdoor Sports Complex in Morgan Hill, there will be no unattended children allowed to play on the grassy area between the sidewalk and the grandstands, or the second turf field, unless accompanied by an adult.  When your game is finished, and you plan to stay a little longer please have your children sit with you in the stands and watch the next game.  Unattended children will be asked to leave the grass area and return to the stands. 

 

Understand me, if you were to go to any public park anywhere in the state, would you simply allow your children to go to any remote area of the park?  Can you ignore where your children are, and what they are doing when they are out of sight of you?  Please help us solve this problem, act as a community and work as a team to keep our children safe!

 

Thank you,

Rich Phillips

President

Morgan Hill Pop Warner