Over 50 per cent of the Airdrie & District Soccer Association (ADSA) members voted in favour of non confidence last night, but the board remains in place as they needed 75 per cent of the vote to officially be removed.
Prior to the vote taking place, one director decided to step down on their own accord.
“Having more than 50 per cent of the vote, I think that spoke volumes,'' said Kris Hanson, a coach and parent of a player. “So I'm hoping that the board will change and actually help move the club forward. But if not then you know what we have to do, we have to get 75 per cent of the vote and we got to figure out how to do that.”
Hanson said 266 members attended the meeting, which was moved to down to the soccer field by Genesis Place. Of those members, 138 voted yes, 122 voted no, three ballots were spoiled, and three members didn’t vote.
ADSA did not respond to a request for comment about the meeting or the director stepping down.
There will be open spots for new directors at the AGM coming up this spring, Hanson added.
He hopes some changes will take place before the AGM and added they needed to continue to fight for their kids.
Members of the ADSA are angry with a lack of accountability and transparency of the current soccer executive.
Volunteer members of ADSA obtained the necessary signatures on a petition starting in early January to call for a special meeting on Feb. 12.
The petition campaign launched due to members of the ADSA stating the board ignored multiple concerns, issues, and irregularities that were raised during a town hall meeting in November of last year.
“The biggest issues would be lack of communication and lack of transparency,” Hanson said. “And the way they treat their staff and volunteers.”
Fiscal mismanagement was another concern Hanson addressed, stating the board only posts unaudited financials.
Hanson said a new board would look at doing audits on previous years to see where the money went.
He added there were also conflicts of interest including the president and his wife both holding director positions on the board, as well as the vice president/former president sitting on the board with immediate family employed by the organization.
“I am a parent of a player but I'm also a coach, and the way that this current board handled the removal of the executive director without cause or without reason, and subsequently had the director of coaching resign his position, [left] coaches kind of to themselves with nobody to direct them,” he said. “Change is needed.”
The ADSA currently has just under 1,000 members in the indoor season, not including outdoor soccer players. The association provides soccer activities for kids starting at age three all the way into adulthood.
“What we want is to have an organization that's primarily centered on providing opportunity to Airdrie kids and ensuring that they have fun and are safe both on and off the field,” Hanson said. “It's about loving soccer.”
He added that the league has lost full club teams and qualified coaches to the Calgary Minor Soccer Association (CMSA) due to the board's mismanagement.
“We're hoping to not just put a bandaid on things and actually listen to the concerns of parents, the questions that they're having regarding fiscal management, player safety, the treatment and training of coaches and players,” Hanson said.
More details will be shared if ADSA provides comment.
