Turf war in San Francisco youth soccer

The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department has sent a letter sent to San Francisco Youth Soccer league supporters threatening to bring in an outside expert to mediate the conflict betweensoccer clubs if the league cannot “resolve its internal dispute quickly and fairly on its own.”

According to Rec and Parks, the number of kids playing soccer in San Francisco has doubled since2009. The addition of an estimated 5,000 youth soccer players and 300 teams in nearly seven years has led to steep competition over premiere practice times, field allocations and prized slots to playagainst teams outside San Francisco. The heightened competition has led to allegations of favoritism, reports Michael Barba.