It has been a year since my 9-year-old son played for the San Tan Youth Football League Blue…read moreDevils, and after a full year to reflect, I still feel exactly the same.
I can only speak about our experience with the Blue Devils. This was D1, the league's youngest age group, with many boys playing tackle football for the first time.
From the outside, everything looks impressive: social media, uniforms, bags, equipment, etc. Our experience did not match that image.
Within the first couple of weeks, the coaches appeared to choose which boys they would prioritize. They split them into Blue and White groups, and most coaching, attention, and competitive game time went to the group selected early, even though many were not noticeably better than the boys left on the sideline.
They were practicing, but they were not being developed together or treated like one team unless playing games at the end of practice.
The rulebook provides a 20-minute instructional period before the competitive game. What it does not clearly explain is that this may be the only time your child plays. Once the actual game started, many boys spent the entire game on the sideline.
These kids knew the difference. They were told to stand up, clap, cheer louder, stop looking sad, and support the players on the field. They were not members of a football team; they were treated like cheerleaders during the actual games.
We were told my son received no competitive game time because he was not paying attention during practice. The coaches were already focused on the group they selected, and several of those boys were doing the same things while still receiving game time.
We took the feedback seriously. He immediately made every change the coach asked for. Nothing changed. What does that teach a child? That listening, working hard, and improving still will not earn an opportunity because the decision was already made?
After we complained, my son received maybe 15 minutes total of competitive game time over roughly half the season.
The boys on the sideline were suddenly good enough to play whenever a selected player was sick or on vacation. The next week, they were right back on the sideline. One week they were trusted because the team needed them; the next week they were treated like they were not good enough.
The separation also created an unhealthy divide. Boys mocked and belittled others while coaches stood nearby. Racial slurs were used during practice. The club manager addressed it in a meeting, yet the boys involved still played the next game.
My husband and I have coached many seasons of flag football and volleyball. We understand wanting to win and keeping certain players in during important moments. But coaching is about the whole team. Once you agree to coach, your responsibility is to every child, not only your own or the players you prefer.
We raised our concerns with the team manager. Rather than addressing them, she defended the coach. She is close friends with both the coach and his wife, so her response did not feel objective.
We later spoke with the owners of San Tan Youth Football. They agreed there was a problem and said one of their own grandsons on the Blue Devils was experiencing the same lack of game time. Yet nothing changed.
This experience destroyed my son's confidence. It took him a full year to try another sport. After one practice with his new team, I immediately saw the difference: every child was included, engaged, and coached.
We paid hundreds of dollars to the Blue Devils, and my father's company made a business donation. In the end, none of the uniforms, bags, equipment, or ceremonies meant anything. All that gear now sits in my son's closet while the boys who paid, practiced, and showed up were used as cheerleaders for the players the coaches chose during the first few weeks.
