GOLDEN GATE WOMEN’S SOCCER LEAGUE
Minutes of the General Meeting of the Board of Directors
Held on August 3, 2009
At Sports Basement (Potrero Hill)
1590 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94103

  1. Lindsay Kauffman, President, opened the meeting at 7:08 p.m.

  2. Roll Call
    Teams Present:  Alcatraz FC, Adelante, Atletico San Pancho, Bo and the Deelites, Celtic Ramblers, Chicas FC, Cramps, Crux, Daruma, DC United, EB United, Finnegans Wake, Follies, Forte, Heat, High Tide, Ireland's 32, Killer Tomatoes, Las Brujas, Mad Dog, Marin Flash, Mavens, Mna, Nighthawks, Ninjas, Oakland FC, Olympic Club, Orange Crush, Phoenix, Pirates, Pumas, Rip Tide, S.F. Eagles, S.F. Fuego, S.F. Vikings, SF Angels, SF Cosmos, SF Force, Shamrock Rovers, Sirens, Spitfire, Sublime, Talking Feet, The Edge, Trouble United, Underdawgs, Urban Legends, VooDoo Dolls, Wakiza, Wasabi, Zephyr, Zia FC

    Teams Absent:  Blackthorn FC, Bay City United, Kismet United, Wild Girls

  3. The minutes from the May 4, 2009 General Meeting were accepted.

  4. Season Procedures
    1. Reports
      1. President – Lindsay Kauffman
        • Green Laces/Green Week – Green Laces (www.greenlaces.org) is a non-profit organization through which professional athletes empower people and kids to be green conscious; Lindsay was asked to be the San Francisco Ambassador for Green Week and to have the GGWSL partner with professional teams, such as the Giants and Women’s Professional Soccer.
        • Online survey – Craig Settles is planning to put together and circulate an online survey to gather demographic information on and feedback from the League.
        • Executive Committee player dues being absorbed by the League.
          • Lindsay makes a motion to pay a portion of the player dues for each Executive Committee member playing in the League.
          • Lindsay moves to amend the motion to be: “The League will absorb each applicable Executive Committee member’s CSAN and team’s League fees in the amount of $100 in the Fall Season and $80 in the Spring Season.” Anna Marie Blinn (Mavens) seconds the motion. VOTE and the amendment carries overwhelmingly. VOTE and the motion carries overwhelmingly.
          • The money will be deducted from the Executive Committee members’ team’s fees.
      2. Vice President - Discipline – Linda Colfax
        • Absent. No report.
      3. Vice President – Scheduling, Fields and Referees – Ian Clarke
        • For Saturdays, we need 6 more fields. We have 3 in San Francisco, Treasure Island, Cal State Hayward, Gilman, Gabe, and hope for one field in Marin.
        • For Sunday, we have 4 San Francisco fields, 2 East Bay fields, and hopefully 1 North Bay field
        • All field reservations are only for 11 weeks, which will make scheduling make-up games problematic.
      4. Vice President - New Players and New Teams – Craig Settles
        • Tips for first time managers
          • Photos for CSAN are only need for new players; players who have played in the League in the last three seasons photos are not necessary. The photos should be facing forward with no sunglasses.
          • Player registration materials should be turned in 2, preferably 2.5 weeks before the season. Lots of leagues are also registering all their players for seasons that start the same time as ours. Also Labor Day is right before the season starts so that limits the time available for CSAN to process player passes.
          • Each team must also submit an Annual Mandatory Form, found on the League website.
          • Teams should submit one check to CSAN, not 22.
        • If your team needs players, send Craig a list of what you need.
          • Craig doesn’t get a lot of players in the skill range for 2nd Division and up
          • Craig almost never gets goalies
          • Craig doesn’t hoard players for his teams; he only invites them to his teams if no one else wants them.
          • Lindsay Kauffman: If you need players, she suggests going on coed websites and craigslist, and reaching out to college players.
          • Craig has tried to reach out to the Silicon Valley Women’s League and the Marin Women’s League, but never really got much response.
        • BC United and Wild Girls folded. Because BC United folded, every team that was relegated from the Second Division or lower from the Spring season get to move back up.
        • Alcatraz is the new team.
      5. Treasurer Report – Kathryn Reisinger
        • Recommends $1350 League fee.
          • There were unexpected costs, e.g., a $16,000 outstanding field rental bill from San Francisco Recreation and Park, who has an uncashed check from the League sitting in their office.
          • At $1350 per team, we just about break even, adding $6,000 to the surplus.
          • Premier teams would pay $1650.
          • The $1350 does not include anything the teams have to pay to CSAN.
          • The reserve is currently $23,668.
          • Kathryn has gone back through with all the field rental places to make sure there are no outstanding expenses.
          • Kathryn has also met with an accountant who audited our books; now our books are organized in Quickbooks.
          • Lindsay Kauffman: We have no possible sponsorships for this season lined up or next; we’ve been contacting people for even small amounts.
          • Lindsay makes a motion for dues in the amount of $1350 per team, $1650 for premier teams. Anna-Marie Blinn seconds the motion. VOTE and the motion carries overwhelmingly.
        • Ian Clarke: Over-35s teams might pay something different; there are now 11 teams. If there is one division, each team plays 10 games. If the division splits into two divisions, one with 6 teams and one with 5 teams, the 6 team division plays 10 games, but the 5 team division would only get 8 games or Ian would have to schedule a 12 week season ending in December.
          • Ian makes a motion to have one Over-35s division of 11 teams. No one seconds the motion.
          • Ian makes a motion for two Over-35s divisions, one with 6 teams, one with 5 teams. Anna-Marie Blinn (Mavens) seconds the motion.
            • Ian: There will be promotion and relegation between the divisions as that is in the bylaws.
            • Craig Settles: Based on the e-mails, based on the skill discrepancy, there would be 5 in the top division and six in the bottom division.
            • Anna-Marie Blinn: Her team, the Mavens, was the fifth place team in the Spring and feels like her team is in the middle and is not thrilled with being in the top division.
            • Chris Vance (Wasabi): Wasabi was also not really in favor of splitting the division.
        • Ian makes a motion for two Over-35s divisions, one with 6 teams in the top, one with 5 teams in the bottom. Anna-Marie Blinn (Mavens) seconds the motion. VOTE and the motion carries with a majority of Over-35s teams.
          • The bottom 5 teams will either play 8 games or it will take 13 weeks to play 10 games. If they only play 8 games, they will get a credit.
        • We also did a tax return this year.
        • Teams paid dues.
      6. Secretary – Cecilia Ogbu
        • Newsletter – teams should read the newsletter that comes out every other week. While it is long, the flipside is fewer e-mails. The newsletter has a lot of the information that teams need, so they should check there first before e-mail the Executive Committee because a lot of the time the answers are in there.
        • GGWSL Waiver and Release of Liability form – every player on your team needs to sign this form and then the team needs to turn it in to the Secretary. The address is on the form. The form must be turned in before the kick-off of your team’s first game.
          • If you are not going to see all your team’s players before the first game, you can have the players mail it directly to the Secretary.
      7. Member at Large, CSAN Representative – Corinne Moya
        • Teams should submit player roster forms with player pass ID numbers to Corinne to submit to CSAN to streamline the registration process. Or teams can submit the list with the player registration forms.
          • If a player was not on your team last season, get their player pass ID number from their former team.
        • If any players get injured, have the referee make note of it on the game card and file an insurance claim with CSAN
          • During team practice, players are also covered by this insurance.
          • If there is an injury, there are instructions and forms on the USASA website.
        • CSAN has a lot of money, and sponsor a lot of higher level competition.
          • As women, we provide them with a lot of revenue, but we don’t ask for benefits, so we need to get more involved.
          • For example, there is a USASA men’s team versus Ireland game on September 26. USASA gave CSAN $30,000 to host the game
          • Nancy Sansot (High Tides): there is the issue that many Bay Area women’s teams are not under CSAN.
            • Lindsay Kauffman: the tournaments could be under the USASA or CSAN banner or players can sign waivers.
            • Corinne Moya: We just have to give CSAN notice if we’re playing in unaffiliated tournaments.
          • Ian Clarke: We used to send the winner of the Premier Division to a national/state tournament, but it only happened once.
          • Lindsay Kauffman: No one runs women’s tournaments at CSAN
            • Corinne: We just have to ask
          • Corinne gets free tickets for soccer games from CSAN, e.g., for the Earthquakes, FC Gold Pride. She’ll let people know when she gets these.
    2. Committee Reports
      1. Anne Wagner Tournament - Lindsay Kauffman
        • The tournament is on August 22.
        • Lindsay needs 4-5 volunteers, with most of the help needed between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. If your first game does not start at 9 a.m., please volunteer to help at the beginning of the day.
        • The games are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Crocker Amazon, rain or shine.
        • There is room to add teams to make another division. Currently there is competitive, intermediate A, intermediate B, recreational A, and recreational B.

  5. New Business
    1. Lindsay Kauffman: FC Gold Pride – Sunday, August 9, is the last FC Gold Pride game of the season. Kick-off is 5 p.m.
    2. Ian Clarke: Online player registration will make things easier; teams just need to print out and sign the form.
      1. Note that the site is not yet secure so the data is not encrypted. Ian has thought about making the site secure, but it would be slower.
    3. Ian Clarke: To get nonprofit rates from San Francisco Recreation and Park Department for field fees, 50% of the membership needs to live in San Francisco so this is another reason for players to complete the online registration and put their addresses in the website.
    4. If teams want to get a sponsor to get the benefit of our non-profit status, they can write the check to the GGWSL for the team
    5. Barbara Elliott: The San Francisco-California North Team won the USASA Veteran's Cup, Over 30's-40's in Boston in July. The team consisted of several current and former GGWSL players – including Annie Hoddinott, Libby Rappolt, Lisa Jack, Millie Dydasco, Patty Carillo, Sunita Rao and Teresa Abrahamson (ex-SF Vikings and Forte) and Cynthia Davis, Maria Murnane (SF Vikings). Lourdes Pedemonte would have played but is nursing a broke leg in three places.
      1. This year they were forced to play 3 games against the Over 30 teams. There were only 2 teams entered in the Over 40 Premier division and 13 teams entered in the Over 40 First Division. The other Over 40 teams refused to play against them, so the only alternative they could come up with was to make up play in the Over 30s category.

  6. Set the date and agenda for the next meeting.
    Lindsay makes a motion to set the next meeting on October 5, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., at Sports Basement, Potrero Hill. Craig Settles seconds the motion. VOTE and the motion carries overwhelmingly.

  7. Adjournment
    There being no further business to come before the Board of Directors, Jill Lounsbury (Nighthawks) made a motion to adjourn, which was seconded by Lindsay Kauffman, and the meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.