Swatara Youth Soccer Association

Walk-in registration will be held from 9AM to 12PM tomorrow (Saturday), May 11th at the Swatara Township Administration Building.

At last night’s meeting, it was discussed that some schools had not yet sent the flyers home, we are evaluating the option of holding a second open registration date in June.  Walk-in registration can also be completed at the June Board Meeting (2nd Thursday, 7:30PM).

Below is a copy of a memo released by EPYSA yesterday concerning new policies in place and discussed a couple of months ago in the the meeting notes.

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To:        Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Affiliates
From:    Chris Branscome, Chief Executive Officer
Date:     May 8, 2013
RE:       Risk Management and Background Checks

In January, the Board of Directors approved an amendment to the risk management policy making background checks mandatory for everyone 18 years old and older who will come in contact with children.  The original policy, drafted in 1996 as part of the national Kidsafe program mandated each individual to submit a volunteer disclosure statement.  As per the 1996 policy, each member and affiliate is required to be in full compliance.  This was originally a hard copy document that evolved into our current on-line system of “risk management.” The current process of completing the disclosure statement remains in place.  The background checks will then be administered by the state office.

The fee was discussed and approved at the Annual General Meeting in March and the final copy of the policy document was reviewed by the board this past Monday.  The reason for this process needs no further explanation given the climate we live in, however, I am pleased to report that we are able to provide this service at a rate far below what our neighboring associations or what other services can provide.  Please review the policy which can be found on the website; www.epysa.org.

The important thing to notice here is that everyone must comply.  Regardless of age group, gender, travel or intramural, board member or team manager, etc…volunteer or compensated,  if you come in contact with the children, you need to complete the process.  It is a privilege to work with children and our collective responsibility to do our best to ensure their safety.

For additional information, please visit the website or contact Membership Services Manager, Beck Kleinert.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support of our 130,000 children playing soccer in Eastern Pennsylvania.

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The May monthly Board meeting will take place this Thursday, May 9th at the Swatara Township Administration Building beginning at 7:30 PM.

If you would like to register in person rather than online, this meeting as week as the June meeting are the two alternate times if you are unable to make it to walk-in registration on May 11th.

SYSA is pleased to announce the details for our annual Summer Camp.  The camp takes place the week of July 22nd at Vanatta Park.  Several programs are available for different age groups.  See our Summer Camp page for more information.

Online registration for the Fall 2013 season is now open.  Click here to access the online registration system for players and coaches.  Walk-in registration will take place on May 11th at the Swatara Township Administration Building from 9AM to 12PM.

• The registration newsletter was approved by the Board to be sent to the Central Dauphin School District for distribution to students with only minor edits.  
• The registration database was finalized, tested, and approved for go-live.
• Walk-in registration details finalized for May 11th at the Township Building

The monthly board meeting for April will take place this Thursday at 7:30 PM at the Swatara Township Administration Building.

• The EPYSA Annual General Meeting was held on March 3rd in Reading, PA.  Registrar Mike Radle and President Dave Pender attended on behalf of the SYSA Board, as well as Club players, parents and volunteers.
  • EPYSA had a total of about 106,000 players in 2012.  SYSA had 270 registered and active players.  League partners Olmstead and Lower Dauphin had 180 and 483 players respectively.  This numbers include Travel programs which SYSA does not take part in.
  • To maintain accordance with state law, for 2013 and onward, ALL positions filled by someone over the age of 18 (Board members, Coaches, Assistants, Refs, General Volunteers…) will be subjected to a background check.  This is a policy change from previous years where only a sample of adults were randomly selected for background checks.  There is a cost associated with this increase in due diligence which is being passed on directly to the members.
  • EPYSA continues it’s vigilance when it comes to players who may suffer from a concussion during play.  New for 2013, it is now mandatory for all volunteers associated with the Association to take part in Concussion Awareness Training.  More details will follow on this, however, there will be no cost associated with the training and the time commitment will be minimal.  Discussion was had related to creating a short online course for volunteers to take part in at their convenience.  More details to follow.
  • The fee/fine schedule for 2013 remains unchanged for individual and team fees.  There are slight increases in other areas that will have only a minor impact on costs associated with registration.  The largest impact to registration fees is the mandatory background check fee associated with all coaches and over-18 volunteers.
• The registration newsletter to be distributed by area schools is currently being finalized, look for this to come home with your child from school during the first or second week of April.  The newsletter will also be available via the Central Dauphin School District E-Backpack.
• 2013 Registration Database – To coincide with newsletter distribution, work on the setup of the registration database for 2013 is now underway and will be ready to go for the April 15th opening.
• 2013 Registration Costs – after the close of the EPYSA AGM, the Board was able to determine costs per-child for the 2013 season.  There was quite a bit of discussion on how to go about ensuring we keep soccer available to as many people as possible but maintain a positive financial position for the Association as a whole.  As a result of this discussion, the Board unanimously voted in favor of the following rates will be in effect for the 2013 season:
  • U6 Coed – $35
  • U8, U10, U12 – $60
  • While it’s always difficult to do something that will be unpopular, it was deemed necessary to raise fees by $5 per player to offset increased costs associated with registration database, insurance coverage (our second largest expense), background checks for all volunteers and expected equipment expenses over the next few years (new nets, goal frames, paint…).
  • It’s important to note that this increase in the registration cost restores fees to their 2009 level.  In 2010, the Board approved a reduction in fees by $5.  At the time, it was expected that the reduction would only last one year, however, due to the continued control of costs associated with running the season, the Board was able to continue this reduction for three years.
  • The Board also unanimously approved the continuation of the $10 sibling discount.  As in previous year, this will apply to additional players registered to the same parents/home address.  There is no limit on this discount – it extends to 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on.

The monthly Board meeting for March will take place this coming Thursday, March 14th at 7:30PM.

-SYSA finished the 2012 season in good financial standing with adequate cash reserves to purchase new equipment in 2013 and the ability to absorb increased expenses, should they arise, without drastically impacting registeration fees. Some monies have been earmarked to replace nets at all field locations in 2013.

-Discussion on field use was positive and several changes are being explored to expand availability or consolidate/change locations. Specifically, the club would cease use of Saussaman Park and expand to Central Dauphin School District green space.

-The Board discussed and plans to expand registeration recruiting to a larger geographic footprint than previously utilized. This expantion will be further into the Central Dauphin School District, relying less on geographic boundries of Swatara Township.

-Based on the current financial standing of the club and projected expenses in 2013 season, registration fees are expected to remain the same for the 2013 season. However, a final vote will take place at the March meeting after the costs associated with the EPYSA membership are known for the upcoming season.

-The general meeting of EPYSA will take place on March 3, 2013 in Reading, PA.

Projected 2013 Calendar of Events (subject to final approval)
-First week of April – newsletter distribution to schools and online registeration open
-May 15, 2013 – walk-in registration (time and location to be announced online and in newsletter)
-June 30, 2013 – standard registration closes and begins the wait-list process
-July 12, 2013 – end of the wait-list process
-Week of July 15, 2013 – rosters finalized and sent to coaches
-Week of July 22, 2013 – practice schedules finalized and sent to coaches
-July 29 through August 2, 2013 – Challenger Summer Camp (details pending)
-August 3, 2013 – field set-up
-August 5, 2013 – Practices begin
-September 7 and September 8, 2013 – Opening weekend games
-September 21, 2013 – Picture day (season week 3)