Throws flag at youth league

This is an open letter to the Gold Coast Youth Football Organization. I would like to voice my concerns on what has happened to our youth's football program. As a person who had admired and was very proud to support our youth sports programs in Camarillo for more than 20 years, I am appalled that the Gold Coast youth program has allowed the forming of teams to be so unbalanced.

This year the senior teams have been divided into two teams, A and B. They were formed by a point system. This system was set up by the coaching staff. All returning players were given five points to start. New players were to earn their points. Depending on your points you were placed on a team. The A team now consists of all returning players while the B team consists of players that are new to the program. Does this sound like a fair way to form teams? It sounds like the coaching staff has tacked one team over the others.

How do the coaches justify this type of placement for these young players? How are the coaches able to properly divide their attention to both teams at game time? They cannot be in two places at one time. The teams are unbalanced and there are not enough coaches for both teams. How are they able to teach our young men fair play? All of these boys deserve the same chance to be coached properly. They also deserve the respect of their fellow teammates.

Effective character building is a team effort with coaches and children working together, not being left alone on the sideline. Our boys should not be expected to coach themselves.

As a parent or grandparent, what do we say to them to justify this kind of behavior? Each team should be equally balanced the best way possible. As role models for these boys we should encourage fair play and respect for others not to classify them as A or B. Where has our Camarillo pride gone?

Here is a direct quote from the website for the Camarillo Cougars. "The attitudes and choices today will have a profound effect on their future. Along with learning the game, students are taught life lessons by qualified instructors and role models."

Doesn't your child deserve to have the best training available and the experience that will last a lifetime? Don't they deserve every chance to be of sound body, mind and spirit? You bet they do. Hilda Valdez Camarillo