Fall Member Update

Members,

With 2020 fast approaching, we provide this update on items of interest for all Member Organizations.

 

At the fall meeting of the SSA Board of Directors a decision was made to extend the current Strategic Plan by one year to Dec. 31, 2021.   This decision will allow SSA to align our next Strategic Plan with those of Canada Soccer and Sask Sport who will also release new plans starting in 2022.

The Board also considered the budget and operational plans for SSA in 2020 & 2021 and a decision was made to continue to invest in growing the game initiatives over the next two years while the new strategic plan is being developed.

With declining registration being a reality in Saskatchewan and across Canada, the demands on SSA and the cost of conducting business continues to increase while total income is declining.   Strategic priority #17 prompts the Board to ensure "SSA has the financial and human capacity to meet the priorities of the plan".

 

With budget deficits projected in 2019, 20 & 21 changes had to be made to realign our fee structures to match the current expenses of operating soccer in Saskatchewan.

Moving forward, there will now be four separate categories of participation including Soccer, Futsal, Walking Soccer and Beach Soccer, with each having its own registration fees.

Recently, SSA received approval for the inclusion of Futsal in the 2022 Sask Winter Games. This presents a significant opportunity for growing registration in new communities. Promotion of Futsal, particularly in rural Saskatchewan, will be a focus in the next two years to ensure we have male and female youth teams from all regions of the province covering the nine Sask Sport Districts. Futsal fees have now been established which match our traditional fees for mini, youth and adult participants.

In addition in 2019, promotional projects for Walking Soccer and Beach Soccer were very well received. Walking Soccer will extend opportunities for our senior athletes and also attract many new participants who are looking for alternative ways to stay active. It can also be a bridge for our rural members to begin offering adult programming with the added potential to bring in new volunteers to support at the youth level. Beach Soccer is popular worldwide and our first pilot in Saskatoon was very well received. Fees have been set at promotional levels for these two categories while interest is established.  

SSA's last registration fee increase for outdoor came in 2012 and for indoor in 2014. During that time, cost of living has increased substantially. Due to strong financial management, we have not had to pass on those costs to the participants. However, with registration declining, we are no longer able to sustain this approach. As a result membership will see increased registration fees of $2/participant for Mini, Youth, and Adult in Indoor & Outdoor in 2020 and 2021.  

Fees and other amendments to Section Two - Members Rights and Responsibilities have been updated on the website. 

 

 

Declining registration trends direct us to adapt to the changing needs of our participants.  Changes is required to create an environment in which all participants can thrive while enjoying the game of soccer in its many forms at the level they choose.  In 2020 & 21, we will focus on Member development through the Club Licensing program and reward and recognize members, through MAP and other programming incentives, to achieve quality and safe soccer standards.

We will continue to offer and expand on many other growing the game initiatives including an expanded Rural Development Strategy, Indigenous and New Canadian engagement initiatives, and enhancements to our competitions including Soccer Days in Sask and more rural and northern activation through the Four Corner Championships and other initiatives.

In the coming months SSA will finalize roll out an enhanced website and soccer management system to serve members better.   We would like to express our appreciation once again to the MO Working Group which has facilitated the move to the RAMP Interactive soccer management system (RSMS).

Another high priority will be to create positive game time experiences for our referees and all participants. Changes to Member Education through Respect in Sport, and amendments to Formal Complaints and Discipline related policies will encourage a new atmosphere of respect while discouraging abuse of referees, players and organizers and misuse of social media.

The decisions and actions outlined herein are but a small sampling of steps which will allow SSA to continue to develop and deliver on a robust operational plan and staffing model to meet the needs of all members. They will allow us to invest in equipping our Members, Coaches, Referees and Organizers with the best tools possible to serve kids better, creating lifelong engagement in soccer.   In addition, they position SSA to enter our new Strategic Planning phase with a solid financial and organizational framework to work from. 

 

On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff, we thank you for your ongoing support.

 

In other news, we celebrate the many contributions of Jennifer Ellarma who has accepted a position with the Saskatchewan Science Centre as their Development Manager, her last day in the office will be October 30th.

Jen has contributed in many areas and her loss will be significant, however, we sincerely thank and applaud her for all that she has done to advance the SSA during her 5 years with us.  

Hiring details for this and the Administrative Assistant position will be released in the near future.

 

For further information regarding this announcement contact: d.pederson@sasksoccer.com