September 12, 2004
Present: Ron Walton, Trey Bradberry, Ben Mueller, Gary Sullan, Judith Martinez, and Rick Hazlewood
Absent: Robert Baird
Meeting started at 7:35 PM.
Minutes: The minutes from the August meeting were not presented for approval. Gary who took them in place of Rick Hazlewood Hazlewood, promised to have them for the next meeting.
Club Report: We are fielding 13 teams this fall.
Parent Meeting in October: Due to several events concerning teams in the club, the board agreed to hold a parent meeting in early October. It is a fact-finding meeting that is for the parents and board members only. The coaches will meet with the board in a separate meeting sometime after this meeting is held.
Fall Cup Report: Approximately 156 teams are in the tournament at this time. Everything seems to be under control with one site coordinator position needing to be filled for Saturday.
Fund-raising at the Fall Cup: It was agreed upon that the U14 boys team would be allowed to run a grill during the Fall Cup in a fund -raising effort for a European trip. This is a pilot for future teams raising money for extended trips to Europe or USA Cup. We need an accurate accounting of costs and profits to determine the impact this project has on the overall club’s profit from the tournament. The time parents spend cooking and grilling does not count to the six hours of volunteer time.
Refund for a Player: A player withdrew from a U-11 boys team immediately after the parents’ meeting was discussed because the parents learned that he was on the classic team and they were under the impression that both teams would be equal. In the end, it was voted to approve the refund because we had not communicated correctly to everyone that there would be a premier and a classic team at the age group before tryouts or even when they were notified by the coach that the players had made the team. The vote was 5-1.
Sponsorships for Scholarships Update: Judith reported some progress was being made but she had been having trouble meeting with some of her contacts whom she hoped would sponsor two or three scholarship players on the U-11 Blue team this year. She and Rick Hazlewood met and outlined the estimated costs for playing in both seasons.
Indoor Practice Facilities: Ron reported on his investigations on some possible indoor practice facilities for the coming winter. He reported on four possibilities.
1. A facility on North Elm near Spalding Park was visited. It was estimated to cost $1500 a month for a couple of months and there was some capital work that needed to be performed before it was usable.
2. Urbana National Guard Armory costs $2800 for 8 weeks.
3. Lifelines has space of 45 yards by 35 yards of free space. Rent would be $500 a month but there is some work that needs to be completed before it is usable including suitable flooring for soccer.
4. The old Jay’s Potato Chip factory was discussed but its use is not likely due to many concerns.
Land Acquisition: Results from a conversation with a lending officer were presented by Ron. This was in terms of the amount we could expect to be loaned if we went that route to acquire land.
Property with space for four full fields and two partial fields is available for the club's use. The issue is that the owner may sell it at any time but has promised that the club would recoup any money it spends on developing it into fields. The land needs substantial grading before it is usable.
Another possible land deal was discussed. Due to privacy concerns, details can not be released at this time.
Corporate Status of the Club: As the club approaches impending land purchases and entering into long-term contracts, it was agreed that the club make sure it has everything in its corporate structure aligned correctly. This will be done as part of the land acquisition project and may even result in the creation of a separate organization responsible for the land itself. This whole issue needs to be explored thoroughly with legal and financial advice.
Coerver Goals: Trey reported that when the board approved the purchase of more practice goals in the August meeting, he had presented it with the wrong cost per goal. He was only buying three of them at $600 a piece. It was approved 6-0.
Meeting was dismissed at 9:55 pm.