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Minneapolis Youth Lacrosse

Board Agenda
{Date} @ {time} p.m. {Location}

Minneapolis Youth Lacrosse Association Board Meeting

March 7, 2019 – Homegrown

Members present: Eric Elgin, Ashlee Miller, Molly Myers, Nick Lucca, John Neal, Melanie Faulhaber, Charles Johnson-Nixon, Rob Bedeaux

Meeting called to order 6:43 pm.

Secretary: Notes from the February meeting were reviewed.  Elgin moved to approve.  Neal seconded.  A vote was taken and the motion passed. 

Boys Registration: Registration numbers are looking good for box and spring, however there is a need to find more 10U players for boys.  If additional players can be found, a second team could be created or if there is enough interest at the upcoming clinics, it may be suggested that the players register for summer.  The hope is to have 17-18 players per team.

Girls Registration: The 10U program will merge with the Bearstangs. Ten of the players will be from our program and 9-10 girls from Blake/Breck.  The girls will wear Bearstangs uniforms, but will practice at NE (with one coach from Bearstangs and one from MAYLA).  The 12U girls will play with the 14U team in Minneapolis.   There is still a need for parent coordinators at the 10U level.

Grants:  A grant has been received that will supply 15 sticks for boys, 15 sticks for girls, 20 – 30 balls, 30 US Lacrosse memberships, and two goals.  Additional grants through local stores, companies, etc. are being sought.

Spiritwear:   Drew Hack is currently working on spiritwear options.  They will not be ready for the Parent Meeting, but there will be a potential option for a half ship order.  Bedeaux will send emails to J. Neal and Elgin with information on doing a half order with a direct ship option to the buyers.  Merchandising should be ready prior to next season’s Parent Meeting. 

Coaches:  Coaches have been secured for Box.  There are some returning coaches and some new ones. There is excitement around Chris Burke coaching at the 14U level.  Since we’re adding a 10U team, Elgin and J Neal are working to get additional coaches at that level.  Overall, coaching for spring is in a good position.  A discussion was had concerning logistics for co-ed goalie training. Goalie training should be held twice a month, perhaps when Parade fields are available in April.  Lucca will work with coaches to figure out timing to attend practices.

Fields:Goals can not be moved until Tuesday, March 12th.  A new equipment box is needed for Elliot Park. There are two creases, but additional ones are needed.  Balls will be purchased for boys on March 8th, while the girls should be set with the two cases they have.  Eric Johnson has placed an order for jerseys, which should arrive for the first box games. If they are late, ones from previous seasons can be used.   Elgin approved renting a truck from Home Depot to transport supplies to Northeast Ice Arena, Bassett and Parade.  More specifically, this would be items from Dan Murphy’s storage unit including nets, field storage boxes etc.   The nets at MCTC will be picked up by Elgin this week.  There are some issues with getting fields, as MAYLA has typically played at Washburn, where we were denied opportunities this season.  Back up field options are Parade, Benilde, etc.  We are trying to advocate for getting better field conditions at Bassett Creek, as well.  Elgin volunteered to mow Bassett Creek fields as a last resort and we also discussed buying a field marker, but nothing was approved.  

Recruiting:  Registration for the Development Clinics is at twelve boys and twelve girls to date.  The concept for the sessions will be similar to TryLax with the basics of passing, catching, shooting, and dodging.  The group will be broken up based on skills, with different coaches leading each skill. If boys are interested in registering based on the clinics, they can register for summer.  Girls have until April 1stto register.   Elgin will bring a computer to the March 20thand 22ndsessions for registration, and Lucca will bring one on the 27th.  Elgin will follow up with Lucas White and Duane Sizemore to see if they can help coach. Bringing parents out on to the field to explain the game will help bring in the community.  The Recruiting Committee will work on creating additional development clinics in the fall and winter, which must include discussions on locations, timing, equipment, etc.  Johnson-Nixon will see if Lifetime Fitness in St. Louis Park would be an option.  There is a need to partner with the Native Community through Principal Ray Aponte at South High School.  There is perhaps an opportunity to have a jamboree once the South turf field is completed. MAYLA could also reach out with recruiting flyers in more Minneapolis Public schools, continue to work with other sports associations (i.e., Lakers basketball), and do month long lacrosse programs with the Park Board.  The Recruiting Committee will also look into doing TryLax events on May/June weekends, as well as doing in-house round robin tournaments to get 8U kids excited to move to 10U.

Surveys:  The group discussed utilizing surveys to understand retention and attrition to find out what is and isn’t working for the program.  Surveys could also be used at the clinics, as well.  There is also a need to find out why people who live in Minneapolis, but choose to have their kids play elsewhere, as well as find out where kids in the Native communities would like to practice if they played in our program.  We should also leverage surveys to understand what our brand means to our families and how it should be positioned.  

Treasurer:  Tiered pricing should be discussed in a future meeting.

Volunteer:The group discussed giving Dibs for people who recruit new kids into the summer program. Lucca made a motion to implement giving six Dibs credits for bringing in new players for the upcoming season, starting at the Parents’ Meeting on March 10th.  Elgin seconded.  A vote was taken and the motion passed.  

Bullying:  A question was raised on how to address issues of racism, sexism, etc. especially when an opposing team uses a slur that results in no action by the ref.  As an association, we should have a policy  (Note from Nikki:  PLEASE SEE OUR CURRENT POLICY:  https://www.mplsyouthlacrosse.com/news_article/show/708783.  No specific issues have occurred with Minneapolis, but we want to be conscious of the current environment.  No current policy changes are needed, just a discussion to reiterate the importance.  We’ll share both our existing code of conduct and anti-bullying/anti-harassment policy with coaches and parents alike.  This should be discussed at the Coaches’ Meeting so they have the tools to address these issues for the upcoming season.  

Parent Meeting:  Elgin will kick of the Parent Meeting on March 10thby welcoming the families, introducing the board, and asking folks to recruit.  J. Neal will talk about practice dates, key times, and other logistical events.  Bedeaux will demonstrate SportsEngine.  Faulhaber will give a Dibs overview.  Parents will be able to drop off or pick up anything at the equipment swap table. Elgin will also address what equipment players are required to have.  Miller will pull aside parents to discuss girls-only logistics.  Parents who are new to the program will also split off for a separate conversation with Elgin.  

Tryouts:  There is a need to have independent evaluators for the upcoming tryouts.  Consideration should be made to swap evaluators with other associations. Paying outside evaluators should be the last option.

Executive:  Board members for the 2020 season should be solidified by August as there will be a lot of turnover at the end of the year.

Meeting adjourned at 8:46 pm.

Next meeting: Thursday, April 11th, 2019 at 6:00 at the Community Gathering Space in Bryn Mawr.