I'm giving i9 Sports a 1-star review because of how their management handles talent, scheduling, and sideline conflict. Recently in Winter Park, a 3-year-old player named Nevada--a young man of color--was moved up to play in an older division against 5- and 6-year-olds because of his advanced skill level. Because he excelled and dominated the games, opposing parents became hostile and complained to the league staff.
Instead of managing the complaining parents or enforcing a code of conduct for the adults on the sidelines, i9 Sports chose the easiest way out by banning the 3-year-old child and his family. They issued a refund, canceled the contract, and had local police respond to the field to issue a trespass warning to escort the family away. Banning a toddler and calling law enforcement on a family of color because the child is too advanced for his division--and because the league cannot manage adult sideline behavior--is completely unprofessional and escalates situations unnecessarily. I cannot recommend a league that penalizes young athletes for their talent instead of handling parent disputes properly. And one may say that this was an individual outlined incident. However, one could also say that this is a systemic problem within the company, and until the company handles this, this could easily happen anywhere that i9 Sports is involved. Situations like this can easily be traumatizing to children. And that is not what sports is about. Whether it be soccer, basketball, or anything else that i9 Sports is involved in, they need to address there rules and regulations before any parent should allow their children to play or be involved in such a destructive company. read more