NCSL Board Meeting

May 3, 2021

Via Zoom

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, Alliance Soccer Club, Antietam United Soccer Club, Arlington Youth Soccer Club, Arundel Soccer Association, Blue Ridge United, Braddock Road Youth Club, Burke Athletic Club, Calvert Soccer Association, Calverton Soccer Club, Chantilly Youth Association, Culpepper Soccer Club, D.C. Stoddert, DORADUS, Fairfax Police Youth Club, FC Charles, FC Dulles, FC Frederick, Fredericksburg FC, Fredericksburg Soccer Club, Front Royal Soccer Association, Great Falls – Reston, Gunston Soccer Club, Hagerstown Soccer Club, Herndon Youth Soccer Association, 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, Northern Virginia Soccer Club, OBGC, Old Dominion Football Club, Potomac Soccer Association, Prince William Soccer, Inc., Real World Futbal Club, Severna Park Athletic Club, Shenandoah FC Elite, South County Athletic Association, Southwestern Youth Association, Springfield South County Youth Club, St. James FC, St. Mary's Soccer, Stafford Soccer Club, Sterling Youth Soccer Association, Takoma Park Soccer Club, Thunder Soccer Club, Vienna Youth Soccer, Villarreal Virginia Academy, Virginia Revolution, Virginia Soccer Association, VISTA, Warrenton Youth Soccer Club, Washington Capital United, Woodbridge Soccer Club

Roll call indicated that the following clubs were not in attendance: Annandale Boys & Girls Club, Bethesda Soccer Club, Broadneck SC, Damascus Soccer Club, Epic Soccer Club, Future Soccer Club, Maryland Rush, Premier Athletic Club, Soccer Association of Columbia, Team America Football Club, West Virginia Futbal Club

Executive Committee in Attendance: Maureen Dalbec, Howard Kohn, Carol Montoya, Alan Paez, Eric Popiel, Dave Shannon, Doug Wall

Staff in attendance: Ryan Rich, Alison Smith

Approval of Minutes

A motion was made and seconded to approve the March 22, 2021 Board Meeting minutes. They were accepted by acclimation.

New Business: New Club Presentation: Player Progression Academy (PPA)

Howard Kohn gave a brief overview of Player Progression Academy (PPA). The club originated in Takoma Park about eight years ago. They play at the Maryland Soccer plex. Annie Worden and Felipe Juarez were in attendance as the representatives of PPA. Annie gave a presentation about the club’s program, coaching structure, and curriculum. In response to a question, Annie said the club will play at RFK when the fields re-open. She plans to put 25-30 teams into NCSL for the spring season. Annie and Felipe responded to questions regarding player pool, referees, and field space.

Alexandria Soccer Association is sponsoring the new club. Executive Director Tommy Park spoke in support of PPA.

Annie and Felipe left the meeting. Popiel noted that the Executive Committee interviewed PPA and is unanimously recommending approval of the club. The floor was opened to discussion/input from those in attendance. There was some concern expressed about market saturation.

Kohn made a motion to approve Player Progression Academy as a new member club. OBGC seconded. The vote was called and votes were submitted via a Zoom poll. Four clubs voted no; no one requested a roll call vote. The motion passed. Ryan will notify PPA of the decision.

Ryan Rich – NCSL Executive Director: Ryan reported that most Supergroup winners have been confirmed and plans for the league championship are underway. The championship games will be held May 22-23 in Richmond.

The summer college combine is scheduled for June 26 at The St. James. Information is on the website and in weekly emails so it can be shared with teams.

Ryan is finalizing the coaching course that will be held in late July. It is presented by APFC. Special pricing will be offered for NCSL coaches.

A Coach of the Year program has been announced. There will be winners for VA/WV and MD/DC. Some applications have already been submitted. Ryan encouraged the submissions to come from the club contacts. The applications will be reviewed by the Executive Committee in early June; winners will be announced soon after.

Maureen Dalbec – NCSL Commissioner: No report.

Doug Walls – NCSL Commissioner: No report (not in attendance).

Carol Coulter – Virginia Registrar: No report (not in attendance).

Mike Basileo – Maryland Registrar: No report (not in attendance).

Carol Montoya – Secretary: No report.

Alison Smith – NCSL Administrator: Alison noted that we are at the midway point of the season. She thanked everyone for their hard work thus far. Alison asked the club reps to remind teams that they need to notify the club reps of forfeits; there have been a few no-show forfeits in the past weeks.

There have been a few COVID-related reschedules. The league tries to be as flexible on these as possible. Club reps were asked to remind teams to provide notice when they can’t play due to COVID.

Alison also noted that the league needs to be notified when State Cup games are scheduled so any league games can be scheduled.

Alison noted that Demosphere has sent a few mistaken reschedule emails.

Applications for the fall season are open; the deadline for teams will be late June.

Alison expects to release the 2021-2022 schedule soon. Tryouts can be posted on the NCSL site; send the information to Alison.

Alan Paez – NCSL R&D: Alan noted that Montgomery County has relaxed its mask mandate, to NOT require players to wear a mask when it is above 80 degrees. He asked MoCo clubs to have team contacts communicate this to visiting teams.

Alan noted that teams should provide a printed roster for the referees. He also said duplicate jersey numbers need to be avoided; tape can be used to alter jerseys to show a different number.

Alan said there have been reports of coaches and fans arguing/commenting on referee calls. With the shortage of referees, it is important that we respect those on the fields. Alan asked club reps to remind their teams of the Codes of Conduct for players, coaches, and spectators. Alan said he has also received compliments from referees about games that went smoothly, with supportive participants.

In response to a comment about a referee not accepting a paper form, Alan noted that referees aren’t prohibited from accepting paper rosters.

Alan referenced the Referee Feedback site: http://reffeedback.com. A request was made to increase the character limit on the feedback fields. Ryan said additional information can be submitted via email. Positive feedback can be submitted via the site. Ryan noted that the feedback is shared with referee assignors at the end of the season.

Eric Popiel – Vice President & Treasurer: Eric reiterated the importance of creating an atmosphere where people are not giving referees a hard time. He asked club reps to pass this on to team contacts.

A motion was made and seconded to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:24 p.m.