NCSL Board Meeting

January 14, 2020

Westin Tysons Corner

The meeting was called to order at 7:34 p.m.

I.         Roll Call

The following clubs were in attendance at the meeting: A3, Alexandria Soccer Association, Annandale Boys & Girls Club, Arlington Youth Soccer Club, Arundel Soccer Association, Bethesda Soccer Club, Blue Ridge United, Braddock Road Youth Club, Burke Athletic Club, Calvert Soccer Association, Calverton Soccer Club, Chantilly Youth Association, Culpepper Soccer Club, Damascus Soccer Club, DORADUS, Epic Soccer Club, Fairfax Police Youth Club, FC Dulles, FC Frederick, FCV Ashburn, Fort Washington, Fredericksburg FC, Fredericksburg Soccer Club, Front Royal Soccer Association, Future Soccer Club, Great Falls – Reston, Gunston Soccer Club, La Plata Soccer Academy, Laurel Soccer Club, Lee-Mt. Vernon Sports Club, Leesburg Football Club, Loudoun Soccer Club, Maryland Rush Montgomery, McLean Youth, Montgomery Soccer, OBGC, Old Dominion Football Club, Potomac Soccer Association, Premier Athletic Club, Prince William Soccer, Inc., Severna Park Athletic Club, Shenandoah FC Elite, Soccer Association of Columbia, South County Athletic Association, Southwestern Youth Association, Stafford Soccer Club, Sterling Youth Soccer Association, Takoma Park Soccer Club, Team America Football Club, Thunder Soccer Club, Vienna Youth Soccer, Villarreal Virginia Academy, Virginia Revolution, Virginia Soccer Association, VISTA, Waldorf Soccer Club, Warrenton Youth Soccer Club, Washington Capital United, West Virginia Futbal Club, Woodbridge Soccer Club

Roll call indicated that the following clubs were not in attendance: Alliance Soccer Club, Antietam United Soccer Club, Broadneck SC, D.C. Stoddert, Davidsonville Athletic Association, Hagerstown Soccer Club, Herndon Youth Soccer Association, Maryland Rush, Northern Virginia Soccer Club, Real World Futbal Club, Springfield South County Youth Club, St. Mary's Soccer

Approval of Minutes

A motion was made and seconded to approve the November 18, 2019 Board Meeting minutes. A voice vote was taken; all were in favor and the motion passed.

II.        Reports

Ryan Rich – Executive Director: There were 130 boys at the college combine on January 5. The event was at capacity and some players were turned away. The girls combine is scheduled for January 19 and there are still spots available. Coaches from local/regional schools, as well as some Division I schools, will be in attendance. Current student players will attend to participate in discussions about the college experience. Richard noted that there are also educational opportunities for parents (e.g., nutrition and injury prevention) and sessions to educate high school guidance counselors about guiding students through the application process. We have had players leave the combine with scholarship offers.

Ryan encouraged clubs to provide feedback on teams for consideration during division structure. This is an important component to a positive game day experience.

Applications for Super Group have been received for the U13 to U19 age groups. Some clubs are still trying to make a final determination and can have a few extra days to do so. The goal is to inform Super Group teams of their status by the end of the month.

Richard noted that if teams are concerned about EDP or high school conflicts with regards to Super Group participation, they should contact Ryan.

Doug Walls – NCSL Commissioner: Doug reiterated that it is critical for teams to provide information for division structure. Ryan will include a link to the Google Form in the next weekly update. The information can be provided by the club rep, technical director, or team rep.

Maureen Dalbec – NCSL Commissioner: No report (not present).

Carol Coulter – Virginia Registrar: No report.

Mike Basileo – Maryland Registrar: Mike noted that the MSYSA will hold its general meeting this coming weekend at the coaches convention in Baltimore.

Alan Paez – NCSL Rules & Discipline: No report (not present).

Alison Smith – NCSL Administrator: Alison thanked everyone for submitting their spring vouchers and payments. She will send emails confirming when each club’s registration is complete. Some teams were accidentally registered for Elite Soccer Series (ESS). Alison will rectify any erroneous registrations. There are still spots left in the ESS.

February 14 is a big day:

· ESS applications are due

· Applications will remain open to make changes (e.g., coaching conflicts, requests for bye weeks)

· Field loading due

· Last day to drop teams with a refund

Richard noted that the team applications are the only place where coaching conflicts can be noticed. A max of two teams can be list for deconflicting. The conflict must be noted in the application for both teams.

Anyone who did not pick up their division winner awards in November can pick them up tonight.

If any club reps are transitioning their position, please let Alison know so she can update the master contact list and ensure the right person is receiving NCSL information and materials.

Alison noted that for the first weekend of the season, the Sunday can be requested as a bye since many teams are playing in tournaments that weekend. That is the only Sunday that can be requested in its entirety.

Carol Montoya – NCSL Secretary: No report.

Eric Popiel – NCSL Vice President: No report.

Anne Maynes – Treasurer: No report.

Richard Smith – NCSL President: A list of the spring dates and deadlines was handed out. Richard noted that spring break falls during the season and that FLEX rescheduling can be used to make changes.

March 20 is the FLEX deadline for games in March and April. April 24 is the FLEX deadline for May and June games. These deadlines will not be changed.

There are two New Team Administrator meetings: March 16 and March 23. New teams are those that have not played in NCSL for either of the last two seasons. A person can only represent one time. Anyone may represent the team, but it is suggested that managers attend when possible. More than more person can attend for a team as well.

The playoffs for the Super Group, to determine who will play in the championship to represent Region 1, will be held June 13 and 14 in Fredericksburg. Teams plating will include the top NCSL team, the top CCL team, and the Northern Region champions.

Richard and Ryan are meeting with representatives from US Youth Soccer to discuss the championship format. They will also draw to see which teams will compete against each other (e.g., to avoid having all the southern teams play each other).

There was some discussion about roster freezes as they pertain to State Cup and Region Championship rosters. For Virginia teams, the State Cup roster freeze date is the date used to set the roster for the League Championship Series playoff.

III.      New Business

Dan Griffin noted that the DC United home opener is February 29. The team has new staff that are working with youth clubs and leagues. There are some possibilities for the use of Audi Field and Loudoun’s field, which Dan will discuss with Richard. Washington Spirit will also be playing at Audi Field (four games).

A motion was made and seconded to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:14 p.m.