Welcome to the New Cal South!
FULLERTON, CA – On Tuesday, February 22, 2022, a vote by Affiliate Member League and Club representatives saw the overwhelming approval of recently proposed amendments to Cal South's Bylaws.
By a landslide vote of 240 "for" votes to a mere 7 "against" votes, the amended Bylaws are now official. With their approval, Cal South has essentially been provided with a mandate for continuing and expanding its efforts across all areas in revitalizing the organization.
This will mean a lot of positive changes to the way that Cal South operates, some immediate and some many more months in the making. It will mean increased concentration on customer service and new programs and features that will benefit our Members greatly. It will also mean a lot of hard work on the part of Cal South staffers and its Board to bring all of this change into play.
What do these Bylaws changes mean for our Members? Why were they necessary?
A VITAL CALL FOR CHANGE
Governing organizations in any sport are only able to serve their respective memberships well and efficiently when they listen to those members. Any system, no matter how successful, is always in need of improvement. Nothing is perfect. The organizations that are best able to maintain and grow their memberships are those that identify what needs to be improved. They keep their ear carefully to the ground and learn from their members what is or isn't working. Then they figure out how to fix what isn't.
Cal South has been listening.
Over the past nine months, Cal South has committed itself to listening hard to its members to find out what they expect and need from us. By collecting information through concentrated surveys and member communications, we have sought to turn around the registration downturn of the last couple years to bring about a new era of "Excellence in Soccer" in Cal South.
For 48 years now, Cal South has long proven itself as the standard bearer in youth and adult soccer both in Southern California and in the nation. From being at the forefront of coaching and referee education, to the ongoing success of our youth and adult teams on the regional and national stage, to the consistent placement of our Pro+ ODP players on national team pools… the long-running excellence of our many programs cannot be denied.
Recent changes, however, in the Southern California soccer landscape have greatly complicated the situation for our organization. Competitive programs have emerged, many clubs have left for what they presume to be greener fields, and the ongoing societal strains surrounding the pandemic crisis have not helped numbers at all either. On a corporate level, there has long been a logjam between the efforts of the Cal South staff and those of the Board of Directors. The results of all these factors has been an ever-increasing call for change within our organization.
Thanks to Tuesday's vote, that change is now underway…
RESTRUCTURING THE BOARD
With the approval vote for the new Bylaws, the immediate result is a restructuring of the Cal South Board of Directors into a smaller 7-person Board. The Nominations and Elections period that began in late December to fill more than a half dozen open Board positions was instantly negated and canceled upon the approval of the amended Bylaws. With the Board size reduced, this means a new 90-day Nominations and Elections must now begin to fill only two open Board positions.
On the new Board, the role of District Commissioner goes away, and old position titles (President, Vice-President of Youth, etc.) will no longer exist. Any Board Members still within their term will fully serve until their term completes in 2023. When the full 7-member Board of Directors meet for the first time following this election period, they will work together to determine who will fill the roles of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer for the year to come.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OUR MEMBERS?
The streamlining of the Board is not just cosmetic. The purpose of changing the Bylaws was to refocus the attention of the Board to business oversight and "bigger picture" concerns, while leaving the day-to-day operational aspects fully in the hands of the Cal South CEO and his staff.
The new Bylaws are expected to impact Cal South Members most positively in three very important areas: responsiveness, innovation, and grass roots.
THE BEST IS YET TO COME…
Soccer is our passion. We want kids to play it. We want adults to play it. And if you can't play it, we want everyone to be involved in it at some level. We think "the beautiful game" is just that… the most wonderful sport in the world!
And we also want to make it easier for everyone to have access to that sport. Sharper customer service and increased responsiveness are key in both developing greater relationships with our Members and in delivering what they ask of us.
Looking at the broader picture, whether it is creating more recreational opportunities, helping to create playing spaces and leagues in underserved communities, or starting innovative and exciting new competitive circuits like the Pacific Players League, Cal South wants everyone to be able to take part in soccer. And flourish in it.
There is so much yet to do, but we are now enabled to move forward in the strongest way possible. Welcome to the new Cal South!
To read the original article on our website: https://calsouth.com/welcome-to-the-new-cal-south/
FULLERTON, CA – On Tuesday, February 22, 2022, a vote by Affiliate Member League and Club representatives saw the overwhelming approval of recently proposed amendments to Cal South's Bylaws.
By a landslide vote of 240 "for" votes to a mere 7 "against" votes, the amended Bylaws are now official. With their approval, Cal South has essentially been provided with a mandate for continuing and expanding its efforts across all areas in revitalizing the organization.
This will mean a lot of positive changes to the way that Cal South operates, some immediate and some many more months in the making. It will mean increased concentration on customer service and new programs and features that will benefit our Members greatly. It will also mean a lot of hard work on the part of Cal South staffers and its Board to bring all of this change into play.
What do these Bylaws changes mean for our Members? Why were they necessary?
A VITAL CALL FOR CHANGE
Governing organizations in any sport are only able to serve their respective memberships well and efficiently when they listen to those members. Any system, no matter how successful, is always in need of improvement. Nothing is perfect. The organizations that are best able to maintain and grow their memberships are those that identify what needs to be improved. They keep their ear carefully to the ground and learn from their members what is or isn't working. Then they figure out how to fix what isn't.
Cal South has been listening.
Over the past nine months, Cal South has committed itself to listening hard to its members to find out what they expect and need from us. By collecting information through concentrated surveys and member communications, we have sought to turn around the registration downturn of the last couple years to bring about a new era of "Excellence in Soccer" in Cal South.
For 48 years now, Cal South has long proven itself as the standard bearer in youth and adult soccer both in Southern California and in the nation. From being at the forefront of coaching and referee education, to the ongoing success of our youth and adult teams on the regional and national stage, to the consistent placement of our Pro+ ODP players on national team pools… the long-running excellence of our many programs cannot be denied.
Recent changes, however, in the Southern California soccer landscape have greatly complicated the situation for our organization. Competitive programs have emerged, many clubs have left for what they presume to be greener fields, and the ongoing societal strains surrounding the pandemic crisis have not helped numbers at all either. On a corporate level, there has long been a logjam between the efforts of the Cal South staff and those of the Board of Directors. The results of all these factors has been an ever-increasing call for change within our organization.
Thanks to Tuesday's vote, that change is now underway…
RESTRUCTURING THE BOARD
With the approval vote for the new Bylaws, the immediate result is a restructuring of the Cal South Board of Directors into a smaller 7-person Board. The Nominations and Elections period that began in late December to fill more than a half dozen open Board positions was instantly negated and canceled upon the approval of the amended Bylaws. With the Board size reduced, this means a new 90-day Nominations and Elections must now begin to fill only two open Board positions.
On the new Board, the role of District Commissioner goes away, and old position titles (President, Vice-President of Youth, etc.) will no longer exist. Any Board Members still within their term will fully serve until their term completes in 2023. When the full 7-member Board of Directors meet for the first time following this election period, they will work together to determine who will fill the roles of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer for the year to come.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OUR MEMBERS?
The streamlining of the Board is not just cosmetic. The purpose of changing the Bylaws was to refocus the attention of the Board to business oversight and "bigger picture" concerns, while leaving the day-to-day operational aspects fully in the hands of the Cal South CEO and his staff.
The new Bylaws are expected to impact Cal South Members most positively in three very important areas: responsiveness, innovation, and grass roots.
THE BEST IS YET TO COME…
Soccer is our passion. We want kids to play it. We want adults to play it. And if you can't play it, we want everyone to be involved in it at some level. We think "the beautiful game" is just that… the most wonderful sport in the world!
And we also want to make it easier for everyone to have access to that sport. Sharper customer service and increased responsiveness are key in both developing greater relationships with our Members and in delivering what they ask of us.
Looking at the broader picture, whether it is creating more recreational opportunities, helping to create playing spaces and leagues in underserved communities, or starting innovative and exciting new competitive circuits like the Pacific Players League, Cal South wants everyone to be able to take part in soccer. And flourish in it.
There is so much yet to do, but we are now enabled to move forward in the strongest way possible. Welcome to the new Cal South!
To read the original article on our website: https://calsouth.com/welcome-to-the-new-cal-south/
