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A sometimes forgotten obligation of youth sports organizations is the need to be responsible for member parents and their actions.

In North Carolina, a youth soccer club was recently suspended for playing games at a local park because beer bottles were found at a field following some games. Alcohol is banned at the park.

The organization apologized for their actions and agreed to a 10-day suspension. As a result, 46 games needed to be rescheduled.

The lesson here, obviously, is that organizations must be responsible for their member parents. At the very least, the organization should have done a better job cleaning up after themselves – beer bottles or not. Even if the park didn’t have a policy on alcohol (which they did), youth sports organizations should realize that alcohol isn’t appropriate during practices or games.

Speaking generally, organizations should also be aware of any particular park regulations that could impact their standing with the local park (or school) authority – anything from pet regulations to open/close times to cleanliness policies to parking policies and more. Be a good steward and set a good example for your members.
