6-Year-Old Kicked Out Of North Carolina Soccer Game Because Of Her Hair

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A family in North Carolina said their 6-year-old daughter was told she couldn't play soccer because of her hair.

Darialle Marshmon said her daughter was set to play in a youth soccer game in Hope Mills on Monday (September 20), but before she could participate, officials said the clips and bows in her hair were prohibited, ABC 11 reports.

Even though other children playing on the field had beads on, according to Marshmon, her daughter was told she couldn't play. Marshmon's husband attempted to work with officials to see what could be removed, but the family said, "Nobody even offered a solution for her to play in her game."

"My husband explained to them, this is not beads or headwear, these are ponytail holders, and clips, this is what holds her hair together," she said. "If they removed it, her hair is going to be all over her head."

Hope Mills Parks and Recreation said hair decoration must be "soft material" and gave the family a list of rules and regulations regarding jewelry and hair beads. A spokesperson with the department added that they plan to apologize to the family for how the situation was handled. Marshmon, however, insists that her daughter's hair clips aren't against the rules.

"I want a formal apology to my family and to my daughter," she said. "She went off the field, crying, confused, six years old: 'I don't understand what's wrong with my hair! I've been wearing my hair this way forever.'"

This isn't the first time policies about hair have affected young athletes. Earlier this year, a Durham teenager said she was forced to cut her braids during a high school softball game or else sit out the rest of the innings after umpires said her braided hairstyle with beads violated the uniform policy.


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