MESA, Ariz. — A large fight broke out at an Arizona sports complex, which needed police to help break up.
It happened on Sunday during a tournament at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona, according to AZ Family.
Off-duty officers reported that 100 people were fighting at the fields, and backup from several agencies was needed.
The fight broke out between 10 players each from two teams. Then parents and fans jumped into the mix, KNXV reported.
One parent said this wasn’t the first time tempers ran hot.
“It’s not the first time. Most of the time, it’s usually just the parents, to be honest. With the older kids … like my son is not in high school … but the high school kids are the ones that usually fight on the 7-on-7 tournaments,” one parent, who was not named, said.
“The competitiveness of club sports is crazy out there. Parents are competitive. Children are competitive. To me, it was just a matter of time before somebody got into an altercation. That was my first thought, ‘Wow. It finally happened,’” Andrew Platt said.
It is not known what sparked the fight, ABC News reported.
AZ Family reported that the organizers said it was a few people involved, not the 100 that the police said.
Organizers said the fight “was isolated to a handful of players from four specific teams, and a large crowd of other players, coaches and parents who were following them around antagonizing further.”
No one was hurt, and no one was arrested. The fields were cleared within 45 minutes.
The remaining games were canceled on the fields. Events at the indoor facilities went on as planned, AZ Family reported.
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