1632 Creek Street

Attendees: Ken Bliss, Neil Fisher, Peppy Ehrlich, Kurt Knoblauch, Wayne Menz, Mark Van Dellon, Lou Boyon, Dave Rich, Andrea Patton

1. “For the Good of the Game” – Glen Buckley

· NYSWYSA approved the policies at the July 28, 2001 meeting

· Glen stated that he has spoken to all major Leagues and Boards in the past 18 months since becoming Director of Coaching for NYSW

· He feels the NY State is behind other states in advancing the game of soccer for youth

· He developed “For the Good of the Game” from speaking with and observing many coaches and teachers in the U.S. over the past year

· Last November NYSW held a meeting at the Chiropractic College and invited 280 Club presidents – 97 attended this meeting

· During the past year NYSW trained 2000 coaches

· Glen feels that Leagues want to institute “For the Good of the Game”

· More children playing soccer in the Rochester area than any city in the U.S. and 60% of these are recreational players

· As a suggestion - Glen would like to see a paid director of coaching for each soccer organization

· Ken – will make a motion to put off instituting these NYSWYSA Policies for 1 year so Clubs can decide what to do – Clubs have the right and obligation to decide – Ken’s opposition is with the procedure used by NYSWYSA to implement these rules

· Glen – Clubs should and will support the Policies at the Annual General Meeting in November – a vote will be taken

· Kurt – problem is that Clubs will already have selected their teams and the number of team members will not coincide with the NYSWYSA Policy

· Peppy – how do the Clubs improve the level of play if players do not start to play competitively until 12

· Glen feels those who start competition too early drop out of soccer

· Ken feels NYSW should approach these Policies slowly – RDYSL is proud of what it has already

· Glen – players at 9 and 10 can play other teams and learn techniques without pressure – this will ultimately make them better players

· Ken – NYSW needs to listen more to what people are saying

· Dave – this year he was leery of non-competitive 9 and 10 age group but the kids enjoyed the experience – one problem for Clubs will be recruiting the number of coaches especially for smaller Clubs – presently Brockport requires coaches have an E License

· Tony – League should keep track of the licenses for coaches

· Ken – the League is run by volunteers – who would be able to do this

· Kurt – a lack of organized structure will not help the game – poor refereeing, etc.

· Ken – fees are rising in NYSW – from where will the increased revenues come?

· Tony – the issue is not financially driven – NYSW will lose money

· Dave – mechanics are important but recreational programs must also implement this

· Glen – the Director of Coaching position can be for 1 Clubs or shared between Clubs

· Lou – where would the money come from to pay a coach – even the larger, wealthier Clubs would find it difficult to pay a Director of Coaching

· Peppy – where would the Clubs get the money

· Glen – cut the number of tournaments that teams play and use that money to pay for Director of Coaching

· Tony – why couldn’t there be a vote at the Annual General Meeting

· Neil – Clubs want a meeting to have a voice in NYSW decisions

· Lou – if changes were made in 2003 there would be time to vote and implement the changes

· Neil – it is also necessary to educate the parents about the changes

2. Ken

· Other Leagues want to know how the RDYSL feels about these changes

· Wayne – Motion – RDYSL have a General Meeting of Clubs with the importance stated Peppy - second

· Ken – Buffalo concerned with the procedure used by NYSWYSA for approval of the Policies – there is a meeting September 22 of the NYSW Board

· Suggestion to have a General meeting of RDYSL League after September 22 NYSW meeting to discuss Policies and invite parents, Clubs and coaches

· Vote – All in favor

3. League

· Fines

a. Ken will send out a statement to D.C.’s and V.P.’s

b. He will need help reviewing fines for accuracy

c. Keep game reports for appeals

d. There will be a final date for appeals

· Wayne

a. Summer generates more parent problems than during the school season

· Kurt

a. How is the League going to handle the behavior on the field

b. Ken – next season there will be a hearing within 3-7 days for parents and players involved

c. Dave – every incident does not need a hearing

d. Game reports have an area to report spectator conduct – D.C. should note it and fine a team/Club after 3 incidents

e. Kurt – conduct for players and spectators starts with the coach – possibly have a meeting with coaches before the season

f. D.C.’s will meet with coaches at the April meeting when packets are distributed

g. Ken – League fell down on discipline this season – next season League should have firmer policy on conduct and be swifter with discipline – the Disciplinary V.P. will handle this

Meeting Adjourned 9:15 P.M.