Minnesota Youth Soccer Association and National Sports Center attempting to patch up relationship?

In the continuing story of the disagreements between MYSA and NSC, the two parties agreed to a meeting to discuss their differences according to a press release from the National Sports Center and Steve Olson, NSC Chief Operating Officer.

IMS noticed a release from Minnesota Youth Soccer on Wednesday in what looked to be an attempt to soften their earlier stance.

Player Insurance
IMPORTANT NOTE regarding player insurance: Coaches and parents are constantly asking—What does MYSA’s players’ insurance cover? The answer—An MYSA registered player (may not apply to some rec players/in-house leagues in Wisconsin and North Dakota, etc.) is covered for training sessions, practices, games and tournaments which are sanctioned by MYSA. If the event is not sanctioned by MYSA, such as a US Club, AYSO or SAY tournament, you must check with the Tournament Director of that tournament to find out if there is insurance coverage specifically for that tournament. Most reputable tournaments will have insurance coverage for the participants.

Today, the National Sports Center released this interesting and somewhat encouraging statement.

To the Soccer Community,
On Tuesday, March 24, the National Sports Center (NSC) and Minnesota Youth Soccer met at the MYSA Offices to discuss the present relationship between the two organizations and options for the future. In attendance were MYSA President Bob Poretti, MYSA Executive Director Candace Daley, NSC Foundation Board Member Larry Ragland and NSC Foundation Chief Operating Officer Steve Olson.

The agenda of the meeting was built around three components: 1) Each organization’s mission, 2) options for the 2009 season, and 3) 2010 and beyond.  As a component of the options for 2009, the NSC presented the MYSA with sanctioning forms for all six NSC soccer tournaments for 2009 with associated fees. The intent was to secure MYSA as a sponsoring agent in order to relieve the restrictions placed on MYSA/USYSA teams outlined in the MYSA memo of March 12, 2009. Please keep in mind the sanctioning for these events is already approved by the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of all soccer in the United States.

President Poretti accepted the forms and reminded us the decision-making authority of MYSA resides with the Board of Directors and this would require their approval. He indicated he would call an emergency board meeting to discuss this issue and they would contact us by Wednesday, April 1.

We received a response from MYSA today at 2:30 PM indicating the Board had voted to deny sanctioning for NSC events for 2009. No rational was given in writing but the ensuing phone call revealed the reason was the documents were not submitted by the published deadline.

In our meeting of March 24, MYSA indicated that when conflicts arise in the future, they expected us to return to them to resolve them. Therefore, I have asked to be on the agenda for the MYSA Board meeting of April 18,2009 to appeal this decision. Until that time, we must move forward with plans that will accommodate team needs with regards to player passes and insurance.

As stated before, teams are not prohibited from attending any National Sports Center tournament: NSC Spring Cup, NSC Cup, Wal-Mart All American Cup, Schwan’s USA CUP Weekend, Schwan’s USA CUP, and NSC Fall Cup.

The National Sports Center will:
Provide insurance coverage at no cost to all teams/players requiring secondary medical insurance for participation, if directed by their state associations.  (Liability insurance is already provided through the US Club Soccer policy which is written by Bollinger.) The certificate of insurance will be posted on the respective tournament websites. See Required Forms: NSC Spring Cup, NSC Cup, Wal-Mart All American Cup, and NSC Fall Cup. See Team Central/Team Checklists: Schwan’s USA Cup Weekend and Schwan’s USA CUP.
Provide the NSC player pass form to all teams requiring player passes for participation, if directed by their state associations. See tournament websites:  Required Forms or Team Central/Team Checklists as stated above.
Visiting US teams will:
Contact their respective state associations for permission-to-travel or a letter stating that the team is registered and in good standing.  NSC tournament sanctioning documents by USSF and US Club Soccer are posted on the respective tournament websites.
Provide their state associations with the NSC certificate of insurance, if required.  See tournament websites:  Required Forms or Team Central/Team Checklists as stated above.
All teams, including Minnesota will:
Provide a copy of their official state roster or the USYS Team Player Information Form as verification of player birth dates and registration with their state associations.
Complete the NSC Player Pass form for each player, if required by state association. Player name, date of birth, signature, light/dark jersey numbers and player photo required.  Laminated NSC player passes are required at Final Team Check-in and at the start of each game.  NSC player passes are good for all 2009 NSC events.
Complete the official online tournament roster and liability waiver.
Thank you for your patience. We will continue to keep you updated on this situation should changes occur.

Regards,
Steve Olson, COO
National Sports Center Foundation

Inside Minnesota Soccer encorages both parties to continue to do what it takes to get this issue resolved and to put the development of youth soccer players first and foremost. IMS also encourages readers of this blog to contact MYSA’s board of directors and encourage them to find a resolution with NSC. You can see that listing by going here.