Akademik

n.

A form of soccer in which spectators are not allowed to yell, cheer, or coach from the sidelines.

No yells, screams or even cheers are to be heard from the sidelines and benches at house-league soccer games in Aurora, Ont., this week.

Instead, only clapping is allowed.

So-called silent soccer has been embraced by the Aurora Youth Soccer house league and has taken hold with a handful of clubs and leagues in Canada and other countries.

—Carys Mills, " Silent running: Soccer league tells parents to pipe down: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/silent-running-soccer-league-tells-parents-to-pipe-down/article2112318/," The Globe and mail, July 27, 2011

I just got back from my nine-year-old daughter's house league soccer game. Her team won — 3 to 1. But we parents were to keep our enthusiasm to polite clapping. This is "silent soccer" week — no coaxing, cheering or sideline coaching from coaches allowed.

—Jacqueline, " No cheers for silent soccer: http://blogs.todaysparent.com/onourminds/no-cheers-for-silent-soccer/," Today's Parent, July 27, 2011

If you're the parent or coach of one of the metro area's 20,000 young recreational soccer players, you may have to keep your mouth shut for part of the games this fall...

It's all part of a new movement to adopt a Silent Quarter for 10 to 15 minutes, usually at the start of the second half.

—Ann Carnahan, "There's lots of noise about silent soccer," Rocky Mountain News, June 30, 1996

This form of soccer is also known as silent Saturday (or Sunday) soccer and silent sidelines:

Excellent news from the Jack London Youth Soccer Sports League: This weekend's games will be "Silent Sidelines" games, which means that spectators are being asked to refrain from catcalling, yelling out directions, even cheering during the games.

—Susan Davis, " This Weekend's Soccer: Silent Sidelines: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inalameda/detail?entry_id=73103," San Francisco Chronicle," September 24, 2010