Become a Director

Help shape the future of youth soccer in your community! Mad River Youth Soccer League is always looking for board members. Read on to learn how to become a board member, and what that entails.

MRYSL is an independent non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for setting the mission and strategic direction of the organization. The Board is also charged with overseeing the finances, operations, enforcing the Bylaws, and drafting and adopting policies of the organization.

Directors are elected to 2 year terms during the Annual General Meeting, which normally occurs in November, and terms begin in January. Vacancies on the Board of Direct ors shall be filled by the Board of Directors upon occurrence, during any term of office provided the application and nomination process set out below is followed.

Eligibility:
Any interested person shall be eligible for the Board of Directors

Application:
To apply for a position on the Board of Directors, prospective members must:

1. Attend at least one full Board meeting in advance of submitting their name for nomination to the Board
2. Submit a written summary of their skills and intent to be nominated for a position on MRYSL Board of Directors, 1 week prior to Board meeting in which they wish their nomination to be considered.

Process:
During the Board meeting following receipt of the written summary, the board will consider the nomination. The applicant should be prepared to answer questions and elaborate on his/her qualifications. Following this brief interview period, the Board will meet in closed session to consider the applicant and vote on whether to appoint the applicant to the Board. Voting results will be recorded in closed session meeting minutes and MRYSL President will contact the nominee(s) the following day with closed session decisions. The term of Board members appointed in this manner will begin at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.

Please note: If you are elected to serve on the board, you must be live-scanned (fingerprinted) or submit to the same background check to which our coaches and other volunteers are subjected. Arrests and criminal convictions either prior to or during your service on the board may result in your removal from the board.

MRYSL provides soccer programs for over 1,000 boys and girls, ranging in age from 4 to 18 years old. We draw our players primarily from northern and eastern Humboldt County, including Willow Creek and Hoopa. We are an affiliated league with CalNorth CYSA and US Club Soccer.

As an MRYSL Board Member, your responsibilities include:

1. Attending as many board meetings as possible. Meetings are currently held the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Missing three consecutive regular meetings may result in your removal from the board, unless you have sufficient excuses for missing the meetings.
2. Serving as a committee chair. This does not mean that you must or even should do all the work for which the committee is responsible. Instead, being the chair means to lead a committee to complete the task at hand, setting up monthly meetings, recruit volunteers if necessary, and report back to the Board every month.
3. Assisting with the league's On‐Site Registrations for our Spring, Competitive Fall, and Recreational programs, held during the first part of the year; help with the Redwood Classic tournament (competitive program) and the jamboree (recreational program) in August; and assist with the recreational program on Saturdays during the fall.
4. Helping make policy and adhere to the non‐profit mission of MRYSL, including reviewing annually MRYSL's conflict of interest policy.
5. Upholding the By‐Laws and rules of the league and those of CYSA and USYS.
6. Serving your term of two years (or until your term expires).
7. Representing the league in a positive light!

MRYSL is a non‐profit California corporation, and is a tax‐exempt charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Before board meeting:
All agenda items, all proposals, all materials for discussion items and all officer/committee reports are emailed to entire board. Board members can then review and email comments around to other directors.

At meeting:
Open Sessions: As a private non‐profit, MRYSL is not subject to the Brown Act or other open meetings laws. Nonetheless, with two exceptions, virtually all MRYSL board meetings, discussions, agendas and minutes are open to MRYSL members and to the general public. We customarily go into a "closed" or "executive" session to discuss: (1) personnel issues regarding a specific individual - hiring, performance review, pay raises, termination, etc. - this includes specific volunteers, too; and (2) litigation issues. Unless staff has a direct interest in the matter being discussed, staff is typically permitted to remain in closed sessions. Otherwise, only elected directors can be present in the closed session.

Action Items:
No action can be taken without a quorum; a quorum is 50% of the filled director seats. Any action item has to be "moved" and "seconded". Only directors can make motions or second motions. After motion is seconded, the directors discuss the motion. Customarily, staff and others present at the meeting are permitted to join in the discussion. After discussion, the motion is voted on, by directors only. Directors can vote yes, no or abstain. A "yes" vote by a majority of the directors present is required to pass the motion.

Discussion Items:
These are matters of which the board should be aware, but no board action is needed. We do not need a quorum to talk about discussion items, as long as no action is taken. Occasionally motions are made based on the discussion items, which customarily has been OK as long as the quorum and voting rules are followed. However, frequently motions based on a discussion item will be tabled until the next meeting, so that all the directors can have time to contemplate the motion.

Reports:
These are reports from the officers and the committee chairs (or designee), basically summarizing what's been going on the past month and if there are any issues of which the board should be aware. Reports should be submitted in writing, one week before the board meeting, so everyone can read them.

Good of The Game:
Any brief stories, items of interest, etc. that reflect on the positive side of youth soccer.

When we are discussing motions, reports, or other matters, please keep in mind these tips:

1. Before speaking, wait to be acknowledged by the chair.
2. Don't interrupt a speaker ‐‐ everyone should be given an uninterrupted period of time to state their opinion or position. (The chair may cut someone off in order to move things along)
3. Be brief and succinct - keep in mind that we often have a lot of ground to cover in our meetings, and we need to be sure that there's enough time to hear everyone who wants to be heard.
4. Respect Differing Opinions, Respect Each Other. This means:
   • focusing on "what" is right rather than "who" is right
   • no interruptions
   • listening with an open mind
   • don't take disagreements personally!