Attention all SCYSA Club Presidents, Parents, Coaches and Players,
Due to the fact that SCYSA has not informed all affiliated clubs of the nominee's for Saturdays SCYSA AGM I provide you with the following:
President: John Freed & Fred Bieber
Secretary: Joanne Stroud
Also, I would like to encourage you to show your support for John Freed (Piedmont Vice Commissioner)this Saturday at the SCYSA AGM and vote for him as President. Like many of us John feels that a change is necessary within the SCYSA Board of Directors. Why vote for John Freed? John has 3 sons (Ages 8, 12, & 17) and one daughter (16) that are presently involved in Recreational, Classic, and Challenge soccer. (His eldest son has also represented SC at the ODP and regional level). In other words John understands, and has experienced, first hand the trials and tribulations, as well as the successes, of a modern day Recreational and Classic player, parent and adminastrator. Please read the message below and you will see that John has nothing but the best interest of SC soccer at heart!
Yours in Soccer,
Justin Collett
Hello! My name is John Freed and I am running for the office of President of SCYSA. The following is an attempt to explain the reasons I decided to seek this position and an offering of a few ideas and objectives I have in mind.
Rationale
All organizations, profit and non-profit, go through cycles as they mature. SCYSA is no exception. Although we are a young organization in comparison to many others in the country, we have seen rapid growth and maturity in recent years. Increased numbers of clubs, leagues, players and especially an increase in the level of play are all prime examples. This has been created from a great deal of effort by a number of individuals, particularly those who have served on the State Board of Directors. We are all the beneficiaries of their hard work. We need to remember this and thank them because everyone brings four special things to a board-- ideas, energy, enthusiasm and responsibility. Unfortunately, all of these four things erode over time. After serving for a number of years, most people lose their focus, their perspective and how they relate to others. People in elected positions often start to believe they rule rather than represent. Their pool of ideas runs dry, their energy and enthusiasm depletes and their sense of responsibility is twisted towards themselves and away from those they represent. This is why changes in leadership are good and necessary.
My election will bring new ideas, fresh energy and enthusiasm and most importantly a feeling of responsibility to those that I represent-- the players, parents and coaches.
Communication
Communication is the great equalizer and is the area I feel our organization needs the most improvement. Very little information finds its way from the Board to the players and their families. This varies tremendously by district and creates an uneven and frustrating playing field for us all. Denying access to information has been used as a means to control power throughout history. All dictators have used it. Without information you cannot form your own opinions or choose your own destiny. I believe everyone should have access to everything and all questions should be answered. After all -- what is there to hide? North Carolina and Georgia provide almost unlimited information through their web sites and e-mail. Our efforts fall very short by comparison. We provide little and answer even less. There are some notable exceptions. Look what Hotstat provides for the statewide leagues and scsoccer.com does for the high schools. We owe it to ourselves and our children to provide access, open discussion and full disclosure of everything.
Organizational Focus
As a young organization, our growth was spontaneous. What started as an opportunity to provide structured soccer for kids grew into new levels for those interested in higher standards of competition and achievement. Then we added even higher levels for recognition on the regional and national stages. Our leadership advanced right along with it even though the great majority of our players are in recreation programs. Challenge and Classic Cups and regional and statewide leagues have been started, worked on, reorganized and expanded while the recreation programs have been left behind. The last American Cup was even scheduled during spring break. The rec players are the heart and soul of our organization. Recreation programs should be a high priority. It is where nearly every player begins and the majority end their careers in youth soccer. Instead of treating it as an afterthought we need to improve it, expand it and nurture it. As our recreation programs grow so will all the other levels.
Planning
Planning should be the Boards greatest priority. SCYSA has grown to a point where this is now essential. We cannot wait for the dates of the fall season and tournaments to be released in June when everyone has tryouts and sign-ups in May. We also need long term financial planning with anticipated budgets, published spending guidelines and full financial disclosure so there is confidence in our financial integrity. We need to look to the future-- not just 12 months-- but years ahead. There are not enough fields now and there is no one but SCYSA and our member clubs to work to create more. We need to build strong ties to the South Carolina High School Athletic Association to insure a fair and equal opportunity for all to play when and where they want. We need to reach out to others not affiliated with SCYSA. Today we only work with those who come to us. We need to find all the soccer players in the state and anyone else with an interest in soccer and offer them opportunities and assistance.
Board Composition
Our State Board has fourteen members. Four-- the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary-- are elected by the Presidents of the member clubs. Three-- the District Commissioner from each district-- are elected by the Presidents of the member clubs in each district. Seven-- fully one half of the Board are elected by the Board-- including themselves. Those seven sit with the seven elected by you to vote on their own positions. This allows for the possibility of a self-perpetuating exclusive body and has allowed for a few individuals to serve for extremely long periods of time. We need a different system that is inclusive not exclusive and allows for a steady, orderly turnover and transition of members. Our State Board has a number of committees and all but one are filled by State Board members only. I propose having a representative from each district (and not just District Council Members) on each committee along with State Board members. This will increase participation, disseminate information and create a system where everyone can have input. All regularly scheduled board meetings need to be held in person and not by conference call. Everyone should have access to all proceedings except personnel issues. Our paid positions need to be reevaluated and redefined. Red card tracking and yellow card tracking should be statewide and by computer (Hotstat proves that it can be done) and maintained by our staff. Why don't we have a full-time Director of Coaching and Player Development? We could group all ODP under that position. How about a Rules and Compliance person in each district to handle interpretations at that level and coordinate with the state representative? It would certainly decrease the load carried by the District Commissioners and increase participation as well as train more people to fill that role at the state level.
This letter is long and contains a lot of ideas and few specifics. Ideas should come from everyone and the specifics need to be worked out as a group-- not dictated by an individual or a small closed group. There is a lot of work ahead and it will not happen overnight. It will take an open minded, levelheaded leader to guide it. I don't want to be a ruler. I want to be your representative to interact with you to create the best environment possible for our youth soccer program. I will seek your ideas and input. I respectfully request your support and the vote and support of all the Presidents at the Annual Meeting in Columbia on August 3rd.
Thank you,
John Freed
864-582-0647
