USSF GRIEVANCE DECISIONS

GRIEVANCE DECISION: COSMOPOLITAN JUNIOR SOCCER LEAGUE AND NEW YORK CLUB SOCCER LEAGUE V. EASTERN NEW YORK YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION

December 16, 2022 - Download (.pdf)

GRIEVANCE DECISION: CAROLINA VELOCITY FUTBOL CLUB, INC. V. NORTH CAROLINA YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION AND GOLDSBORO STRIKE EAGLES FC V. NORTH CAROLINA YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION

September 6, 2022 – Download (.pdf)

GRIEVANCE DECISION: COLORADO ELEVATION FC V. COLORADO SOCCER ASSOCIATION

January 9, 2020 – Download (.pdf)

GRIEVANCE DECISION: RAZOR CITY RENEGADES V. WYOMING YOUTH SOCCER

September 25, 2015 – Download (.pdf)

GRIEVANCE DECISION: J-HAWK SOCCER CLUB V. IOWA SOCCER ASSOCIATION

July 2, 2015 – Download (.pdf)

GRIEVANCE DECISION: U.S. CLUB SOCCER, ET AL V. USYSA, ET AL

February 2, 2010 - Download (.pdf)

GRIEVANCE SYNOPSIS: FARGO SOCCER CLUB V. NORTH DAKOTA YOUTH & MINNESOTA YOUTH

August 13, 2008 - Download (.pdf)

Fargo Soccer Club (“FSC”), the North Dakota Chapter of Soccer Association for Youth (“SAY”), filed a grievance alleging that North Dakota Youth Soccer Association (“NDYSA”) and Minnesota Youth Soccer Association (“MYSA”) violated USSF Bylaws and Policies by excluding its teams from leagues in North Dakota and Minnesota that allowed teams from other Organization Members to participate.

The appointed arbitrator upheld the grievance. He held that MYSA violated USSF Bylaw 603 by only reaching agreements with members of the United States Youth Soccer Association to allow teams from outside of MYSA to participate in its leagues. He also held that NDYSA and MYSA violated USSF Bylaws and Policies by allowing outside teams but not FSC teams to compete in the recreational league formed by clubs from both NDYSA and MYSA. He granted FSC the right to play in the recreational league in the fall of 2008 but not thereafter if only teams from the clubs that formed the league were allowed to participate. The arbitrator also granted FSC the right to play in MYSA leagues in the spring 2009 and thereafter, but only if MYSA allowed clubs that are not members of MYSA to participate in MYSA leagues. Lastly, he held that FSC must comply with all reasonable rules established for participation in the foregoing leagues.

NDYSA appealed the arbitrator’s decision to the USSF Board of Directors. The Board of Directors denied the appeal and upheld the arbitrator’s decision.

GRIEVANCE SYNOPSIS: NEW JERSEY SOCCER ASSOCIATION V. NEW JERSEY YOUTH SOCCER

January 23, 2006 - Download (.pdf)

New Jersey Soccer Association (“NJSA”) filed a grievance against New Jersey Youth Soccer (“NJYS”) alleging that NJYS violated USSF Policy 531-1, Section 4 by improperly establishing a State Referee Committee (“SRC”). Specifically, Complainant claimed that NJYS violated the Policy when they created a non-profit corporation called the USSF New Jersey State Referee Committee, Inc. Complainant further claimed that NJYS illegally and fraudulent transferred $170,000.00 into the new corporation without authorization from NJSA.

The appointed arbitrator denied the grievance. He held that USSF’s Bylaws and Policies did not address the formation of a corporation and therefore, NJYS could not have violated USSF Bylaws and Policies. Further, he held that the transfer of funds by NJYS and several individuals did not amount to fraudulent or unethical conduct.

GRIEVANCE SYNOPSIS: CENTERVILLE UNITED SOCCER ASSOCIATION V. OHIO SOUTH YOUTH

March 22, 2006 - Download (.pdf)

Centerville United Soccer Association (“CUSA”), a member of the Ohio South Youth Soccer Association (“OSYSA”), filed a grievance alleging that OSYSA violated USSF Bylaws and Polices by adopting a new rule that provided that member leagues or associates can only accept U10 and younger teams that have a majority of their players who live in the same OSYSA district as the district in which they register to play.

The appointed arbitrator denied the grievance. He held the new OSYSA rule was reasonable and rationally supportable and therefore, it did not violate USSF Bylaws and Policies.

CUSA appealed the arbitrator’s decision to the USSF Board of Directors. The Board of Directors denied the appeal and upheld the arbitrator’s decision.

GRIEVANCE SYNOPSIS: CHRISTIAN SOCCCER ASSOCATION v. FLORIDA YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION

January 16, 2003

Christian Soccer Association ("CSA"), a club in Florida, was affiliated with Soccer Association for Youth ("SAY"), which is a member of USSF. CSA wished to register some, but not all, of its teams with FYSA. FYSA rejected CSA's effort to register some of its teams with FYSA on the ground that it violated FYSA's "100% Rule," which states that 100% of all players in a club seeking affiliation must be registered with FYSA.

CSA filed a grievance against FYSA, alleging that FYSA's application of its rules violated USSF's Bylaw 603, relating to interplay. The Executive Committee of USSF appointed a grievance panel to hear CSA's grievance. The panel then made a recommendation to the USSF Board of Directors.

The Board, through its Executive Committee, granted CSA's grievance. The Board ruled that:

FYSA must provide and demonstrate a reasonable mechanism by which a portion of an organization can participate in FYSA activities. Should that portion of an organization meet FYSA's reasonable criteria for membership, FYSA must also provide a mechanism for that portion to become a member of FYSA. FYSA must publish its rules, make them accessible to prospective members and apply them consistently.

GRIEVANCE SYNOPSIS: ILLINOIS STATE SOCCER ASSOCIATION V. ILLINOIS YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION

November 19, 2002

ISSA, the adult State Association in Illinois, filed a grievance against IYSA, the youth State Association in Illinois, alleging that IYSA violated USSF bylaws and policies, USYS rules, and its own rules by registering adult soccer players. The Executive Committee of USSF appointed a grievance panel to hear ISSA's grievance. The panel then made a recommendation to the USSF Board of Directors and the Board adopted it.

The Board dismissed ISSA's grievance. Although the Board did not expressly find that IYSA had registered adult players, it held that such registration does not violate any existing USSF bylaw or policy as long as IYSA continues to meet its membership requirements as a youth State Association. The Board further found that it did not have jurisdiction over ISSA's claims that IYSA violated USYS and IYSA rules. The Board did, however, express concern regarding the effect registration of adult players by a youth State Association upon the organizational structure of soccer. It reasoned that such registration would call into question the definitions and goals of State Associations under which soccer in the United States has operated for many years.

GRIEVANCE SYNOPSIS: COLUMBIA BASIN SOCCER ACADEMY v. WSYSA

November 16, 2002

CBSA, a club located in the state of Washington, asked to join a local association that was part of Washington State Youth Soccer Association. CBSA wished to serve as a competitive club, but had not yet put together any teams. The local association rejected the request, stating that it already had a competitive club in its region, and that a second club would have a "detrimental impact" on the competitive club.

The USSF Board of Directors appointed a hearing panel to consider the grievance. The panel submitted a recommendation to the Board, and the Board adopted this recommendation. The Board ruled that the grievance must be denied, because CBSA had not yet put together teams or chosen players so that it could apply as a "club" for membership. The Board ruled that "unless and until CBSA puts together its teams, and subsequently is denied the opportunity to play within WSYSA, CBSA has nothing to grieve."

The hearing panel also stated, and the Board agreed, that once "CBSA has teams and players, WSYSA has an obligation to provide a mechanism for affiliation" and rejected "WSYSA's claim that a club can be turned away because it determines that there is no 'need' for the club in a certain area."

GRIEVANCE SYNOPSIS: BEYERS v. CYSA-NORTH

August 9, 2002

An athlete who lives within the CYSA-North region filed a grievance against CYSA-North challenging a CYSA-North rule that required U-6 to U-15 players to register with the league "closest to their residence." The athlete in question wished to be released from her local league for the new season so that she could play on a team in a neighboring town. The local league had previously released several other players, but refused this release request. The grievance charged that the CYSA-North rule as applied violated USSF Bylaw 213 and the Amateur Sports Act, which require that USSF and its affiliated state associations have "open" membership.

The USSF Board of Directors appointed a hearing panel to consider the grievance. The panel submitted a recommendation to the Board, and the Board found that CYSA-North had applied its rule on an inconsistent basis. The Board declared that "while it is permissible to use geographic regions for administrative purposes, players should be allowed, if they so desire, to move to whatever other organization or league that will take them." The Board directed CYSA-North to revise its rules accordingly.