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UTAH YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION CALL TO ORDER The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Utah Youth Soccer Association was called to order by President Paul C. Burke at 8:00 p.m., at the State Office of the Utah Youth Soccer Association in Salt Lake City, Utah. The following Board Members were present:
Paul C. Burke, President Also present were Monica Chadez (President, Southern Utah Soccer League), Gail Ellison (ODP Administrator), David Josse, Greg Maas (Technical Director), Linda Kay Messenger (Rules Committee Chair), Teresa Ortiz (State Cup Chair), Tina Patterson (State Registrar), Marlene Plumlee (ODP Treasurer), Jodene Smith (Risk Management), Leisa Vineyard (Program Director), and Richard Yoder (Discipline Committee Chairman). WELCOME President Paul C. Burke welcomed those in attendance and praised the Board for its perfect attendance and punctuality. Burke thanked Vice President Scott Maxfield for having so capably conducted the Board meeting in August in Burke's absence. Burke also thanked Monica Chadez, president of the Southern Utah Soccer League, for having flown from St. George to attend the meeting. Burke also thanked Leisa Vineyard and the office staff for having prepared the Board packets for use during the meeting. ADOPTION OF AGENDA AND MEETING RULES Motion was made by Bruce Cuppett and then seconded to adopt the amended meeting agenda, to limit reports to five minutes without permission from the Chair, to limit consideration of discussion items to ten minutes with the exception of thirty minutes for the Southern Utah initiative, to authorize the Chair to call for either a subsidiary motion or a vote on the pending motion upon the expiration of the allotted period, and to adjourn the meeting not later than 11:00. This motion was passed with one dissenting vote. DISCUSSION ITEM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR SOUTHERN UTAH Monica Chadez, President of the Southern Utah Soccer League (SUSL), presented a proposal to expand the Association's presence and programs in Southern Utah by authorizing the following:
Chadez encouraged the Board to approve this program so that the Association can develop a complete program for player development in Southern Utah. The Southern Utah Soccer league has established a foothold in the region with its competitive program for players between the ages of 11 and 18. But SUSL has not before operated a recreation program. Chadez explained that SUSL has the opportunity to either start or assume a recreation league during the spring 2004 season. The Association and SUSL have entered into discussions with the City of St. George to develop a partnership under which SUSL would operate the city's existing recreation program. Chadez noted that President Paul C. Burke and Vice-President Scott Maxfield have both attended meetings with city officials to help develop this relationship. Although Chadez is optimistic that SUSL will have the opportunity to take over the city's existing league, SUSL is committed to starting its own recreation program if these negotiations fall through. Chadez urged the Board to make the necessary investment to develop the Association's presence in Southern Utah. Chadez noted that the total investment requested would be recouped in a year if SUSL manages to expand to 4,000 players, a realistic goal. Chadez explained it is essential for SUSL to have an employee to give the new program a professional face to persuade local authorities that SUSL's new program will be operated professionally. Chadez also said that tournament proceeds would be used in future years to support the employee's salary. President Paul C. Burke and Vice-President Scott Maxfield encouraged the Board to support this initiative so that the Association can meet its mandate of being a statewide organization. Burke and Maxfield also expressed support for this initiative as a business proposition. Richard Messenger suggested that SUSL prepare a business plan for the Board's consideration, and he also inquired why the proposal sought to grant authority to the President and Vice-President to approve fee waivers. Chadez and Burke explained that this license is being sought to facilitate negotiations to bring new leagues into the Association's fold. At the expiration of the discussion period for this item, President Paul Burke noted that, in accordance with the Board's general practice, this item would be carried over to the next meeting for action. Burke then asked for a straw poll to measure general support for the initiative. The informal, non-binding poll found broad support for the proposal. ADOPTION OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES Secretary Jodi Wells presented the draft minutes of the Board meetings from June, July, and August meetings of the Board of Directors. These draft minutes were distributed to the Board in advance of the September Board meeting and were posted on the Association's website. President Paul C. Burke clarified that the Board would be asked to approve the minutes as they appear on the website. Burke explained that typically, after the minutes are initially distributed, minor corrections (usually typos) are identified and corrected. Rather than waste the Board's time to review such corrections, the Board is instead asked to approve the minutes as they appear on the website on the day of the Board meeting. Motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the June, July, and August Board meetings. Motion was then made, seconded, and passed to amend the June minutes to clarify the statement of the adopted Play-Up policy. The motion was then passed to approve the minutes from July and August as well as the June minutes as amended. REPORTS PRESIDENT'S REPORT President Paul C. Burke reported that, on September 9, 2003, the Salt Lake City Council voted 5-2 in favor of placing a bond question on the November ballot. If Proposition No. 5 is approved by the voters, Salt Lake City could issue bonds worth $15.3 million towards the construction of a new sports complex. The Board then watched a KSL-TV news report on the proposed complex that aired on September 16th and has been posted on KSL's website at http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=8&sid=48917. Burke explained that the Council's action is the latest highlight in a field development project that began in April after Burke sent an e-mail to Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. The very next day, Mayor Anderson met briefly with Burke to discuss the need for soccer fields in the capital city. The next weekend, Anderson and Burke spent part of a Sunday touring potential sites for soccer fields with a group that included David Spatafore, Lawrence Reineke, and Rick Graham, Salt Lake City's Director of Public Services. The most promising site identified during this expedition is adjacent to I-215 at the 2200 North exit. The land is currently owned by the State of Utah as part of the Jordan River Parkway. In July, after city engineers developed a design for a regional sports complex on the 220 acre site, Graham, Spatafore, and Burke made a presentation to the State Parks Board, which then voted to enter into a letter of intent to transfer the land to Salt Lake City for development of a sports complex. The proposed complex includes 30 soccer fields, twelve of which are planned to be lit. Four of these fields are expected to have bleachers, including a championship field that will have enough capacity to host the high school championships. Burke and Spatafore have met with officials from the Utah High School Activities Association, which is interested in moving its baseball, softball, and soccer championship events to the proposed complex. In August, Mayor Rocky Anderson formally proposed the issuance of bonds to help pay for the construction of the complex. This proposal required the consent of the City Council in order to place the bond initiative on the ballot. During the last month, in an effort to educate the Council on the acute need for soccer fields in Salt Lake City, Burke met individually with many members of the City Council and spoke with every member on at least one occasion. Burke addressed the City Council and answered questions during several Council work sessions. Burke also spoke before the Council twice during its public sessions. The Council's authorization of the bond initiative sets the stage for an election of crucial importance to the soccer community. Burke expressed hope that the Association's members will support the bond question, which will appear as Proposition No. 5 on the ballot in Salt Lake City on November 4, 2003. Burke explained, however, that the Utah Youth Soccer Association cannot endorse the bond initiative because of the organization's 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. Burke also explained that neither the Association nor its member organizations with tax-exempt status may use their monies to support passage of the bond question. Instead, Burke announced that the campaign for the bond proposal will be orchestrated by the Five for Our Kids Committee, a political committee first registered with the Salt Lake City Recorder's Office on September 17, 2003. Burke and Spatafore are co-chairmen of the Five for Our Kids Committee, and Lawrence Reineke is serving as the Committee's secretary. Burke reported that the Committee will need to solicit financial support to fund its campaign, and he hopes that sympathetic members of the soccer community will give generously to support the campaign. Burke also stated that, to assure its clear independence, the Five for Our Kids Committee has established its own address at P.O. Box 112112, Salt Lake City, Utah 84147. Burke also reported that he and Executive Director Scott Harward attended the Annual General Meeting of the U.S. Soccer Federation in August. Burke reported that the bylaw proposals submitted by U.S. Youth Soccer were voted down and that U.S. Youth Soccer may pursue a grievance or litigation against the Federation. For a detailed account of the AGM, Burke referred Board members to his written report, which is available on the Association's website at http://utahyouthsoccer.net/archive_aug18_03.html. TREASURER'S REPORT Treasurer Tom Borrowman reported that the Association concluded its 2002-03 fiscal year on August 31st. Borrowman presented a balance sheet through August 31st showing that the Association reached the end of the fiscal year approximately $4,500 ahead of the break-even budget. Although some adjustments may be required, Borrowman expects that Association will have finished the fiscal year in the black. Borrowman also reported that the audit for the fiscal year has already begun and should be completed by the end of October. REPORT OF THE RISK MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR Risk Management Director Jodene Smith reported the approaching completion of background checks for all coaches registered in the State Competition League for the fall 2003 season. Smith urged the Association's member organizations, including every recreation league, to submit volunteer disclosure forms for every coach. The background screening process is a valuable benefit of affiliation with the Association and, more importantly, it helps to safeguard the children of the Association. Leagues and other member organizations should submit volunteer disclosure forms to the State Office for processing by the Risk Management program. REPORT OF THE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Technical Director Greg Maas reported that he attended a joint conference sponsored by US Youth Soccer of State Directors of Coaching and State Directors of Referee Instruction. The purpose of the meeting was to coordinate curriculum and promote cooperation between the coaching and referee education programs. Maas reported that he plans to continue posting sample practices on the Association's website in his weekly "Technical Tuesday" feature. Maas reported that he has received positive feedback for "Technical Tuesday" both from the Association's members and from around the country. Maas also announced plans for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) and Junior Development Academy (JDA) during the 2003-04 seasonal year. Maas appointed staff for each program, subject to ratification by the Board of Directors. Maas also announced that tryouts will be held on October 25th in Logan, November 1st in Layton, November 8th in South Jordan, and November 15th in Utah County. U.S. Soccer Staff coaches will visit from November 6-9 and will participate in clinics and ODP tryouts. Further details about tryouts as well as tryout applications will be made available on the Association's website. REPORT FROM THE OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ODP Administrator Gail Ellison reported that the Olympic Development Program had achieved success both on and off the field during the 2002-03 seasonal year. Five Utah players were selected to participate in national team pools. Utah's players and coaches performed well at the summer Region camps. Ellison also reported that ODP will finish the year with a small financial surplus. There remains, however, a number of players who have not yet paid their fees for Region camp. Ellison reported that the ODP administration is working with the Discipline Committee to collect these outstanding fees. Players who fail to settle their accounts will be placed in bad standing and will not be eligible to compete in the State Competition League or the State Cup tournament. Ellison urged any player with an outstanding balance to contact the ODP administration to make arrangements to settle the account. Ellison also acknowledged the outstanding contribution of ODP Treasurer Marlene Plumlee to the financial management of the program. President Paul C. Burke, Technical Director Greg Maas, and the Board joined Ellison in thanking Plumlee for her distinguished service. REPORT OF THE ALIGNMENT STUDY COMMITTEE Bruce Cuppett, the chairman of the Alignment Study Committee, reported that the Committee had conducted a meeting on September 12, 2003 via conference call. The committee identified nine major subjects to address during its evaluation of the alignment process. Cuppett reported that the Committee plans to present its recommendations at the November meeting of the Board of Directors. DISCUSSION ITEMS CLARIFICATION OF REGISTRATION POLICY Richard Messenger introduced a policy intended to clarify the residency requirements for teams. This subject prompted discussion of the comparative status of clubs, leagues, and districts under the existing bylaws of the state association. There was consensus that existing disparities need to be addressed. Discussion then shifted to specific complaints received from teams registered in District 5. The Chairman ruled that this discussion was beyond the scope of the agenda and thus out of order. DISTRICT 5 SUPPORT OF REGISTERED TEAMS Motion was made, seconded, and passed by more than two-thirds vote to suspend the meeting rules to permit discussion of complaints received from two Inter F.C. teams registered in District 5. John Lowery and Bruce Cuppett explained that, according to the teams, the district refused to provide a field or referees for these teams. President Paul C. Burke asked District 5 Chairman Mike Tate to address these allegations. After Tate explained the history of the dispute and described how this dispute has jeopardized his district's relationship with one school district, Burke inquired whether Tate could provide assurances to the Board of Directors that the Inter F.C. teams would henceforth be assigned to a suitable field and that their games would be serviced by the district's referee assignor. Tate pledged that the Inter F.C. teams in question would be given use of a suitable field and that referees would be assigned to their scheduled games. ACTION ITEMS APPROVAL OF STATE CUP RULES FOR 2004 Motion was made by Richard Messenger and seconded to consider adding Gold and Silver Divisions to the State Cup competition. Motion was then made by Scott Maxfield to table this proposal for the current seasonal year because registrations have already been accepted for the fall portion of the 2004 State Cup competition. The motion to table was adopted. Motion was then made by Bruce Cuppett and seconded to adopt the rules that were proposed jointly by the State Cup Committee and the Rules Committee for the 2004 State Cup Competition. Richard Yoder pointed out that the proposed rules included disciplinary sanctions that might be inconsistent with other rules. Motion was then made, seconded, and adopted to amend the proposed rules by eliminating the section entitled "Suspension Guidelines." The proposed rules, as so amended, were then approved by the Board of Directors. The approved rules have been published under separate cover at http://utahyouthsoccer.net/statecup_04_rules.htm. USE OF UYSA MEMBERSHIP LIST Motion was made by Scott Maxfield and seconded to adopt the following resolution: Be it resolved by the Board of Directors of the Utah Youth Soccer Association that the President, with the written concurrence of the Vice President, may permit the UYSA membership list to be used by organizations promoting field development projects in Utah. Friendly amendment was offered by Richard Messenger and accepted by Maxfield to change "promoting field development projects" to "promoting soccer field development projects." Further friendly amendment was offered and accepted to establish the sunset date for this authorization of December 18, 2003. The following resolution, as amended, was then adopted. Be it resolved by the Board of Directors of the Utah Youth Soccer Association that the President, with the written concurrence of the Vice President, may permit the UYSA membership list to be used by organizations promoting soccer field development projects in Utah. This authorization expires on December 18, 2003. CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY At the request of the Chairman, Sponsor Richard Messenger withdrew his proposed Conflict of Interest policy from consideration at this meeting. RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENTS COACHING ASSIGNMENTS TO STATE SELECT PROGRAM (ODP) Motion was made, seconded, and approved unanimously to accept the following appointments by Technical Director Greg Maas to the coaching staff of the Olympic Development Program for the 2003-04 seasonal year.
COACHING ASSIGNMENTS TO JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY (JDA) Motion was made and seconded to consider the appointments by Technical Director Greg Maas to the coaching staff of the Junior Development Academy for the 2003-04 seasonal year. At the suggestion of Maas, motion was made, seconded, and passed to amend the nominations by adding Allen Nunn for the Northern Region and deleting Jesus Goyzeuta from the goalkeeping staff. The amended motion was then passed unanimously to accept the following appointments to the coaching staff of the Junior Development Academy for he 2003-04 seasonal year.
CONFIRMATION OF APPOINTED OFFICERS Motion was made by Bruce Cuppett, seconded, and approved unanimously to ratify the following appointments by the President for the 2003-04 seasonal year.
CONFIRMATION OF ADJUDICATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS Motion was made and seconded to accept the appointment by the President of the following individuals to concurrently serve as members of the Discipline and Protests & Appeals Committees: Mark Bettilyon, Esq.; Jon Butler, Esq.; Dan Gillespie; Ann Haertel; Mike Hall; Michael Huff; Skip Lafleur; John Lowery; Steve Mecham, Esq.; Missy Powell; and Don Reynolds. Motion was then made, seconded, and passed to substitute David Pearce, Esq. for Jaterka on the list of appointees. The motion, as amended, was then approved. FAREWELL TO STATE YOUTH REFEREE ADMINISTRATOR President Paul C. Burke announced that Jim Clark has decided not to seek reappointment as State Youth Referee Administrator. Burke thanked Clark for his service and invited Clark to make a final report to the Board. Clark thanked the Association for the opportunity he was given to serve the game. Clark also offered a reminder that referees at tournaments need to wear proper uniforms. Clark recommended that the Association consider withdrawing the sanction of tournaments that permit their referees to officiate without proper uniforms. EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion was made, seconded and approved to enter into Executive Session to discuss strategic business issues and personnel matters. ADJOURNMENT Motion was made, seconded, and passed that this Board meeting would be adjourned until November but that President Burke would be authorized to call the Board into special session on notice of five days in the interim. Motion was then made, seconded and approved to adjourn at 10:25 p.m. The next meeting of the Board of Directors of the Utah Youth Soccer Association is now scheduled for Thursday, November 20, 2003 at 7:30 p.m. This meeting will be held at the State Office of the Utah Youth Soccer Association. These draft minutes were prepared by Secretary Jodi Wells. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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