Home Forums Long Island & Eastern New York Soccer Message Boards Roll Away The Stone Soccer News IT'S OFFICIAL: LIJSL CANCELS SPRING SEASON

From: Stephen Padaetz [mailto:stevep@lijsl.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2020 10:58 AM
To: Stephen Padaetz <stevep@lijsl.com>
Subject: Important League Update, Information Spring ’20 Season

Important League Update, Information Spring ’20 Season

Dear Club Presidents:

First, we wish to thank each of you on behalf of the League for your continued support in these most difficult times.

Following the recent series of roundtables with you, several Board discussions, consultation with the League’s accounting & auditing partner, and continued monitoring and assessment of our governing authorities’ decisions regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, please be advised of the following;
· LIJSL Spring ’20 season is officially canceled, effective immediately.
· Clubs will receive a 100% credit of their Spring ’20 League team fees.

Only when government authorities (federal, state, municipal), and respective governing bodies of our sport, concur upon healthy return to play, within appropriate protocols, will league related competitions and activities resume.

LIJSL has considered, by request of numerous clubs, a potential Late Spring/Summer modified ‘season’ (4-5 games) that could be organized. Again, the potential of which would be only if feasible and when it is deemed safe to return to play. Any details of which can be provided, when, the conditions allow this.

Please note that we will not communicate any of the above information to the general membership before noon tomorrow. This is in line with your discussions, requests during the roundtables.

These most difficult decisions, the first of their kind in the League’s proud 54-year history, is clearly surpassed by the sheer unprecedented times and challenges that we all face.

As our communities did in both 2001 and 2012, we must trust that we will find the necessary steps to move forward, together … and that it will be our passion both for our children, as well as our beautiful game, that can, once again, be a guiding light.

Should you have specific questions, concerns, please feel free to contact me.

On behalf of the LIJSL Board of Directors, League Staff;

Stay safe & healthy,
Steve Padaetz

I commend them for getting out in front of the situation, but this is a much easier decision than NYCSL and EDP. For the most part, LIJSL teams are town teams. They dont cost much and they arent "for-profit" enterprises. Consequently, paying back parents isnt all that difficult.

NYCSL, EDP, etc., have clubs that owe 4 figures to each parent. Much different decision making, which could bankrupt a few of these clubs. Can BWG, MO, Barca, SUSA, FURY, East Coast, SESA afford to refund parents their funds?

Not a chance. Owners of clubs have been taking care of themselves for 2 months. You will be lucky to recieve partial credits for next season. Reputations of clubs will become obvious after this crisis. Many will never recover.

Can they? YES, will they? Probably not. as you said "For Profit" in one of the biggest soccer cesspools in the country. They have been printing money for years lets see how they all respond.

So easy to talk ,many paid coaches have yearly contracts

That is a club obligation. It has nothing to do with parents being refunded. You do understand this basic, fundamental point, right? Man, there are some really financially/business illiterates.

Spot on with the previous comment. Nobody can take money for services not performed. Unless you specifically signed off on a contract which the majority has not. This is basic small claims court law. Is there a lawyer on this thread that can verify?

Yes, the person making these legal statements (me) is an attorney. The question is whether the club has mitigated its damages by providing Zoom training, etc. The bigger issue will arrive if and when the clubs actually train and play in the summer. It's not what the parents bargained for, but they did provide the service. The counter argument for some will be we signed Johnny up for summer camp and he cant attend the training sessions or game, or sent Jenny to grandma in Maine and he/she cant make new dates.

The clubs will also claim that the government stopped them from performing and but for that, they would have performed under the contract. I think that's a losing legal argument. A competent judge will rule they should have insured against this potential loss and the Petitioner (read parents) paid for a service, didnt receive it, and should be entitled to relief.

Notwithstanding the legal maneuvering, do the clubs have the $$ to refund parents? That's the million dollar question. I'd wager some do not, they spent the revenue for 19-20 on payroll, rent, the owners day to day personal expenses, etc.

Bingo. Clubs with good counsel should be ok, because they would have gone out and paid a few hundred bucks for business interruption insurance, or similar. However, it is clear - just look at USDA - that these clubs live paycheck to paycheck.

My daughter plays for a good town club who plays LIJSL. They are offering refund options. Credit, cash etc. It amounts to about 1/3rd - 1/2 of tuition which option your pick. I think its acceptable considering there are admin and other expenses. If your club isn't offering anything then it says alot about them.

Admin and other costs are not your problem and you should get back all if nothing was provided. It is amazing to me to understand how any of their or anyone's admin or other expenses fall on any customer. I will gladly change my position if you also share in their profits. WTF!!!

Do you folks have any clue as to the balance of money in the LIJSL or any club's bank account? No you don't, but you gladly hand over money to organizations that probably have more bucks in the bank than you do!!

Ronkonkoma sent out an e-mail this morning saying that they are going to give everyone 100% refunds.

That is not the case on non profits but maybe you meant in the vein of for profits.

Cash Refunds or are they giving a 100% credit?

The email said that for credit cards charged in the last 90 days they are going to put the money back on the card and everyone else will get checks.

do you have a copy of that email that you can post or send me??

Parents and Coaches,

We hope that all has been well for everyone in these tough times.

We have just received word that LIJSL is cancelling the spring season. There are just too many barriers and uncertainties for them to have anything close to a normal season at this point. As such, Ronkonkoma SC will be giving 100% refunds for any registration payments that were made over the winter to the club for the LIJSL spring season.

We will attempt to issue the refunds through the registration system back to the credit cards used to make the payments in the first place. However, for any payments made over 90 days ago we will likely have to write out a physical check instead. We will be working through this process over the next few days. If any parents had given cash or checks to their coaches for the registration payments, please contact your coaches for your refunds.

NYPL and EDP are still hoping to cobble together some sort of season that would be played sometime after Memorial Day Weekend and run through June and July. If and when those games are scheduled or cancelled we will review how the club is dealing with payments or refunds at that time.

Jason C Peck
Ronkonkoma SC President

Thank you for this. This email only talks about what the Ronkonkoma Club is doing and they are to be lauded. Now, what about the other clubs? BOTN has learned that the Oceanside SC is not giving back 100%, but are giving a 1/2 credit with a deadline to register by June 10 or lose their credit.

So, it seems that Mike O'Malley and the OUSC Board are totally screwing their parent membership. I guess after the clubbing OUSC took after screwing up the SESA club, and having to pay between 15k-20k to fix the stupidity of O'Malley's actions, and as someone posted in another thread where the parents will have to pay for his misdeeds have come true.

Congrats to the Ronkonkoma Club.

depends on how you look at 1/2 credit.
my club is giving 1/2 credit and it makes sense.
I paid $350 for fall and spring program. I am getting back 1/2 = $175.
my kid played in the fall so would not expect 100%
Now if you paid just for the spring program, that is a different story and you should get full credit.
This will not put the community clubs non-profits out of business, but it will make the "for-profits" suffer. WIll be interesting if everyone can report what their own club/organization is doing or saying.

Yeah, ronkonkoma collects separate fees for the fall and spring.

Sor for some clubs 1/2 back is fair and makes sense. Most travel at clubs is fall & spring combined.
Just need to determine that first before deciding if a club is being fair or not.

Fair enough.

I'm one of those parents who paid for fall and spring. When I registered my children through Sports Sign Up, formerly SI Play, I could have bought registration insurance to protect my fees because like most most clubs my club has a no refund policy in place. If you elect not to buy the insurance which is $4 or so, you must acknowledge you are declining the insurance and are aware of the no refund policy. What are your thoughts on this? Also and for the record, I'm not looking for a refund from my club. I'll be satisfied with a credit towards the next season so my fees for three kids will be half what they normally would be as the kids will eventually play again. I do, however, think that those aging out or those who just paid for the spring and may not/cannot play again should be granted refunds. I've told the Board of my club this is what they should do. Anyway, just my thoughts on the matter.

Register for what? Why would you open up registration for a season that you aren't even sure will happen? Is there something wrong with the membership of the OUSC that they have not gotten rid of the President and Board for what they already did wrong with SESA?

I absolutely love people like you who say "Town teams" like it's beneath you. You do get points for saying they don't cost much and aren't for profit
because that is true but I'll tell you, these are all reasons I loved coaching a small club's "town team" to a ENYYSA State Cup Championship, then winning 2 out of 3 games at Regionals which included beating the CT State Champs who at the time were ranked top 10 in the country.

People such as yourself that look down upon "Town Teams", that follow all the clowns with their accents and throw away all the money you do...... Maybe this will open your eyes some when you're hit in the pocketbook. I doubt it highly but maybe.