Registration crucial for strong return

Published in the January 31, 2018 edition

By JILLIAN STRING

LYNNFIELD — Parents and coaches of football and cheer rallied together Thursday evening for the first annual meeting of the Lynnfield Pioneer Youth Football and Cheer (LPYFC) organization.

“We want more involvement for parents and coaches, and are eager to move the program forward. Our goal is to have ultimate transparency,” President Steven Connolly stated at the start of the meeting.

LPYFC was created in October 2017 by current board members Connolly, Dave Capachietti (Vice President), Kim Brown (Secretary), Lauren George (Treasurer), and Rebecca Drzewiczewski (Director of Cheer) after two failed attempts to elect a new Board of Directors for Lynnfield Youth Football and Cheerleading (LYFC) in August 2017.

The original annual meeting held on August 7 was deemed invalid in a legal opinion by LYFC attorney Bradford Keene, due to how the meeting was advertised and how the actual ballots were cast. The subsequent meeting, held on August 30, became a media circus when a number of parents were denied entry due to a change in the LYFC bylaws excluding them as voting members of the organization. As a result of the emotional tensions and confusion of the evening, no vote was conducted.

The main objective of LPYFC’s annual meeting last Thursday was to elect the 2018 Board of Directors.

According to LPYFC bylaws, vote eligible members include, “Parents or guardians of registered Lynnfield Pioneer YFC participants (including, in 2018, parents or guardians of 2017 registered LYFC participants), volunteers over the age of 18 who serve Lynnfield Pioneer YFC in a specified role in the year for which they hold such a position, plus one consecutive year thereafter, and upon approval by a two-thirds vote of the BOD, and under such directions and regulations as may from time to time be provided by the BOD, any other person actively interested in furthering the objectives of Lynnfield Pioneer YFC.”

With 10 of the 11 positions running uncontested, ballots were only cast for the Director of Equipment position. Former Pioneer football captain Dan Tammaro won the title, running against Chris Shea and Andrew String. Other board members include Connolly (President), Capachietti (Vice President), Brown (Secretary), George (Treasurer), Jim Driscoll (Director of Football), Jill Chisholm (Director of Cheer), Drzewiczewski (Director of Communications), Lauren Hurton (Director of Fundraising), David Tracy (Director of Player Safety), and Michael Cuddy (Director of Fields and Facilities).

After the election of the board, George provided an overview of the organization’s finances to date. With a net income of $0 for 2017, the $1,830 in expenses were covered via interest-free loans held by board members. LPYFC’s 501(c)(3) status is still pending, so soliciting donations from businesses will have to wait. As a result, the new league is relying heavily on registration income to move forward.

“Registration will be opening in early February,” Brown noted.

“We are encouraging everyone to register early, and not wait until the last minute,” Connolly added.

Q&A segments at each meeting

The meeting concluded with a question and answer period. Connolly noted that each of the monthly board meetings will begin with a 15-minute question and answer segment where members can come to seek information or voice concerns.

The February board meeting has not yet been scheduled, however members may visit the organization’s website, lynnfieldpioneeryfc.com, for up-to-date information.

Early registration crucial

The atmosphere of the room was one of concern and confusion over the state of youth football and cheerleading going forward. One member asked, “Will there be two leagues going forward?”

Connolly replied, “Technically, there are two programs right now. Whoever meets the requirements for number of registrants will be the league for Lynnfield.”

According to the Cape Ann Youth Football League (CAYFL) bylaws, “Each program is required to have an A Team and a C Team. All other teams are optional…”

Another member inquired, “What if there isn’t enough money for equipment?” This brought the board back to the issue of early registration. Drezewiczewski urged coaches to reach out and let former players know that they will now be coaching under LPYFC.

When asked about communication with LYFC, Connolly stated, “I would love to have Wayne (Shaffer’s) guidance and insight.”

To date, there has been no communication between the two organizations.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Connolly encouraged members to reach out to the board with questions or concerns, and reminded everyone to visit the website, lynnfieldpioneeryfc.com, for information regarding registration and volunteer opportunities.