In other years at this time, AYSO would be busy making final preparations for our National Annual General Meeting (NAGM) scheduled for early June 2020 this year. On Friday April 10, we convened a Special Meeting of the National Board of Directors to discuss that approaching event, given present circumstances. Specifically, the purpose was to consider the practicality of hosting the NAGM this year with your health and well-being in mind during these unprecedented times.
We evaluated both postponing the event to a later date as well as hosting a completely virtual version, but ultimately agreed that neither options could be planned and executed with a high degree of confidence at present. So, with the safety and peace of mind of our members as our top priority, we made the highly considered and difficult decision to postpone NAGM to 2021.
In practical terms this action pushes all ballot-related issues off for one year, specifically:
• Elections for the National Board and the National President will be postponed until NAGM 2021, extending the terms of all NBOD members, including the National President by one year.
• All National Bylaw and National Rules and Regulation amendment proposals submitted for NAGM 2020 will carry over and be considered at NAGM 2021.
• All approved nominees for the National Board and National President elections will automatically carry over to the NAGM 2021 election.
• New nominees and new proposals will also be accepted for NAGM 2021 through the usual process as spelled out in our National Bylaws.
Importantly, two additional forward-looking amendments to the Bylaws were approved, as noted below. These will allow us to incorporate the virtual participation aspect in the future, if necessary or if desired:
• National Bylaw 3.08 was amended to clarify and confirm the ability to hold an electronic annual meeting of members.
• National Bylaw 3.12 was amended to clarify and confirm that members attending the annual meeting virtually are considered as part of the quorum.
We appreciate your understanding in this difficult decision and your continued commitment to AYSO and our families. We know this is a challenging time; we are all in this together and look forward to working with you all to reengage our communities, our families and the beautiful game we love.
If you have any questions about the above decisions, do not hesitate to reach out to your Section Directors, Board Members, or the AYSO Office staff. We all work to support you and welcome your feedback.
Stay safe and well.
The AYSO National Board of Directors
