Section Director

Purpose

The AYSO volunteer position of Section Director is intended to be responsible for the general welfare, growth, and administration within the Section. All Section Director actions shall support and be in compliance with AYSO’s philosophies at all times.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

The Section Director is expected to:

1. Report to the National Board of Directors;

2. Ensure that all Area Director candidates within the Section are nominated through the appropriate process, and initiate a recommendation to the Board in the form of a

Section Director appointment request;

3. Provide and deliver a thorough orientation session to each new Area Director;

4. Organize and maintain a staff to assure adequate support and services to the Areas in the Section. At a minimum, this staff will include a Section Coach Administrator, Section Management Administrator and a Section Referee Administrator whose appointments will be subject to review by the National Coach, National Management Administrator or the National Referee Administrator respectively. These administrators will report to their respective directors;

5. Be the official spokesperson of the Section in regard to AYSO matters that relate directly to the operation of the Section. The Coach and Referee Administrators shall be the official spokespersons with regard to the coaching and refereeing programs, respectively;

6. Refrain from holding dual positions, particularly coaching or refereeing. If a Section Director chooses to hold such a position, he/she must exercise great caution in order not to create a conflict of interest or prevent him/her from performing the duties of Section Director. Holding dual positions creates perceived conflict;

7. Identify and recruit sufficient instructors to support the training needs of the Section, in conjunction with the efforts of the Coaching and Refereeing Administrators;

8. Be informed about the performance of each Area within the Section;

9. Proactively seek information on the performance of and conditions within Areas and Regions. When these are not in compliance with AYSO National Rules & Regulations, Bylaws, Policy, or the FIFA Laws of the Game, the Section Director has the authority and responsibility to correct them. In the event the Section Director is unable to achieve the required results, he/she shall seek appropriate action by the National Board of Directors;

10. Develop, monitor, and pursue annual Section goals and objectives;

11. Attend and participate in joint meetings with the National Board of Directors (NBOD) when scheduled (usually in January and at other times of the year as designated);

12. Assist the AYSO National Office (as requested) with coordination/staffing of and presiding over the annual Section Conferences, to which all Section, Area, and Regional staff shall be invited and encouraged to attend;

13. Call and preside over staff/planning meetings as needed;

14. Attend and participate in the National Annual General Meeting (NAGM);

15. Serve as an active member of the nominating commission in accordance with the AYSO National Bylaws;

16. Communicate regularly with Section staff and all Area Directors to plan Section activities, discuss/review problems and concerns, and to keep them apprised of National and Section programs;

17. Visit each Area at least once a year, if possible;

18. Provide written reports to the NBOD upon request (usually prior to each NBOD meeting) on the activities and concerns of the Section;

19. Request periodic written reports from Area Directors;

20. Prepare and distribute annual calendar of Section and Area activities including clinics, events, playoffs, meetings, and training dates;

21. Handle fact-finding, dispute research, and dispute resolution as required;

22. Section staffs should work closely to develop plans based on the AYSO Strategic Plan and any Section-specific goals;

23. Develop a timeline for these plans and identify the cost ofr each past of the overall plan;

24. Items that support the AYSO Mission and Strategic Plan at the Section level should be included in the Operating Budget proposal, although funds are limited, so there

is no guarantee that all items will be covered;

25. Do not assume that this year’s Operating Budget will be in effect for next year;

26. Develop plans for Discetionary Budgets in order to pay for items not covered in the Operating Budget. Discretionary bank accounts must in on the National Accounting Program.

27. Follow the financial guidelines of the organization;

28. Work with the Membership Department at the AYSO National Office, support, and implement development (growth) efforts within the Section in accordance with established procedures;

29. Support orderly expansion of the program through growth of existing Regions and the establishment of new Areas (as needed)/new Regions, and the promotion of AYSO in underdeveloped portions of the Section;

30. Review area guidelines for consistency with bylaws, rules, regulations, policies, and philosophies of AYSO and seek guidance from the National Board of Directors, Executive Director, National Coach, National Management Administrator and National Referee Administrator for clarification on matters of interpretation;

31. Provide training and on-going support to area level staff;

32. Encourage regular two-way communication between Section Director and Area Directors;

33. Explain and support the purpose and plans of the NBOD to the Area Directors, Regional Commissioners, other volunteers, and public within the Area;

34. Ensure that those associated with Inter-Area play and Section playoffs (staff, officials, etc.) are precluded from coaching or being involved with a team;

35. Ensure Section playoffs are self funded and not supported by National funds;

36. Administer Section playoffs, if held, or appoint an individual;

37. Submit for review and approval rules and regulations relating to the conduct, play, and scheduling of soccer games within the Section. They may be submitted in writing to the National Executive Director who will direct, as he/she sees fit, the proposals to the board or appropriate departments for review and comment. The Section Director will be notified of approval and/or concerns prior to finalization;

38. Understand these Section rules and regulations may be amended (in which case they must be reviewed again) or repealed by a majority vote of The Regional Commissioners, Area Directors, and the Section Director, when voting as a body. Each member of said body shall be entitled to one vote per ballot;

39. Review Regional Guidelines (after review by Area Directors) to ensure compliance with National Rules and Regulations, Bylaws, AYSO policies, and FIFA Laws of the Game;

40. Review tournament applications for proper compliance, and review concerns with the appropriate parties. Submit signed copy to the National Support & Training Center’s Events Department for approval; and

41. Create Inter-Area programs and the rules of their operation.

Qualifications and Desired Skills

To be considered for the position of Section Director, the applicant should:

1. Annually submit an AYSO Volunteer Application form;

2. Pass the AYSO screening and background check;

3. Have extensive experience in AYSO, preferably as a Regional Commissioner and Area Director;

4. Be organized;

5. Have good communication skills;

6. Have good administrative abilities; and

7. Successfully pass a screening, including a background check.

Supervision Protocols

While performing as the Section Director, the volunteer is:

1. Subject to the bylaws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and guidelines of AYSO;

2. Under the overall authority of and directly supervised by the National Board of Directors; and

3. To maintain the recommended adult to child supervision ratio of 1:8 or less; that is one adult for every eight or fewer children and two adults (one of whom may be the coach and one of whom should be of the same gender as the group) present at all times. For the protection of both the children and the volunteer, no volunteer should permit himself or herself to be alone with any child or group of children (except his or her own) during AYSO-sponsored activities.