Parents of children on the El Paso youth team Mighty Thunders say they paid $100 per player for a program that offers little more than scrimmages and fundraising pitches, and that questions about where the money goes were met with retaliation.
Eighteen players were reportedly signed up. One anonymous family member, who asked not to be named, wrote that the charge was “more than a damn league” and that the team “has absolutely nothing to offer these kids.”
The parent says the program runs frequent fundraisers but doesn’t travel, buy equipment, or play real league games; instead, it only scrimmages.
Several parents went public after being removed from the team. Celeste Lucero posted:
“Mighty Thunders are definitely a SCAM! The easy way out for them was to remove us from the team and not just us other parents who had the same questions as well.”
The coaching staff defended themselves in the comments. One coach, responding to Celeste, pushed back:
“You all missed a lot of practices … when we asked for support for the car wash only 4 parents showed up … The shirt fundraiser was $1,000, $800 of which went to the hall rental and for the trophies.” — Jessica Leon
Parents pushing for transparency say they were shown a contract listing the $100 fee as covering jerseys, trophies, and field/practice costs; screenshots of those messages circulated during the thread.
Lots of Questions are being asked
Other voices asked practical questions: “Why are they charging if not playing with a league?” and warned that the setup “seems like it was all for learning not for playing.”
Fundraisers are central to the dispute. Public posts advertise plate sales and other events to raise money for the team, and some parents say proceeds are not being clearly accounted for.
One commenter who described being kicked off said their simple question about the money led to their removal, an action they say proves there’s a lack of accountability.
Another parent, Celeste Lucero, who got kicked out of the team, wrote,
“I asked where the money is going. Coach SCAM over here is claiming we got kicked off the team due to lack of participation. He hadn’t said anything beforehand and was gladly taking our money, just like with all the other fundraisers. We gave this team over $350, and when they continued to ask for more money and engage in more fundraising, that’s when I noticed things seemed a little fishy. So I questioned them. And well, here we are. Honestly, so sad!”
Other commenters offered context and caution. A longtime youth coach wrote that financial struggles like this are everyday in grassroots programs and urged parents to be cautious before assuming fraud.
Some called the $100 fee “a huge red flag”; others said smaller, informal teams often depend on parent-run fundraisers to function.
Well, it’s not the end of the world for the parents, as they are trying to recover from the brutality in this case, which seems uncertain.
