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Sonoma Valley Youth Soccer Association

Minutes for the May Board Meeting

7:00pm, May 5, 2010

At Della Santina’s, 133 East Napa Street, Sonoma

Note: Della Santina’s hosted the meeting and provided appetizers to meeting attendees. The board is grateful to Rob Della Santina for his generosity.

Directors Present): Lynn Abaté-Johnson, Adolfo Contreras, Jean-François Ducarroz, Jaime Evina-Galindo, Vikki Griggs-Demmin, Sam Honey, Colleen Paul, Edwin Richards, Marc Sloop, Greg Volker, Phylis Wakefield

Absent: (see Apologies)

Also Present: Louann Carlomagno (for Public Comment), Renee Caruso, Jennifer Rochlin

Apologies: Jim Van Sickle, Deidre Verdu

Public Comment

Louann Carlomagno spoke to the board on the topic of gangs. Louann is Superintendent for the Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD). She has worked for the SVUSD for 20 years and was Principal at El Verano Elementary School. She is also a soccer parent and is married to long time soccer coach and former board member Brian Wirick.

Louann distributed a handout containing the SVUSD Board policy on gangs, dress code and administrative regulations (how to apply the policy). She said the SVUSD had decided to take a proactive policy on gangs to make teachers, administrators and parents more aware about gang activity. Essentially there are two gangs active in Sonoma, the nortenos and the surenos. Surenos are associated with the color blue and the number 13; other symbols include three dots, blue shoelaces, variations on the Latin XIII and LA Dodgers clothing. Nortenos are associated with the color red and the number 14; other symbols include red shoelaces, variations on the Latin XIV and SF 49er clothing.

Louann said that the gangs among children were not a huge presence in Sonoma, but were definitely a presence. SVUSD had introduced a dress code two years ago in which the wearing of red and of blue had been banned. The ban had been accompanied by workshops with police and community members. The color ban had been done to take posturing away from students, a group of students wearing the same color could be intimidating to other students. She referred to a female student who expressed gratitude for the policy since it enabled her “not to have to choose” a color (the student had been pressured by members of each gang to join).

Louann said that gangs recruited children as young as 4^th Grade (10 years old) and that recruitment might come from older siblings or even parents. Historically, Santa Rosa had been a big norteno area, with Sonoma Valley being more sureno, but this was changing.

Greg explained to Louann there had been an online discussion among SVYSA board members concerning whether or not to buy red hats with the SVYSA logo on them, red being a club color. The discussion had basically boiled down to two arguments (i) the club should do what it can to support the SVUSD and not buy red hats or legitimize the use of the color red (a gang color) (ii) why should the club bow to the pressure of gangs? Red (and blue) were common colors in the soccer world, which was (even) bigger than the gang world.

Louann said that in her personal opinion that if red (and blue) could be kept out of sports teams’ colors that would be a good thing.

Marc pointed out that colors and symbols were open to change and that people would find a way round any ban. Louann agreed that this was true, but said that law enforcement was of the view that the colors red and blue were fairly entrenched as gang symbols.

Vikki brought up a different problem related to the school – soccer relationship. Sometimes players were disciplined by the schools, but coaches and team managers didn’t necessarily find out about it quickly. Schools aren’t allowed to share disciplinary information with anybody other than the parent (due to privacy concerns). Team staff members usually hear about school discipline issues from other players (i.e. kids). Furthermore, teams often played a very important role in players’ lives, soccer was often their biggest love, but it also provided a structure (practice, games) that was absent in other areas of their lives. Teams wanted to support the SVUSD, but at the same time to support the player as an individual. Often, when a player was expelled from school, they were banned from being on school property. This posed an issue, because most practices occur on school property. Louann said that expulsion panels could make exceptions to allow students on school property if they were under adult supervision and not attending a school event. She added that coaches could advocate for players “Say, I’m worried about X.”

Louann was thanked warmly for her contribution; she declined the invitation to attend the rest of the board meeting.

After Louann had left the discussion continued. The basic debate was the same as the online debate, though now expanded to include numbers as well as colors. Should the league cease using solid red or solid blue and the numbers 13 or 14 in uniforms because they were gang symbols, or should the league insist that soccer was bigger than gangs? Dino reported that he’d never seen a problem involving numbers or the color of jerseys. Jennifer responded that there was a problem in the community. Dino wondered how far the issue should be taken.

It was decided that the select committee could address the issue of uniform color for select teams and Sam said he would tell rec coaches not to choose solid red or solid blue uniforms and not to use the numbers 13 or 14 for players.

Action Item: Select Committee to discuss uniform colors and jersey numbers in relation to their significance as gang symbols versus their significance as common soccer colors and numbers.

Also in Public Comment: Colleen announced that a professional women’s soccer team called The Wave was being formed in Marin.

Mission Moment

Vikki paid tribute to Jean-François, a board member who was retiring from being coach of select team Sonoma Rush. The team had compiled a book of tributes and Vikki read some of them aloud, including “Thank you for being the best coach ever.” Vikki said in reading through the book, she had been struck by the devotion and admiration of the players.

Sam also thanked J-F for his work.

Approval of Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes of the April, 2010 Board Meeting was proposed by Lynn and seconded by Jaime was carried without dissent. The final sentence of the first paragraph under Outreach and Communication for those minutes was deleted, and the following note added instead:

Note: the cards aren’t big enough at 6” x 9” to add additional information. Also, since not all age-groups have select teams, adding try-out information might create confusion and detract from what needs to be a clear, simple message.

Action Items

Edwin read through the action items and recorded the responses.

Action Items Arising From 04.07.10 (reference 040710-)

1. All available Board Members to help out with registration. Dates and Times as follows

Monday April 12 orientation at La Luz 6 p.m.

April 13 and April 22 at Sassarini Elementary School, 6 – 8 p.m. (Set up starts at 5.15 p.m.)

May 1, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m at El Verano Elementary School.

Done through May 1, although more members needed if possible.

May 8, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at La Luz.

2. Following the motion: Renee should apply for a debit card to use in her capacity as registrar. Renee to apply for debit card. Not done – some discussion about whether to change banks (see below).

3. Phylis and Jennifer to communicate with regard to what managers need to do with financial documents (receipts etc.) and when. Done. See also 040710-4 Below.

4. Following the above, Phylis to draft guidelines on “What Managers Need to Keep.” Ongoing. Teri         Miller sent Phylis a link to some comprehensive documentation on the Novato Youth Soccer Association website. Phylis thought this could be adapted. Meantime she had offered an initial draft and received some feedback from members. She would incorporate the good suggestions and post the document online. Phylis was thanked for her work. Also, the “Coach and Referee Guide” will be updated. Lynn said she would send out the latest version and invite contributions.

5. Scott to look into how to acknowledge those who have allowed the SVYSA to hang banners on their property (i.e. who are the owners? would they mind if we acknowledged them? etc.). Unclear. Scott absent.

6. Greg, Lynn and Vikki to attend meeting at Valerie Brown’s office 04.08.10 Done

7. Select Committee to look into T-shirts for select coaches. Not yet done.

8. Lynn to proceed with ordering coaches’ T-shirts from same company as last year. Done.

9. Greg to schedule and announce fundraising meeting. Ongoing.

10. People to contact Greg with fundraising-relevant ideas. Delete. People haven’t been doing this.

11. Greg to contact finance committee regarding seed money for promotional logo items (e.g. hats, shirts, scarves) Discussed, but Greg had been encouraged to get funding from outside sources. Greg announced that Edwin’s company (Adastra Wines/ Ed’s Red) had donated $500 to provide seed money for hats.

12. Phylis and Sam to draft a policy on the purchase and use of alcohol in regard to the SVYSA. Done. The following draft was put to a motion proposed by Phylis, seconded by Marc and carried unanimously:

The SVYSA Board of Directors or any SVYSA Committee shall not use SVYSA funds to purchase alcohol for any soccer related event, to include Board of Directors meetings, networking dinners, or meetings involving coaches, players, managers, registered volunteers or other league officials.  The exception to this policy may be fundraising events in which the Board of Directors approves the use of funds for alcoholic beverages prior to the event.

13. Marc to look into the possibilities of leveraging interest in the World Cup into community events. Done. Due to the fact that all games kick-off at what is morning time in the Pacific U.S. (generally 4 a.m., 7 a.m. or 11.30 a.m. PST), options were somewhat limited. Nevertheless, Marc had talked with Vince of Mary’s Pizza and it seems that for the U.S. vs England game on Saturday June 12, the game will be screened at a Mary’s location. Flyers will need to be circulated advertising this fact. Additional screenings may also occur.

Greg reported that Dino of Mondo had said he would be offering breakfast along with screenings of certain games. (Mondo’s website says it will open at 11.30 a.m. on game days.)

14. Edwin to update by-laws to reflect the voted amendments. Done.

Ongoing Action Items from 030310

030310-01 ACTION ITEM: Sam and Vikki to talk with Adolfo re Martin’s proposal and SDC issues. Adolfo to talk with Martin and SDC. (Martin to continue planning, talk with Adolfo, Tobias.) See below.

030310-05 Deidre to recruit Age-Group Coordinators (AGCs). Ongoing.

030310-11 ACTION ITEM: following on from 020310-2 Sam, Vikki, Greg to discuss new field layout for High School field to accommodate Bob Midgely’s request, then to get back to Bob Midgely. Still not yet done. It seems unlikely that there is enough field space to accommodate Mr. Midgely’s request.

030310-16 Dino to get field development cost figures for Santa Rosa fields. Done. Dino reported

(i) Santa Rosa United installed two turf fields in the summer of 2007 (Trione Fields).

Currently they don’t have lights but they are fundraising for them.

(ii) The first proposal for the fields was $1.8 million. Parents were able to get several construction companies to donate time and cut the cost down to $1.3 million.

(iii) Santa Rosa United had a major donor, the Trione Family. They donated $1 million to the project. The club raised $300,000 via fundraising and a sponsor drive.

(iv) The land belongs to Sonoma County and Santa Rosa United has a 50 year lease on the land.

Dino was thanked for his investigations.

President’s Remarks

Sam thanked everybody for their work. He noted that the season was fast approaching. He reported on the Cinco De Mayo event on the Plaza, held on Sunday May 2. The SVYSA had had a table. They had sold 48 hats (at $10 each) and brought in an additional $133 in sales of other merchandize and $22 in donations. Two players had helped work off their scholarships by distributing flyers. Adolfo’s entire family had helped out; his sister-in-law had proved a prodigious seller of SVYSA hats.

Vice-President’s Remarks

Greg, Lynn and Vikki had at a meeting at (County Supervisor) Valerie Brown’s Sonoma office on 04.08.10 along with Arden Kremer. In essence, if sports groups can unify and come up with plan for a sports complex using County land, then Valerie Brown is willing to work on it. It would involve getting a ballot measure for a tax increase. The next meeting is Wednesday May 12, 2010 at the Sheriff’s station on 810 Grove Street.

Contracts

Work on the Referee Scheduler’s contract (with Alison and Jack Johnston) and Waste Management contract (Tom Young) is ongoing. Gaudencio Beceril (Field Preparation) said he needs a single contact person. Vikki felt this needed to be a Spanish speaker. This year Field Preparation will do all of the field lining for the High School also. The contract specifies how often the fields need to be lined. Gaudencio needs four days advanced notice to line a field outside of that schedule. Jaime volunteered to be a point person for communications with Gaudencio. It was resolved that all special requests for lining needed to be in to Jaime at least one week in advance. Vikki said she would help get this message out.

Treasurer/ Bookkeeper’s Remarks

Jennifer was pleased to present the report on the financial year ending March 31, 2010 (hard copy attached to minutes). The Adjust Profit/ Loss and Budget comparison showed a net loss of $17,330.75. The money to cover this loss had come mainly from the money market account. The loss was mainly caused by spending on field improvement ($27,089.50), none of which had been foreseen in the budget but which had become necessary due to the SVUSD’s inability to spend money on required field maintenance. Income included $5927.93 in donations and $768.71 in fundraising.

Jennifer was thanked.

Secretary’s Remarks

Edwin reported that he had been fairly busy with work and although he was reading all emails, he wasn’t necessarily acknowledging them.

On a non-secretarial note, he had noticed the hotline was not being answered so he had taken to checking messages again. This task could again be performed by a(nother) volunteer in due course. Edwin did not feel it essential that the volunteer be a Spanish speaker.

Banking Issues

Sam remarked that the SVYSA bank, Sonoma Valley Bank, had not been particularly supportive. He had visited Exchange Bank and found them willing to offer some financial support to the SVYSA. The board felt that Sonoma Valley Bank deserved a chance to do better, but that other options should be reviewed.

Action Item – Sam and Dino to investigate banks with a view to maximizing the SVYSA’s banking relationship.

Insurance Issues

Sam noted that non-SVYSA groups sometimes used SVYSA equipment (usually goalposts). He thought the SVYSA needed to have a policy on this. Lynn suggested that a policy be created and until then non-SVYSA groups should not be allowed to use SVYSA goalposts.

Action Item - Sam to talk to SVYSA’s insurance company regarding the use of SVYSA property (i.e. goalposts) by other groups. No use of SVYSA goals by external groups until a policy has been formulated based on what Sam learns from the insurance company.

Registrar’s Report

So far 416 children have been entered into the registration system. 248 have been processed completely. Paperwork is outstanding on 168. Renee estimated over 400 players applications were awaiting input. A gross total of $44,650 in registration fees had been logged. After deducting for family discounts and scholarships, net income from registration stood at $37,265 with a total of $1075 additional in total donations. (These totals do not include money that belongs to the 400 or so yet-to-be processed registrations.) Renee noted that since her rewording of the online application language, all online registrations had been error-free (last year about one in three online applications had paperwork issues).

Action Item - Renee to send out email notifying people that late-fee-free registration is being extended to May 31. Email probably best sent out after current deadline 5.15.10 has passed.

Action Item - Interested parties to help with registration data entry at Lynn’s house on Tuesday May 11 (contact Lynn)

Action Item - Renee to send out update on Sam Keechler’s soccer balls to Peru project.

Scholarship/ Scholarship Fundraising Update

200 scholarships have been issued so far. Last year’s total was 239. In the first three sessions, the range of awards had been from $25 to $65. To avoid going over budget, the final session would have to offer a flat fee of $20 per scholarship. Next year, Lynn proposed that next year we aim to award 300 scholarships at a flat rate. This would make budgeting easier. It costs $90 just to get a child to play.

Lynn also wondered if the board was interested in purchasing 1,000 temporary tattoos at 11 cents each (total $110) for opening day. Members thought that if tattoos were purchased, they should be sold, rather than given away.

Action Item - Board to mull over proposal to purchase $110 worth of “Temporary Tattoos” at 11 cents each.

Fundraising

Greg reported that the SVUSD, at the suggestion of Eric Muller, has put maintenance of its fields out to bid.

Lynn reported that a Dine and Donate day by Mary’s Pizza had raised $142. Last year the total had been $325. Lynn attributed the smaller amount due to less investment having being made in fliers.

Greg reported that four people have committed sponsoring a field (to be named as the sponsor sees fit, within reason).

Select Committee Update

Vikki reported that all teams had been formed bar three. U19, U17, U15 still needed to be formed.

Referee Coordinator’s Update

Greg said he was adding a second refresher course to make it easier for refs to comply with their licensing requirements.

Report on meeting with the SDC

The SVYSA had made a $500 donation to the Sonoma Developmental Center for field use; the board had received a letter of thanks.

Coach Martin Chourre reported via Sam that he was getting help in maintaining/ improving the SDC soccer fields, but needed a donation of $500 to $1000 to finish the work. While the board appreciated Martin’s efforts, it felt that given the location of the field, few, if any, other SVYSA’s teams would want to practice there; perhaps other people would be willing to donate.

Action Item - Sam to talk to Martin Chourre about SDC field improvement plan (the board is not in a spending mood).

Any Other Business

Coaching Coordinator Mike Verdu has set up a course run by San Francisco State Women’s Soccer Coach Jack Hyde: the NSCAA Advanced Regional Diploma Course will take place on May 21, 22 and 23 at Hanna Boys Center. SVYSA will pay the $95 fee for any SVYSA coaches who wish to attend.

Lynn encouraged everybody to consult the online calendar accessed via www.sonomasoccer.org

Opening Day will be Aug 21.

The meeting adjourned 9.35 p.m.