Let me begin by saying Happy 50th Anniversary CYSA, or as we know it today, Cal North.
As Chairman, I am honored and enthusiastic to lead one of the top state associations in the country with a rich history of volunteerism, service, and commitment to youth soccer. With our new Executive Director Ben Jay in place, CYSA is poised for the future as we grow youth soccer culminating with the 2026 World Cup coming to North America. CYSA exists for youth of all abilities in California to get out, play and enjoy the beautiful game of soccer in our own communities. Your involvement from grassroots to competitive elite play provides us a precious opportunity to nurture the seeds our children receive from the seven (7) valuable life lessons learned from sport – discipline, respect, friendship, leadership, resilience, teamwork and overcoming adversity.
Recently, we began our 51st year of service to our youth soccer members at our CYSA Annual General Meeting in South Lake Tahoe. I want to thank those who were able to attend, meeting with our valued vendors, recognizing our state award winners, and taking part in our workshops.
I hope you found our workshops’ information valuable and relevant for your needs, especially the presentation about SafeSport, the Olympic community’s initiative to recognize, reduce and respond to misconduct in sport. This initiative provides resources and direction which complies with the Federal law: ” Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017”, enacted after several national cases of athlete abuse in recent years. The Federal law applies to all youth sports that have a National Governing Body (NGB). Furthermore, it mandates the protection of youth athletes from abuse through training, reporting, education and policy development. SafeSport is a culture change for youth soccer by making administrators, coaches and parents better aware and accountable for the protection and welfare of all of our kids.
Equally important, though, was the Presidents’ Roundtable Session I facilitated answering the Presidents’ questions that provided us with candid important feedback about some of the perceptions of CYSA. Suffice to say, we heard you. Our CYSA leadership needs to do a better, more consistent and deeper job with communications. With the help of CYSA staff, I will develop a Presidents’ Forum to enhance two-way communication of information, the sharing of ideas, and important news from the CYSA leadership group. Look for the announcement about the format and frequency of the new Presidents’ Forum very soon.
If you have questions or comments, or ideas and suggestions on how we can improve our service to you, please contact our Executive Director Ben Jay at <bjay@calnorth.org> or call him at (925) 426-5437 extension 17. We welcome your input as we lead Cal North into the next 50 years.
I want to thank you for the priceless gift of your time. It is with you that CYSA will grow successfully in our communities. Open communication and progressive action are vital. We are here to listen, serve and work together with you.
Sincerely,
Mr. Kenyatta Scott
Chairman, CYSA Board of Directors
