PLEASE NOTE:  This VYSA mailing is being sent to each members’ Chief Executive Officer presently on file at the State Office unless another individual has been designated to the State Administrator, Julie Caramanica.  IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING THIS MAILING TO DISTRIBUTE TO ALL APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OF THEIR CLUB OR LEAGUE.

REGULAR MEETING - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
May 27, 2009

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association, Inc., was called to order by President Denise Edwards at the Sheraton Richmond West at 7:00 pm. Board members present were:

Denise Edwards	President
Ray Greenberg	Vice President
Debi Honaker	Secretary
Jim Bonfils	Treasurer
Steve Bender	North Recreational Commissioner #2
Tom Gross	DC Recreational Commissioner
Roger Underhill	Central Recreational Commissioner
Bob Sokolinsky	Southeast Recreational Commissioner
Dave Amsler	#1 VCCL Travel Commissioner
Anne Thompson	#2 WAGS Travel Commissioner
Chris Friant	#3 VSLI Travel Commissioner

Board Members Bob Maynes and John Singleton were excused. Also present were Julie Caramanica (VYSA Administrator), Matt Badiee (VYSA Assistant State Technical Director), and Paul Shaw (VYSA Coaching Education Director).

The Board went into Executive Session.

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS BOARD MINUTES
A motion was made and seconded to approve the April 22, 2009, Board meeting minutes. The minutes were approved.

TREASURER’S REPORT
The Treasurer’s Report (Attachment A) was distributed. Jim Bonfils noted that interest revenue is lower than projected. Workshop expenses and revenue are both up. Most receivables are within 30 days.

STATE ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Julie Caramanica distributed the State Administrator’s Report (Attachment B). Some Spring fees have not yet been received. All of the clubs that have not sent Spring fees have been contacted. Board members were asked to also contact those still owing fees.

Charlotte Moran, Region I Girls ODP Director and past President and Executive Director of EPYSA, passed away last week. Her family has asked that donations be sent to “Charlotte’s Foundation for Women’s Soccer”. A motion was made, seconded, and approved to send a donation of $1000 to that foundation.

The Hall of Fame Recognition night at RFK stadium will be held June 13th during the DC United/Washington Freedom doubleheader. DC United is no longer able to cover the cost of the reception; requests for contributions to help cover that expense have been made.

Lisa Olson of Youth Leagues USA met with the VYSA staff to discuss updates to the ODP online system for the upcoming seasonal year and online registration for the upcoming Workshop. It was a very productive meeting and work is being completed on both.

The 2009-2010 online Travel League, Club, and KidSafe applications have been posted on the VYSA web site. Julie thanked Lisa Wilson for her efforts in getting these ready for the new seasonal year.

A suggestion was made that parents be able to opt out of being included on mailing lists when providing their player registration data to their club. It was noted that the option would have to be made available in the club registration systems.

Julie distributed reports from two Soccer Across America meetings that Marcelo Gangotena had attended. Marcelo is very active with both the Soccer Across America National Committee and the Urban Soccer Collaborative, a local organization that works with at-risk youth.

Future Board meeting dates were discussed. Board members agreed to keep meetings on the third Wednesday of each month except for December and Workshop months. A motion was made and seconded that there be no meeting in July. The motion was approved. (Please note: The July meeting has since been reinstated for Wednesday, July 15, 2009).

The following meeting dates were scheduled through February, 2010:

August Wednesday, August 12, 2009
September Wednesday, September 16, 2009
October Wednesday, October 21, 2009
November Wednesday, November 18, 2009
December Saturday, December 12, 2009
January Wednesday, January 13, 2010
February Wednesday, February 17, 2010

TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT PRESENTATION
Matt Badiee, Assistant Technical Director, and Paul Shaw, Coaching Education Director, showed clips from the new DVD that the Technical Department has developed for the E Certificate Course. It was noted that coaching points are printed at the bottom of the screen and scenes are repeated to reinforce the coaching points.

ODP REPORT
Matt Badiee presented the first edition of the ODP newsletter. Pages are devoted to sharing information that is specific to each district, to include upcoming events for the next six to eight months. He plans to write six issues each year.

The busiest time of the ODP year is coming up: 16 teams from Virginia will attend the Region I Tournament where the ‘93 and ’94 Boys and Girls ODP teams can advance to the National ODP Championships; ID Camps will be held in July.

Matt reported that fifteen Virginia coaches have been asked to join the Region l coaching staff.

ODP Tryouts will run from mid-July to mid-August. On-line registration is encouraged. Matt is hoping to have a 15% adidas discount coupon for those who register on-line. Free advertising for the try-outs may be available to specific area codes through Verizon Fios.

COACHING EDUCATION REPORT
Paul Shaw thanked all those who took part in the production of the Coaching Education DVD. He gave each Board member a copy of the DVD and noted that a “coaching tools” segment is included. A loop from the DVD will be added to the VYSA website. In addition to being used in the E Course, the DVDs will be sold for $20 each. One thousand DVDs have been ordered.

Paul discussed how best to continue to educate our coaches. A Coaching Education survey determined that coaches are most interested in one day field/lecture specialty clinics to supplement coaching courses they have already taken. Paul also distributed statistics, broken down by district, showing which clubs have hosted courses over the past four years and which areas are still underserved. It was noted that each area has unique needs.

FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT
Ray Greenberg distributed the proposed budget to be presented at the AGM. He explained differences from the current budget. He noted only a slight increase in anticipated registration revenue and increased revenues for Coaching Education, ODP, State Cup, and Workshop registrations due to increased fees for each. KidSafe income, taken from deferred revenue, was also increased to cover the cost of overhead expenses. Expected increases in expenses include general inflation, Workshop advertising expense, and depreciation. Jim Bonfils reported that VYSA plans to purchase a new van to replace the current Saturn, which will increase depreciation expense. VYSA will be looking for one that is built in the US and that has a longer life cycle than the current vehicle. It was suggested that VYSA consider Volkswagen, which has provided three vehicles to Richmond area clubs at no cost.

To cut expenses, the number of those traveling to Regional and National meetings is being reduced; one Board meeting per year will be eliminated; there will be no pay raises for the staff; the assistant accounting manager is not being replaced; publication of the Touchline has been eliminated; the cost of the attendee gift at the Workshop will be lowered; and the amount spent on DC United tickets will be reduced.

Included in the proposed budget were two items needing approval by the Board. A motion was made and seconded to reduce the mileage reimbursement rate to 44 cents/mile, effective June 1. The motion was approved. A motion was made and seconded to issue a VYSA credit card to State Cup Director Anne Thompson for State Cup travel and expenses. The motion was approved.

A motion was made and seconded to present the proposed budget to the membership for approval at the AGM. Questions were asked about items in the proposed budget. It was noted that an adequate amount had been budgeted for legal fees involving the development of a field complex. The new Executive Director position is not included in the budget; a budget amendment will be made after the job description is approved. There was discussion about the amount budgeted for the Presidents Cup, and concern about its future. The motion to present the proposed budget to the membership for approval at the AGM was approved.

A request was made that the budget spreadsheet include projected income as well as the year-to-date figures when developing next year’s budget.
Treasurer Jim Bonfils suggested the need for a possible fee increase in the future. A precedent has been set by VYSA to give a year’s notice before increasing fees. A motion was made and seconded to ask the membership for a fee increase of up to $1.00 per player for the 2010-2011 seasonal year. Considerable discussion followed. There was concern whether the players and clubs can bear an increase in cost. Some clubs would have to reduce what they provide to their players and teams in order to absorb the additional expense. It was noted that every effort will be made to minimize any increase. The motion passed by a vote of 5-4 with one abstention.

It was noted that better marketing of VYSA should be done, so that members are aware of everything VYSA has to offer. It was suggested the VYSA explore different avenues of increasing revenue.

ADJUDICATION COMMITTEE REPORT
Ray Greenberg distributed the Adjudication Report (Attachment C). Two hearings were held. The first was a charge of referee assault against another referee. The referee was found not guilty. The second hearing was an appeal of a decision made by the State Cup Director. The appeal was denied and the State Cup Director’s decision was upheld.
Two cases are pending: A coach who was released by his club has appealed his dismissal. The second is an allegation of referee abuse.

Ray mentioned an incidence of referee assault at the Virginian Tournament. A coach is alleged to have punched a referee in neck, resulting in an arrest. The coach involved is not from Virginia.

GOAL SIZE FOR U12 STATE CUP
Julie researched goal sizes used for U12 Regional Championship small sided games. She reported that the last two venues have used 7 x 21 goals for U12 8v8 competition. US Youth Soccer recommendations state the goals should be 6 x 18; several states are now using 7 x 21 goals. There is concern for the safety of players when a smaller goal is used for that age group. It was noted that goal sizes need to be appropriate for the size/scale of the field. A motion was made and seconded that, by Spring, 2010, VYSA use 7 x 21 goals, with fields scaled accordingly, for U12 8v8 State Cup competition. The motion was approved.

SECRETARY’S REPORT
Debi Honaker reported that Peace One Day will take place on September 21, 2009. The motto is “One Day One Goal”. [Peace One Day was started in 1999, adopted by the UN, to be a day of global cease-fire and nonviolence, with a fixed date of September 21, and a focus on education and football (soccer)]. This event occurs during Youth Soccer Month.
Mark Abbott, Chantilly Youth Association, has been nominated for the position of North Recreational Commissioner. His name will be added to the ballot for the AGM.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Denise Edwards reported that the Elite Club Girls National League had approached US Youth Soccer, who did not agree to support them. They have since become members of US Club. In Fall, 2010, the US Youth National League will begin a club format of its own with 18-24 clubs.

A session concerning a statewide Premier League was held at the VYSA Workshop. The concept was positively received by league presidents. This league would provide a level of competition that may not be currently available in all states. A motion was made and seconded to form a committee to address the state Premier League. The motion was approved. A committee will be chosen before the next Board meeting.

GOOD OF THE GAME
The Richmond Strikers held a Silent Saturday earlier in the month – there was no coaching, the parents had to stay quiet, and many fun activities were held. This event was a great success and will be held each seasonal year. It was suggested that this is a possible topic for a Workshop session.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:00 pm.

Prepared by
Julie Caramanica
VYSA Administrator

Next Board Meeting is July 17, 2009, at the Sheraton Richmond West