So my son is on a competitive club soccer team, U11. They are playing in the top level for CT soccer teams. He is one of two keepers. Most of the team has been together (via another club) since they were 6 or 7. My won (and one other field player) joined this core this past September, which was the first time with this club for any of them.
As it turns out, the other keeper has taken to bullying my son on a semi-regular level, mostly verbally, but he did punch my son one time back in September. All the incidents back in September were reported to the team and the club's management, who at the time addressed it only via a group chat about team spirit and supporting each other. The verbal bullying/taunting seems to stop, until this last couple weeks when it has started up again, largely in the "Your mother's a whore" vein.
It has seriously soured my son on soccer in general, and this team in particular as he always wants to skip practices now because he dreads the confrontations.
After things tarted up again earlier this month, my wife gave our son permission to stand up to this bully, which seems to have helped a bit. But there's an incident at almost every practice now. At practice last week, our son told the other boy to stop and then told their Coach. The Coach told them both to knock it off and got the other boy to apologize to my son and shake hands. But at the very next practice, the other boy started up again, so my son told him to shut the hell up. Which seemed to throw off the other kid, at least for the rest of that practice.
Today at 6pm, we have a meeting with the club's second in command, the man in charge of the younger divisions (U11, and U12), and my son's coach. AFAIK, this will not involve the other boy or his family.
My question is what we should be asking for from the club/team/coach in terms of policing this behavior.
As it turns out, the other keeper has taken to bullying my son on a semi-regular level, mostly verbally, but he did punch my son one time back in September. All the incidents back in September were reported to the team and the club's management, who at the time addressed it only via a group chat about team spirit and supporting each other. The verbal bullying/taunting seems to stop, until this last couple weeks when it has started up again, largely in the "Your mother's a whore" vein.
It has seriously soured my son on soccer in general, and this team in particular as he always wants to skip practices now because he dreads the confrontations.
After things tarted up again earlier this month, my wife gave our son permission to stand up to this bully, which seems to have helped a bit. But there's an incident at almost every practice now. At practice last week, our son told the other boy to stop and then told their Coach. The Coach told them both to knock it off and got the other boy to apologize to my son and shake hands. But at the very next practice, the other boy started up again, so my son told him to shut the hell up. Which seemed to throw off the other kid, at least for the rest of that practice.
Today at 6pm, we have a meeting with the club's second in command, the man in charge of the younger divisions (U11, and U12), and my son's coach. AFAIK, this will not involve the other boy or his family.
My question is what we should be asking for from the club/team/coach in terms of policing this behavior.