LILBURN, Ga. — Call it the "Not So Silent Weekend."

Following the lead of youth recreation leagues around the country worried about parental behavior at sporting events, the Georgia Youth Soccer Association asked parents and coaches to remain quiet at this weekend's games.

It didn't work out that way Saturday in this Atlanta suburb.

"We're protesting," said Amber Kelley, who was watching her younger brother, Jonathan, 13, in a game at the Mountain Park Soccer Association.

There was constant cheering and encouragement all along the sidelines. Nothing critical was said, however, and the cheering was unusually subdued, one parent said.

"This is silent," said Beth Smalling, whose 11-year-old son Stephen plays for the Red Panthers on Saturday. "It's a lot quieter than normal. There's not as much coaching being done by the parents."

That's the biggest reason for the effort at being silent, said Rick Skirvin, executive director of the soccer association.

"We thought this method would be a help for us in getting the point across to the parents and coaches that the game belongs to the kids," Skirvin said Friday.

The idea of holding quiet events at youth sporting events started last year in Ohio, when the 200-team Northern Ohio Girls Soccer League proclaimed Oct. 3 a day of silence.

Other areas have followed Ohio's lead, including Bloomingdale, Ill., Topeka, Kan., Kansas City, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif.

The National Association of Sports Officials receives two to three reports a week of violent parents at sporting events. The main targets of the rage are coaches, referees and umpires.

In one highly publicized case, in Reading, Mass., a father unhappy with the way his son's hockey coach was handling a practice was accused of beating him to death in July.

There was no enforcement of the silence policy Saturday at Lilburn. In fact, referee John Lanier invited parents at the Mountain Park-Rockdale game to make noise.

"How many people know this is a 'Silent Weekend?' " Lanier asked the small crowd before the game. "We're just going to have fun. Cheer if you want, clap if you want."

At three other nearby soccer fields, the reaction was similar.

One mother even yelled advice to her son — "What are you waiting for, shoot it!" — when he hesitated in front of the goal.

"I think the majority of parents we have at games act fine," said Pedro Amador, vice president of the soccer association. "We don't have any problems here."

Smalling said that asking parents and fans not to cheer at a soccer game is not natural."In soccer, you are cheering for your team. I am not going to stay quiet," she said.