June 18, 2010
We are writing today to notify you and your team regarding a recent statement made by the NJYS Executive Director that CJYSA league members will not be eligible to compete in the United States Youth Soccer (USYS) National Championship series. This announcement was made without proper notice and apparently based on conclusions reached by the Executive Director without the opportunity for discussion or a hearing.
We refute the validity of this statement, both on the underlying facts and on the process used to issue it, and have written to the President of NJYS to that end. We seek his assistance to ensure a fair and open process that is in compliance with State and National By-Laws and Constitution. The CJYSA / MSSL boards take this matter seriously and will keep you informed of the process along the way.
We intend to:
· Challenge this current statement to the fullest extent possible, and to have any directives based on the statement retracted in full. All available appeals will be pursued.
· In the event that our appeals are unsuccessful, we are working on a program that would allow your team to continue in our programs and still qualify for State Cup; exact details will be provided when appropriate.
We are working with haste to resolve this matter, and we apologize for any surprise. We are as surprised as you are, and ask that you give us a little time to work through this matter. As matters clarify, we will provide better advice to you and your team on the options available, and the implications of continuing to participate in our programming. We request that you hold off on making any final registration decisions until you have a complete set of facts and options to base your decision on.
We are unaware of any improper actions taken by our league or administrators or, quite frankly, any basis for this statement. We can’t really comment at this point on the merits of the pronouncement, as we have yet to be provided the basis for any allegations beyond a vague reference with no specifics. We are surprised by a process that appears to have no basis in fact, proper notification or fair review.
Accordingly, with little or no response to our phone calls and emails, we have recently submitted a formal written request with the President of New Jersey to determine whether he or the Board have endorsed the proclamation as a NJYS action. In the event that the board has adopted the staff statement:
· What process was used?
· Under what authority was the action taken?
· Are there additional matters of concern to the Board of Directors?
· Are leagues and their member teams afforded an opportunity to have input into a fair decision-making process?
· Confirmation of our understanding of applicable bylaws, constitutions and the entire process.
We further note that the statement may have been presented in a manner that would imply that it was approved by the NJYS Board of Directors. As a member of the NJYS Board in good standing and most recently certified to vote on all matters at the recent AGM, we are not aware of any properly submitted motion for Board action related to CJYSA. We attended all recent NJYS Board and Annual General Meeting in May and June, and no mention was ever made of this matter.
In our opinion, CJYSA is a member league in good standing with NJYS, USYS and USSF and teams from our league can qualify to participate in the USYS National Championship competition.
We will keep you apprised of this on-going matter. We appreciate your support and understanding and ask that you direct any questions you have to Jan Yager via email Jan@mssl.org
GO U.S.A.!
