Jeff van Gastel arrested

I just heard of a GU18 coach who took some of his players to Hooters during a tournament. That raised a few eyebrows, but certainly pales in comparison.

 

You know, Jeff was also President of the CYSA-DYSL District II Select (Class I)Abronzino League. I've known this guy for more than 10 years. What an absolute betrayal of 100's of youth and college soccer players, both male and female, and their families. He ruined his life not to mention the disgusting advantage he took of the young women who were in his charge. Doesn't matter that they were 18 as far as the sexual conduct goes. He was in a position of power over them in the role of coach. This will be with them forever and could very well develop into psychological trust issues for them as they mature. It DOES matter tremendously that they were underage for consuming alcohol.

What does something like this do to the reputation of a club like the Force? Anything? Or does it just destroy the reputation of the person who comits the heinous acts?

The club has an "acting" president in place. This is a fairly young club that was really growing and building their reputation with an expanding resume of successful tournaments and many former youth players going on to play at the collegiate level. This is my son's club. Should I be concerned?

 

I think you should be concerned IF the club does not take action on it now. This coach should already be suspended by the club, until the investagion is over. Also, I think the State's Youth Soccer Assn should also take action on this as well. As for the club, You and everyone else should be fine IF the club takes action on it now.

This reminds me of the Youth BB coach that made headlines in Colorado and in SI magazine about 7 months ago. One of the best Youth BB coaches in the country and he more or less did the same thing. He is serving time right now. I also have a daughter playing on a competitive level, and Im always ear's open to anything in our soccer community about things like this.
-Futbolr

 

Yep, club and laegue have taken action. I'm pretty sure they're handling it well so far. van Gastel is suspended from everything including a new women's head coach position he just took with a local college. He's also a substitute teacher - well not any more. Guess we'll just wait and see. Fall is about to start in a couple of weeks. Would hate to have to make any change with my kid right at this moment.

 

Yeah, I play on the field right next to where Van Gastel's team usually trains, and a few weeks ago he was all smiles and waves. It makes me wonder about the condition of the club... I'm sure Adrienne Vass will do a good job as interim President, though. She seems like she's got her head on straight. Baicher could take a page out of her book...

 

quite a shock and betrayal of his players for sure. Talked to several girls who played for and against his team and all are mirroring the disbelief I feel. He apparently was hired for the job at menlo college 2 days after the incident occurred. I guess it's just business as usual until you get caught.

 

http://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/morgue/2005/2005_08_26.gastel26.shtml

 

Completely unacceptable. I can't even fathom what they should do to this guy, but he definately should not have contact with youth again in any way. He has shown a serious character flaw and can't be trusted again.

 

Fire him ... but what the hell kind of girls are these? They're not 13 years old. They're 18. And they can't figure out not to drop their drawers with adult soccer coach at a party? What were they thinking, let's form a line and let him at us?

I wish that I knew 18 year old girls like that when I was 18 myself ... but I'm damned glad I'm not their parents. Sheesh.

 

Agreed, JohnR......however his lapse of reason shows a particular weakness. It makes it more difficult to give as much trust as is needed to trainers/coaches when you have female players.

 

I told a friend about this story and she claims a coach from a very high profile Illinois club has had relations with several players over the past couple of years. It is sick that these guys would prey off kids like this.

 

Just a matter of time.....He'll get his due !

 

Apparently the story is not over yet. He was recently spotted helping train a De Anza team and as the sole coach for De Anza in a scrimmage with Juventas in Redwood City.

 

sorry john but you can't understand because you have never been a girl. most 18 year old girls are not interested in 18 year old boys. my friends and i weren't.

he's 34, not unattractive, and treating them like adults. they look up to him, trust him and probably had a crush on him. it was up to him as the adult/coach to NOT take advantage of that. yes, they are 18 years old but they are far from adults. he's 34 and made a really stupid decision. we can't be surprised that the 18 year olds made the same bad decision.

what would you have done if a 34 year old women(that you found attractive) treated you the same way....gone home to study? i doubt it.

ever seen girls gone wild?

i know of a 15 year old girl had sex with a 16 year old boy in his parent's horse trailer at a horse show because he said she was a virgin and to prove him wrong??????????????????????????????? i was 18 and i wrestled for months with the decision of whether or not to tell her parents. now that i am a parent, i wish i had.

these are the exactly the reasons i am completely open with my daughter. i keep telling her to respect herself or no one else will!!


edit: also, when you get caught for the first time, it is NOT the first time you have done it.

 

there is something terribly wrong with these parents or they are completely clueless?????????

i would pull my daughter in a heartbeat!

 

I hate to be a Chicken little, but this stuff goes on ALL THE TIME. I am loathe to be the parent that is locking my kids away, (I hate that type of living) but my kids will never be alone with their club coach. It's a pain in the @** and I will be mocked and laughed at, but it's not worth it.

I hear about this stuff all the time. These coaches are alone with young girls and have their admiration and trust. At best they have to turn away inner demons and temptations and at worst they are 24 year old boys coaching girls....hotels, late nights, emotional sport, busy parents, adoration, cute girls, i mean really.

Again, the scariest part is how often I talk to college age athletes and it is so common that their coaches were inappropriate/borderline abusive. SO COMMON. And its that way from youngers up.


Am I crazy or is letting your daughter stay at an all-night party with their club coach a bit lenient? ( not that it makes what he did ok or exonerates him in any way, just thinking protection wise for my kid)
I cant and wont tell anyone else how to live, but I will be on crackdown on my kids with their coaches. 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused by the age of 18. And 70% know their abuser.

 

no, you are not crazy. my daughter will never travel overnight without a me, my husband or a female parent that i have known for some time. yes, at that point she may be 18 but i am still footing the bill and what i say...GOES or she doesn't! residential camps are another story and we have no control over that one. that's when we have to trust them to do the right thing/stick up for themselves.

my cousin played basketball at a large university. she reported her coach when he made advances towards her. she had to leave school. the backlash from students, teammates and staff was just incredible. she was not the first, just the first to complain.

a friend of mine gives rides to female players to practice and games when parents have conflicts. i keep telling him he needs to stop doing it. he's a nice guy and thinks everyone is the same. if they are dropped at his house early, he will leave early. he never invites them into his house, EVER!

 

Stories like this make me wish there were more female coaches in the game!

In my town a girls high school softball coach was fired for sending innapropriate text messages to some girls on the team. The school allows teachers to give out their cell phone number to students, so they got stick for that from the media and residents, but this was the first reported problem.

Also the president of our youth soccer league was arrested for having a sexual relationship with a 13 year old girl who he coached! Its just sick. I don't remember for sure but she might be pregnant......

 

You really didn't think through this comment did you?

Are all female coaches heterosexual? Should women not be allowed to coach boy's/men's teams?

 

No I didn't sorry.

Now that I think about it fully I remember a recent story about a female gym teacher that was arrested for having relationships with some boys on the football and basketball teams at the high school where she taught. She wasn't the coach though but its still wrong.

It is interesting to see the media reaction though. In my other post about the youth director it was all over the local paper, public comment section, etc.

The reaction about the female teacher? Everyone who knows her is just "so shocked". It made some noise around here, I guess more will come out during the trial.

 

Isn't this pretty much what happened with Debbie Keller at UNC with the wonderful Mr. Dorrance, except that she filed suit and was effectively blackballed? This is a rhetorical question.

On a side note, does anyone else find it strange that Brandi Chastain ended up marrying her college coach? Are we to believe that feelings/actions only developed after she was long gone?

I guess if alleged incidents happen, it really does matter if the lady finds them welcome or not.

One finds fault, another finds a husband.

 

Interesting.

I wonder what Jerry Smith's (Brandi's husband) ex-wife feels about their marriage. He apparently has a son born in 1990.

Brandi and Jerry tied the knot in 1996.

 

There was a scandal in my county where a female tennis coach switched from a Catholic school to our local HS, and within a few months the story broke that she was having a "relationship" with a 15 year old player from the Catholic school.

Parents should supervise their kids, but more importantly help them know what to do when they are not supervised. This isn't a 34 year old man that one of them met, and dated, and decided to sleep with. This is someone who was in a position of power, and used that to sleep with 18 year old girls (okay, adults if they committed a crime or joined the Army, right?)

Frankly there are too many "romantic stories" with people in power (a boss, a coach, a teacher) preying on a subordinate, and it becomes like a fairy tale. Too many guys say that all males above the age of 12 "want it" under any circumstances, and would never say no to a teacher or coach, so don't blame the teacher or coach. When there is alcohol or drugs involved, it gets even more egregious.

It also amazes me how people are so quick to put down the whole Catholic Church due to the actions of a few priests and a few bishops (and yes, including bad decisions on the current Pope's part when he was a bishop), yet youth sports and public schools have been hiding abuse and moving abusers around for years. We had a HS teacher who, after he was arrested for sexually harassing one of my classmates, was revealed to have gotten a HS senior at his previous school (IN THE NEXT TOWN, same county!) pregnant, and sent her away to have the baby. It would have infringed upon his rights to reveal information on why he was dismissed and moved on to our school.