Three-year-old footballer Nevada Pierre expelled from kids’ league

In Winter Park, Florida, part of the Orlando metro area, police had to be called to a children’s soccer tournament on Saturday, Oct. 24, after parents and an organizer got into a dispute. The cause was three-year-old Nevada Pierre, who plays so much better than his peers that they cannot take the ball away from him.

According to the organizer of the i9 Sports League, he called the police because the boy’s parents were disrupting games and verbally attacking the organizers. Nevada’s mother, Martazia Griffin, and father, Don Pierre, tell a different story. Videos of the games show that the little boy plays phenomenally for his age and passes the ball to no one, including his teammates. The family had earlier said on social media that he scored 21 goals in two games.

According to police records, there is some truth in both accounts. The organizer admitted that the parents of other children were seriously irritated by Nevada’s skill. At the same time, he said, the league’s aim is for all children to play and develop, which is why a rotation rule applies on the field. Nevada’s parents did not like this: they believed their son should play the whole time, after which, in the organizer’s version, the verbal clashes began.

The conflict was settled on the spot in the presence of police, but perhaps in the most unpleasant way possible: league officials removed the boy from the program and promised to refund the family’s costs. Later, the i9 Sports League reversed its decision. The league said it had contacted Nevada’s parents and was trying to find a reasonable solution with them.

Meanwhile, Martazia Griffin has launched a fundraiser on a crowdfunding platform. She is asking for help with her son’s further football development on another team and in another tournament: the money will go toward applications, registrations, equipment and longer trips.

The story seems to have touched many people. By early November, Nevada had received more than $66,000 (almost 1.5 million Czech crowns) against an initial goal of $30,000 (about 660,000 crowns), more than double the target.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz