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Federal Republican lawmakers on Tuesday suggested that increasing students’ access and participation in sports could help stem school and gun violence, as Democrats pushed back on whether that’s a viable solution. The disagreement came on the heels of a fatal mass shooting at Brown University that occurred on the eve of Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre’s 13th anniversary.
“This is a hearing on school safety,” said House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Tim Walberg, R-Mich. Walberg spoke during a hearing titled “Benched: The Crisis in American Youth Sports and Its Cost to Our Future,” held by the subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee. Walberg chairs the full committee.
“If we did this right again, we would have less violence in schools,” Walberg said. “These are the types of things that will change [the] perspective of kids and what they do in life itself. So this is a hearing on gun violence.”
While Democrats and witnesses agreed that access and affordability are barriers to youth sports participation,they disagreed with Republicans over its potential to address school shootings. Studies have shown that youth sports participation is linked to better attendance, graduation rates, and academic performance.
“As important as sports participation is for kids, there is a much more pressing crisis at hand that the majority needs to recognize,” said subcommittee ranking member Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore. “We know what happened over the weekend.”
Saturday’s shooting at Brown University killed two students and injured nine others. In K-12, there have been 230 school shootings in 2025 as of Dec 16, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, which tracks anytime a weapon is brandished with intent to harm on school grounds.
That number puts this year on track to fall well below last year’s 330 school shootings. Last year became the first year since 2020 that school shootings hadn’t broken a record high. Still, however, the 330 school shootings recorded in 2024 marked the second-highest number since 1966 and fell only 19 below the all-time high of 349 recorded in 2023.
“This subcommittee has held several hearings this year, but we have not had a single hearing related to gun violence,” nor has the committee marked up a bill this year on school gun violence, said Bonamici. “We can talk about the other issues as much as we want — reading, math, CTE, screentime, student privacy, sports. None of that matters if children are shot and killed.”
Witnesses at the hearing, however, stressed that better access to school sports could help improve student mental health, academics and outcomes. They reported anecdotes of students being less likely to engage in violence or commit crimes when after-school time is filled with sports activities.
“If you can calm yourself down when you’re in an anxious state, you’re a better athlete. If you can calm your anger down when you’re hypercompetitive, you’re a better athlete,” said Steve Boyle, co-founder and executive director of 2-4-1 Care, Inc., a nonprofit organization that partners with school districts to provide sports opportunities.
John O’Sullivan, another witness and founder and CEO of the Changing the Game Project, said, “We have to keep as many kids as possible, as long as possible, in the best environment possible. ” His organization advocates for parents and coaches to become better participants in kids’ sports.
Democrats remained doubtful and pushed for a hearing specifically on gun violence.
“While sports are important for school safety, we have to have a hearing on this committee to address school shootings and the safety of our children in American schools,” said Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn. “I know that my constituents expect something more than to just normalize school shootings and teach our children how to shelter in place.”
Hayes and other lawmakers on Sept. 12 sent a letter to Walberg and full committee ranking member Bobby Scott, D-Va., seeking a hearing before the end of the year on school shootings, and she said she received a response saying her concerns were “noted.” The letter was sent in wake of shootings at a Catholic school in Minnesota and a Colorado high school.
“We need meaningful action to keep our students, teachers, and schools safe and a plan to address the underlying causes of gun violence,” the letter said. “This Committee has the ability to bring together experts and individuals with firsthand experience to help develop federal legislation that implements school security upgrades, invests in mental health services, creates evidence-based crisis and threat assessments, and fosters a positive and trusting school environment.”
The subcommittee has no hearings currently scheduled on gun violence or school safety, according to its calendar.
Congress in 2022 passed theBipartisan Safer Communities Act in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting, the first significant gun safety legislation that also included school-based mental health measures in nearly three decades.
The funding provided to district mental health programs by that legislation, however, was put on pause and in many cases revoked by the Trump administration as it reviewed grants for potential diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The administration revoked about $1 billion in grants related to mental health earlier this year as a result, according to court documents.
Last week, the administration distributed a lesser amount — $208 million — to recipients who applied under a new grant application with updated requirements. These grants limit funding to the training of school psychologists only, instead of also funding school counselors and social workers, who often provide student mental health supports.
We’re looking back at some of our favorite stories from 2025. This story from August is one of Robert Chappell’s favorites.
Our “favorite” or most impactful stories are not always happy to report. This is a story about a small, mostly volunteer-run suburban soccer club, but has bigger things to say about racism and privilege in youth sports and other white-dominated spaces. – Rob
Monona Grove Football Club has dismissed the coach of its top Under-13 boys’ team, alleging incidents of unprofessional conduct and using club resources to promote her own business and nonprofit foundation.
The move set off a wave of frustration among parents, raised questions about the board’s transparency, and prompted the club’s director of coaching to resign in protest.
Ashante “Ziggy” Odogun said her removal as a volunteer coach for the growing suburban club was “100 percent” racially motivated.
In an email to parents Thursday, the club also said it has filed a report with the US Center for SafeSport, which investigates allegations of abuse by coaches and others in authority. The club said it had provided USCSS with “supporting materials” but has not provided those materials to Odogun or Madison365.
The club provided Odogun with a number of alleged violations of club policy five days after she was initially removed from her coaching position. The only one related to abuse of players, which the USCSS would investigate, is that Odogun “spent approximately 15 minutes chastising her players in a raised and critical tone. During this time, she stated she could “dismantle the team at [her] whim” if they did not play harder.” The parent of a guest player filed a complaint with the Madison Area Youth Soccer Association.
One parent who was present during the incident called the report to SafeSport “hogwash” designed to “cover the board’s asses.”
“Monona Grove Futbol Club is a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a safe, positive, and inclusive environment for youth athletes,” the club wrote to Madison365 in an emailed statement. “Like all clubs, we follow bylaws, MAYSA and WYSA requirements, and the standards established by the U.S. Center for SafeSport to guide expectations for coaches. While we do not comment on individual personnel matters, our focus remains on supporting players and families as we move into the fall season.”
Roots in southeast London
Ashante Odogun as a senior at Delta State.
Odogun, a native of southeast London with Nigerian and Jamaican parents, got her start with Long Lane Junior Football Club at 11 and went on to play for the women’s teams of some of London’s top clubs and academies, including Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Millwall (which has recently rebranded as London City Lionesses). She came to the United States in 2013 to play for Ohio Valley University before transferring to Delta State, where a torn Achilles tendon ended her playing career.
She spent several years coaching at high-level camps around the country and settled in Wisconsin, where she coached for Oregon Soccer Club until 2022. Working as a trainer for Basecamp Fitness and later a community outreach specialist for the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce, she thought her life with soccer was done.
That is, until her stepson joined Monona Grove Soccer Club and, she said, begged her to coach his team. She took on the Under 12 Blue team in August 2024 and even joined the club’s board of directors in January of 2025.
“I thought she certainly was doing a wonderful job in making her team a better soccer team,” said Andy Frisch, the club’s director of coaching, who resigned following the board’s decision to terminate Odogun’s volunteer coaching status.
“Ziggy is a disciplinarian,” Frisch said. “She’s a hard charger, but I would say I never saw anything wrong with her coaching style. If I did, I would have said something to her.”
“She’s the best coach we’ve had,” said one parent, who requested to remain anonymous to shield their son from potential retaliation by the club. “In the year that she’s worked with him, I’ve seen his skill set and understanding and strategies just phenomenally advance, like tenfold … She holds the kids to a very high standard, and if they don’t understand something, she takes time to break it down and help them understand it… every kid on that squad has improved, and every one of them loves it.”
“My son has been more motivated, more engaged. He’s learned more than he ever did on his previous team,” said another parent, who also requested anonymity. “Her intensity, her passion, I think, really works well for my son.”
“I wanted to build a culture where the kids feel like they’re part of something bigger, that they’re learning life skills as well as soccer skills,” Odogun said.
Around the same time she joined the board of MGFC, she launched Zinovae Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the mission of funding scholarships for youth players whose families could not afford registration fees and other expenses associated with youth soccer. It shares a name with Zinovae LLC, her consulting and coaching business.
She told the MGFC board that she hoped the foundation would bring more local youth into MGFC, but that she’d have to be mindful not to “poach” players from other clubs, which would be against Madison Area Youth Soccer Association rules. Text messages between Odogun and MGFC board chair Marissa Anders, who is also the paid administrator of the club, show that Anders was generally supportive of Zinovae Foundation in its early days.
Through the course of a number of fundraising meetings for Zinovae Foundation, Odogun captured the interest of Cottage Grove-based One Community Bank, and secured a $20,000 sponsorship over four years for MGFC, which would underwrite the cost of uniforms for players across the club in exchange for the bank’s logo on the front of the jerseys. In text messages reviewed by Madison365, board members agreed to move the club’s accounts to OCB and to accept the sponsorship.
The sponsorship, it was determined, would have to pass through Zinovae Foundation, at least this year, since Zinovae had status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and MGFC did not. Multiple people told Madison365 that MGFC has applied for but does not appear to have been granted status at the time of publication, according to a search of online records. MGFC officials did not respond to a message asking for clarification.
Odogun, still a member of the board of MGFC at this time, also proposed that Zinovae Foundation subsidize one player registration fee for $540, in hopes of subsidizing more as the foundation grew. In return for that, as well as for having secured the OCB sponsorship, Odogun proposed placing a small logo patch with the Zinovae logo on the sleeve of the club’s jerseys. OCB, Odogun said, approved of that addition.
When the board balked, however, Odogun rescinded the Zinovae proposal. The OCB sponsorship would go forward, however.
Odogun brought two more proposals to the board. First, she proposed increasing the compensation for coaches. All coaches with the club are parents of players and Odogun thought offering more compensation could entice licensed professional coaches to join the club. The board voted that proposal down, citing lack of adequate funding.
The second proposal was to purchase training jerseys – just for her team at first, and ultimately for the whole club. She estimated that the two training jerseys and a warm-up would cost about $200 per player. When the board declined, she asked whether Zinovae could buy the training jerseys just for her team, and secured another $1,500 commitment from OCB to defray the cost of warm-ups, with the understanding that $20 that would be asked from each family. In an email to parents reviewed by Madison365, she wrote that anyone who could not afford the $20 would not be required to pay it. Potential designs for the training jerseys had a heavy Monona Grove eagle presence with a large Zinovae logo on the lower back.
Neither of the parents who spoke with Madison365 had any reservations about the $20 or the Zinovae branding.
Odogun’s team manager and assistant coach, Mike Stiller, told Odogun, in a text message reviewed by Madison365, that the “$20 is fine, no problem.”
But on July 24, Stiller, who was also serving as a member of the Zinovae Foundation board of directors, sent a message to Anders, the MGFC board president, claiming that some parents were concerned about Zinovae’s logo appearing on team practice gear, and that their children might see reduced playing time if they didn’t pay the $20.
Odogun called that assumption “ridiculous.”
“I never threatened to kick a kid off the team for not paying. I said if there’s a problem with the fee, let me know and I’ll cover it,” she said.
Stiller asked Anders not to share his name; she forwarded the note with his name redacted to Odogun, but forwarded it with Stiller’s identity attached to Frisch, the director of coaching, who later shared it with Odogun. He instructed her to dismiss Stiller as her assistant coach, which she did on August 8, and she also removed him from the Zinovae board. She also resigned from the MGFC board of directors that day, but intended to stay on as a coach.
On July 30, in an email reviewed by Madison365, Anders told Odogun that “having Zinovae sponsor the (training) kits is great for your team,” if they were optional for players. However, since not every team had an individual sponsor, the training jerseys should not be branded with any MGFC logo. The entire board was copied on that email.
Photo by Robert Chappell.
“Digging a little further”
On August 10, MGFC board member and coach Rachel Fisch reached out to two of Odogun’s coaches from her days at Millwall in 2011-12. In an email reviewed by Madison365, she told them that she was the club’s director of coaching (which was not true; Andy Frisch still was the coaching director at that time) and that the club was “vetting” Odogun for a coaching position, which was also not true — Odogun had been coaching at the club for a year. She cited a June podcast interview in which Odogun said she’d scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final for Millwall. Odogun misspoke in that interview: the game she was referring to was the final game of the group stage of the FA Women’s Premier League Cup, a tournament that runs concurrently with the FA Cup. Madison365 has confirmed that Odogun scored in the 84th minute to win that match 2-1 over Brighton & Hove Albion, sending Millwall to the knockout stage of the tournament.
Fisch told Odogun’s Millwall coaches that the podcast statement prompted the club to “dig a little further” into Odogun’s playing experience. Both coaches confirmed that Odogun had played for Millwall; one of them also recalled the goal in question, though couldn’t remember which game it was in.
Both coaches immediately forwarded the correspondence to Odogun, who alerted Anders. Anders said Fisch had acted on her own without the board’s knowledge.
Still, the next day, August 11, the club emailed Odogun to tell her that the board had made the preliminary decision to revoke her volunteer status and gave her 48 hours to appeal the decision.
Coaching Director Andy Frisch resigned in protest that day.
“As this situation clearly escalated … to the point that the board decided to make a decision to remove Ziggy, and the way that decision was made, in good conscience … I can no longer justify my position here,” Frisch said.
In two emails reviewed by Madison365, Odogun asked the club to provide specific reasons for the decision, to which they responded asking for patience as they did “due diligence.”
The club provided a list of allegations on August 15. That list of allegations was marked as confidential, so Odogun did not share it with Madison365 at that time.
The list of allegations acknowledges that “certain incidents outlined in this report were not properly documented or formally reported to the Board at the time they occurred.”
It includes incidents as far back as October 2024, when Odogun asked Anders’ permission to have a photographer attend a practice to get photos of players for the Zinovae Foundation website, which was granted, according to text messages reviewed by Madison365. In an email to parents, Odogun wrote in bold type that any player could opt out of having their photo taken. Additionally, Odogun had players’ parents sign photo waivers. Requiring photo waivers of players was listed as a violation of club policy.
The allegations also include the dismissal of Stiller as assistant coach without board approval. Coaching Director Andy Frisch told Madison365 that he instructed Odogun to dismiss Stiller, thinking that the board approval policy did not apply to assistant coaches.
Other alleged violations involved the training jersey sponsorship and mentions of MGFC on radio and podcast interviews, which the club felt were intended “to build credibility for her private and non-profit Zinovae, creating confusion about the relationship between MGFC and her personal ventures.” Still other violations involved “belittling” remarks about opposing players, an argument with a referee, asking players to write positive Google reviews, inviting players to a Forward Madison game to promote Zinovae and MGFC, and emailing coaches to let them know she’d be on a WORT-FM radio show.
Odogun said the only alleged violation anyone spoke with her about before she was terminated was the complaint made by the guest player to MAYSA.
“It felt like the board was looking for reasons to get rid of me instead of actually talking to me about the concerns,” she said.
Following a hearing with the board on August 18, the board told Odogun on August 21 that its final decision was to terminate her as a volunteer coach.
What’s next?
Coaching Director Frisch was also a member of the Zinovae Foundation board, and has also stepped away from that position to avoid any conflict of interest, though he told Madison365 he supports the foundation and its mission.
Odogun and members of the Zinovae Foundation board of directors met with One Community Bank officials Thursday; Odogun said the executive she spoke with expressed support for Zinovae, and that she isn’t sure whether the $20,000 sponsorship for MGFC will go forward. Madison365 could not reach OCB officials for comment, as the meeting ended after business hours.
Two parents who spoke with Madison365 on the condition of anonymity said they would consider finding new clubs for their sons. But the fall season is very nearly underway, as practices for most Madison-area clubs are starting this week.
“Now comes the hard conversation with our children trying to explain why the coach they loved can no longer be their coach,” one coach said in a text message. “At this point the season is 2 weeks away and none of us know who is going to be the new coach and finding spots in other clubs will be a tall ask as they have all made their teams already. For us personally we’ll let our son decide what he wants to do. The only thing the board did was disservice the children because they allowed their egos to get in the way. They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Both parents were troubled by a lack of transparency from the board.
“We didn’t really have details from the board on why… we still haven’t even gotten a formal description of what exactly the issue was,” one parent said.
“They’re being very secretive as to what their problem is,” another said. “They’re transparent like a brick. There’s just no getting through to them.”
The board has scheduled a meeting with parents over the weekend to address questions.
“My gut tells me Ziggy was too ambitious and she wanted to contribute more to the club,” one of the parents said. “However, I think with the kind of existing board members building the club currently, I don’t think they wanted their contributions to be overshadowed … I think a lot of people get really excited when they meet Ziggy, or hear there’s a former pro player that’s coaching, and she’s got a whole organization. She’s securing sponsorships from big companies. I think there was some component of … maybe they didn’t want the Monona Grove Football Club to be overtaken, or their contributions to be overshadowed.”
That parent said that many other parents had reached out to the board, questioning the decision.
“I think there might be a touch of racism in this too,” the other parent said. “The board has flat-out told her, ‘you’re an angry Black woman.’ No, she’s British. She’s intense. I don’t know how many British people you’ve met in your life, but every one of them kind of sounds like they’re angry when they talk.”
Odogun said it’s “100 percent” about race.
“Everybody sees it,” she said. “They’re saying this wouldn’t be happening to me except that I’m Black.”
She said it’s not the first time she’s faced discrimination since she came to the US.
“I did not realize until coming to America that I was Black,” she said. “But then imagine being a woman, and imagine being gay, and then imagine being an immigrant who can’t even vote. And then on top of that, I’m highly educated. Oppression. Try it. You probably won’t be able to keep me down for long.”
Former Coaching Director Frisch said it’s time to refocus.
“At some point, can we take a step back and realize this is kids playing a game?” he said. “That perspective seems to have been lost by everybody.”
There is a certain magic around youth sports, a feeling that sticks around with those who’ve played far after their time on the team has passed. Whether they are indelible memories of the dirt swirling around a Little League field, mud squishing under cleats on the soccer field or the sharp crack of pads colliding in a Pop Warner game, those moments will live on in the hearts of those who have played. This December, the members of the Sarasota Sun Devils 14U football team made some memories that they will be sure to cherish forever.
From December 8-13, the Sun Devils—a youth football and cheer organization started in 1987—competed in the American Youth Football National Championships in Naples, Florida. The Sun Devils, which had secured a berth to the tournament by winning its regional championship in November, played against teams from New Jersey, Virginia and California in the All-American Division 2 bracket. Led by head coach Bill Weiser and assistant coach Joshua Smithers—the former head coach and a current assistant coach on Riverview High School’s football team—the Sun Devils overcame an initial 18-2 loss to the Toms River Warriors to win two successive games en route to placing third in the national championships.
“We had games on Monday and Wednesday of that week guaranteed, and depending on the outcome, we would play on Friday,” says Smithers, who served as offensive coordinator. “I’m not sure if our kids were just nervous, but we lost to Toms River on Monday 18-2 and I thought to myself, ‘this might be a long day on Wednesday.’”
The Sun Devils rallied, however, defeating Richmond’s RVA United 20-18 in the consolation bracket before squaring with San Francisco’s Bay Area Gators for a shot at third place. Despite the Gators being as physical and well-coached a team as the Sun Devils had faced all season, Sarasota was able to pull out the victory, 32-21. A strong receiving group and the complimentary skill sets of the Sun Devils’ two quarterbacks, Parker Taylor and Beckett Hill, allowed Smithers to scheme up a creative offense. “It was the most that I’ve ever done with a youth football team. We were throwing screens and play action passes, we took advantage of the quick game and were able to run the field as well as push it down the field through the air,” says Smithers. “These kids were able to handle a lot in terms of scheme and play design.”
For Smithers and the rest of the Sun Devils, the end of the season is bittersweet. 14U is the last stop before high school football and much of the team had been playing together for years. “It was a little sad, but I am excited to watch these kids grow into young men and do great things for our area high schools.”
The D.C. Futsal Cup is one of the district’s premier winter futsal competitions — a 5v5 futsal tournament for competitive teams played under FIFA futsal rules and regulations on hard court surfaces.
Teams from around the area will take to the courts to engage in one of the fastest-growing games in the country on Jan. 31 (U9-12 Boys & Girls) and Feb. 1 (U13-U19 Boys & Girls) at the Athletic Republic.
Register online at $399 per team.
5v5 Tournament
Bethesda Soccer Club Performance Center is hosting a one-day U9-U12 Boys & Girls tournament on MLK Day (Jan. 19) as part of its 5v5 Shootout Series.
Teams from around the area will play on 5v5-specific fields to engage in a bold and distinctive game of soccer that will be entertaining and competitive. This one-day tournament allows the unique opportunity to play and let it rip.
For 2026, Hyundai shifts the spotlight to the dreams, imagination, and artistic talents of the youngest and most spirited football enthusiasts—children. Their artwork will bring a splash of vibrancy and fresh dreams to one of the world’s greatest sporting spectacles.
These captivating drawings will accompany the national players as they travel to stadiums and match venues, sharing youthful energy and creativity with millions of fans around the globe.
Each creative entry symbolizes the passion and enthusiasm of football fans for their national teams, inspiring pride and unity among players and supporters. These works of art don’t just embellish the buses; they embody the spirit of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, spreading messages of hope and celebration wherever they go!
But the experience doesn’t stop with seeing their art on display. Each winning artist will experience the excitement firsthand, with two very special seats reserved for the winner and one lucky guardian. The prize includes two tickets to a FIFA World Cup 2026™ group stage match, round-trip airfare, and hotel accommodations. This ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’ combines creativity, thrills, and a long list of unforgettable memories.
On Saturday, December 20, Fillmore Youth Basketball filled the Fillmore Middle School gym for a full day of games. Pictured are the games last Saturday for both boys and girls. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, December 25th, 2025
Our “favorite” or most impactful stories are not always happy to report. This is a story about a small, mostly volunteer-run suburban soccer club, but has bigger things to say about racism and privilege in youth sports and other white-dominated spaces.
