Minneapolis Youth Lacrosse

Board Agenda
July 11, 2019 @  7:00pm at SportsEngine

Members present: Eric Elgin, Rob Bedeaux, Nikki Gilbertson, John Neal, Melanie Faulhaber, Steve Devereux, Molly Meyers, Allen Slaughter, Karen Bruce, Nick Lucca, Amy Neal

Meeting called to order 7:10 pm.

Secretary: Notes from the June meeting were reviewed.  K. Bruce moved to approve.  J. Neal seconded.  A vote was taken and the motion passed. 

Girls Program:  K. Bruce said the Summer 14U Girls are ranked 4thin state and are having a great season.  About 50% of the girls on the team played for us in the spring.  There will need to be a push to recruit at 12U so that they can have their own team next season, as opposed to rolling up to the 14U team.  Meyers noted that the 10U Girls team has a lot of new players and hasn’t had success in games, but the players are very enthusiastic.  There also isn’t a coordinator for the 10U team, and the parents are not being helpful in volunteering for games jobs.  Elgin reported that there were three 8U girls that registered this year, which made it impossible to field a team.

Boys’ Program:  J. Neal reported that the 14U Boys summer team has won two games, and are having trouble with attendance, however the team is having fun.  Elgin noted that the 12U team is undefeated this summer.  The 10U team also is having light practice attendance, but the kids are engaged at games.  Elgin will find out why the 10U team is not listed on the end of season jamboree.  Elgin said the 8U team has planned to scrimmage, but the summer team is too small. Elgin suggested giving each 8U Summer registrant a refund, since they are not getting the games they expected. The group discussed that a $100 credit should be offered to those families for them to register for spring. J. Neal moved to offer the credit for 2020.  K. Bruce seconded.  A vote was taken and the motion passed.

Picnic:  Faulhaber has two new parents will be coordinating the picnic in August, and wondered if the menu should be simplified.  Wabun Park has been reserved and paid for.  A. Neal will provide a pdf to Elgin of the award certificate for the coaches.

Fields:  Elgin will be discussing getting a refund for the lack of field lines on MPRB fields, as well as mowing issues at Bassett.  A. Neal has the name of the manager at McRae Field that can be contacted to discuss potential practice options for the future.

Marketing:  Bedeaux has yard signs that have been created that will be available at the picnic.

Budget:  Slaughter reported that there is $63,000 in the coffers. Field fees have been paid.  Spring coaches have been paid. Summer coaches will need to be paid.  A budgeting software system still needs to be sought (perhaps Quickbooks Online).  Tents have been purchased for games, which were a donation from Elgin.

Recruiting:  Meyers noted that a few TryLax events are upcoming. There should be plenty of coaches available.   There are 20 – 25 kids registered so far.  Elgin would like to consolidate the clinics so that coaches don’t have to be at the events for so long.   Lucca is doing research to create videos for social media engagement.  K. Bruce suggested that we focus on YouTube to speak directly to kids.  Lucca said we should leverage our website, perhaps with links to skills videos.  K. Bruce also suggested that the videos could be used to show parents how to do game jobs and SportsEngine.  Andrea Siegel has been doing a lot on Facebook to push the program.  Meyers wondered that if we do earlybird registration fees next season, do we want to provide a take away sheet for parents at the Picnic?  Other items on the sheet could include volunteer recruiting for board positions.

Fundraising:  Devereux stated that there are additional grant opportunities available from US Lacrosse if we were able to do more to partner with the Native community and other groups.  The Fundraising plan is being created and will be implemented.  Next year sponsorship packets will be a focus for fundraising.  

Volunteering:  Faulhaber will send out another email blast to remind parents of volunteer opportunities.  Elgin will follow up with parents that could be good fit for vacant board positions.

Future Planning:  During the August meeting and subsequent meetings, Elgin would like to start focusing on getting registration ready for the spring.  Elgin would also like each board member to map out a schedule of when tasks need to be completed.   There is a need to have someone help Duane Sizemore with field procurement.  A new plan for how to bundle seasons should be discussed.  Elgin would like to have help discussing plans for uniforms, offseason training and development, and Coach/Team Manager development.  Elgin is asking for board members to help take ownership of new projects. A. Neal offered to help with the uniforms. 

Games:  J. Neal noted that there is a Scoretronics PCK4 portable clock/scoreboard that could be purchased for $1,500 for home games.

Fall Leagues:  Elgin said there could be Fall league signups for the boys, but at this time there aren’t necessarily enough kids to create teams at each level.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.

Next meeting: August 22, 2019 at 7:00 at SportsEngine.

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