History and Facts About Urbandale Soccer
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Before I share more about the history in Urbandale, I would like to address the more immediate issue regarding MONEY, as that is what this whole youth soccer and parking fee proposal in Urbandale is about. I was told once when we formed the J-Hawk Soccer Club that we needed to be prepared for a battle because our low-cost, all-volunteer model amounted to a serious threat to what has become a big money youth soccer system in the Des Moines are. Those words have proven prophetic many times over. I hope that many of you will be as shocked as we originally were when you see all of the money involved. The J-Hawk Soccer Club is punching holes in the darkness. May light shine bright on this matter, because kids, and not adult paid coaches collectively making millions of dollars annually in the Des Moines are, should come first.
Approved Johnston Urbandale Soccer Club (JUSC) 2010 Coaching Proposal (click link)
JUSC Budget as of June 30, 2011
JUSC Nike Kick Back Proposal from 2010
JUSC 2013 For Profit IRS Filing
JUSC Budget as of June 30, 2015
Urbandale Soccer Club (USC) 2011 IRS 990 Filing Notice the difference between this filing regarding JUSC and insiders as compared to the later 2014 filings. It may take some time for these length documents to load on your computer or phone.
Urbandale Soccer Club (USC) 2014 IRS 990 Filing Check out the money going to paid and contract coaches for the recreational program.
USC 2014 Schedule R regarding JUSC - Referenced as a taxable partnership. Please also note that this schedule states that facilities are not shared with the related entity (JUSC). Notice how it states that there is no sharing of facilities between USC and JUSC on this schedule.
USC and Johnston Soccer Club 990 information from 2004-2009 (notice how much less was spent on employees as compared to what JUSC now spends - JUSC was formed in 2007)
Urbandale Sports Association (USA - Adult Softball) Financials from 2015 (check out the beer money)
Urbandale Sports Association (USA - Adult Softball) Financials from 2013 (check out the beer money)
J-Hawk Soccer Club 2015 Financials (Please note that we serve more children than JUSC, but our budget is approximately 1/20 of the JUSC budget and the City of Urbandale provides JUSC with prioritized use of city fields ahead of our club and is not planning to charge JUSC one dime for parking, but proposing to charge J-Hawk SC $80,000)
Urbandale Soccer Club (USC) was formed around 1978. For nearly twenty years, USC had no paid coaches and had low fees for area families. USC played on numerous city fields that it did not develop and in the case of Walker Johnston Park, the City of Urbandale even paid for the mowing and maintenance of the fields for several decades. During this time of emphasis on volunteer coaches and low fees, the club grew rapidly.
During the early 1990's, volunteers with USC worked with city officials and UGRA representatives regarding the development of the soccer and softball complex. To my knowledge, when the soccer complex was completed, USC had no paid coaches on staff. It may have had a coach on stipend (if that), but no coaches as full-time employees. Much has been made about USC developing the complex fields. Again, I compliment the VOLUNTEERS from over two decades ago for their work on the complex. However, IT HAS BEEN OVER TWO DECADES and the USC today is not the same as the USC at that time. Out of USC, JUSC, or J-Hawk SC, which organization has the most characteristics in common with the USC of the early 1990's? J-Hawk SC. Anyone arguing otherwise is disregarding history and the facts.
USC had one of the best select programs in the State of Iowa in the late 1990s. PARENTS WERE STILL INVOLVED AS SELECT COACHES! The teams would pay a certain amount to have a professional coach supplement the parent coaching, but the fees were not high, the paid coaching budget was small, and, again, parents were still coaching.
As time went on, the paid coaches worked to push the parent coaches out of the select soccer picture. Eventually, the number of paid coaches increased, along with their pay and the parents were effectively removed from select soccer coaching in Urbandale. Costs started to creep up and fewer Urbandale families decided to have their children play select soccer. The quality of USC select teams declined as parents were removed from the coaching picture.
At the same time the paid coaches were gaining more authority and pay, the cost of recreational soccer became more expensive, as recreational players subsidized the select teams with their paid coaches.
In 2007, the USC and Johnston Soccer Club boards formed JUSC, a combined select program, with almost no input from the parents in either club. (see the JUSC, LLC Articles of Organization) This agreement was initially for three years.
Regarding priority of field use, many of you may not know this, but for many years USC did not permit recreational teams to even have one practice at the Urbandale Soccer Complex. Instead, the city soccer fields were reserved exclusively for the select teams (who were, ironically, being subsidized by those who could not use the fields - as noted earlier). In the late summer of 2007, Jason Secaur and I worked to get recreational teams one practice per week at the complex. Jason should be thanked for his work on the board to achieve this task. (See the emails regarding fields and John "Shedzy" Sheridan's involvement to prevent recreational use here) During the April 2010 USC board meeting, it was also discuss that U10 parent/coaches should be kicked out of the club if they did not follow the policy to not have practices at the Soccer Complex. (see minutes from April, 2010 USC board meeting).
Throughout the time from paid coaches getting involved in the club to the present, USC made almost no capital improvements at the soccer complex. Original plans showed a concession stand and restrooms (see 1992 complex plans here). Instead of making such improvements, which both UGRA and Urbandale Little League made many times over, USC began hoarding cash.
I joined the board for a second time around 2008/09. When I asked if USC had enough money to put in fences at the ends of Fields 2 and 6, I learned (to my astonishment) that USC had over $330,000 in cash. As a board member I asked why we were charging so much for recreational players, when we had so much cash. The motion was passed to install the fences at the field. To date, the fences are the most significant capital improvement, to my knowledge, USC has made since the paid coaches came along. (see the quote I received from Des Moines Fence to put fences at the ends of Fields 2 and 6 at the complex here) An excuse is made that USC did not want to spend the money because of 1 year lease. Well, UGRA and Urbandale Little League had one year leases and they made improvements. Also, it is shared that USC raised fees in preparation for parking payments. Well, that was never discussed when I was on the board for two terms. Show us those minutes USC!!! Please don't make excuses for why you overcharged community members.
On multiple occasions, as a board member for USC, I attempted for USC to approve for older recreational teams to get 2 practices per week at the complex (select teams get 2-3). Both times the USC board rejected these proposals. (USC Board Minutes denying recreational use)(Second USC meeting minutes where USC denied additional recreational team practices)
In 2009 I started asking questions about club breakdowns of players who participated in JUSC, as well as encouraged for the USC to have USC specific select teams and to get input from parents prior to extension of the 3 year JUSC agreement, which was originally adopted in 2007 with almost no parent input. (see an email I sent to the USC board regarding JUSC which includes a breakdown of JUSC players by community, NOTICE THAT ONLY 37% are from the city of Urbandale, an even smaller percent are from USC). Despite this encouragement, in 2009, USC approved a 10 year extension of the JUSC agreement with Johnston Soccer Club without getting input from USC's own parents. I raised concerns at the board meeting and pleaded for USC to get input from parents, but others on the board replied that many of the parents have young children and those parents are "ignorant" about JUSC, so their input is not particularly valuable. (USC minutes from ten year extension of JUSC in August 2009 without parent input and calling some parents "ignorant") A ten year JUSC extension was approved with ZERO input from members. It is interesting to note that he JUSC 10 year agreement between USC and Johnston Soccer Club states, in pertinent part: "7. The JUSC shall be operated as a separate entity, however their respective Board of Directors shall appoint their Board of Directors from the membership of each participating club. The fees and charges within JUSC and all associated expenses shall be borne by their memberships. The CLUBS shall not contribute financially towards this endeavor." It sure appears through tax filings and other financial documents, as well as use of city fields in Urbandale that USC and JUSC only operate separately when it is a benefit to JUSC. (see the 10 year agreement here, do any of you remember hearing about this extension in USC are being asked for input????)
In 2009-10 a 16% pay increase was approved for six paid coaches (pay plan here). The approved compensation and benefit plan was for approximately $317,000. Not bad for a part time job. This amount was split between USC, JUSC, and Johnston Soccer Club. As a USC board member, I raised concerns about USC paying $40,000 toward these paid coaches, because I did not believe that the work of the coaches for the recreational teams called for that level of pay (e.g., a couple of coaching clinics, some emails, and some Extra Kicks Sessions, etc.). When I suggested that the board had a fiduciary duty to track the hours of the paid coaches to justify the $40,000 contribution from USC, I was told that I was "micromanaging." I shared my concern of potential private inurement of benefits due to overpayment of employees and my concern that this could jeopardize USC tax-exempt status, again, to no avail. I should note that USC's 2014 IRS 990 form shows approximately $60,000 going to paid coaches.
In 2010, due to my fiduciary duties as a USC board member, I raised concerns about a USC board member and the spouse of a USC board member both receiving compensation from the club, which violated USC's bylaws. (See "prohibited activities" on USC's bylaws, attached). Before raising my concern at a board meeting about the mowing contract that the former USC president received, I contacted him directly and gave him the opportunity to change course. (see email communications with former USC board president). Following are the documents that USC used to justify the granting of a mowing contract to the club's president. (mowing matrix)(contract explanation) I should also note that the president had been hand-delivered an unsealed bid from another board member, who was unaware that the president had helped to form an LLC, which was submitting a bid. I was subsequently criticized at a USC board meeting for daring to question the acts of those individuals who were receiving compensation in violation of the USC bylaws.
In 2010, I submitted two Level 2 (select) teams to USC for registration. Parents were coaching these teams. USC did not have a policy at the time. USC was forced to permit our teams to register as Level 2 teams in the Greater Des Moines Junior Soccer League. At the July 2010 meeting we were widely criticized for daring to form parent coached select teams. At that meeting the mowing contract to the club's president was also discussed (as alluded to above), and the board again denied a request for recreational teams to practice 2 times per week at the massive Urbandale Soccer Complex. (see minutes from USC's July 2010 meeting). Within one month, USC adopted a new policy that prohibited parents from coaching Level 2 teams. (see the USC policy restricting parent coaches attached) Families had the choice of paying the big money for children to play for JUSC, playing recreational, or going to another club.
This despicable act of actually adopting a new policy to prevent parents from coaching their own children within the USC, was what led to my resignation from the USC board and the formation of the J-Hawk Soccer Club. (Carver resignation from USC board)(Impetus for formation of J-Hawk Soccer Club)
To the J-Hawk Soccer Club's dismay (after having done all of the hard work to form a 501c(3) youth soccer club, the Iowa Soccer Association, whose motto is "Let the Kids Play!", refused to affiliate the J-Hawk Soccer Club, despite clear guidance to the contrary in the United States Soccer Federation's Columbia Basin Grievance Decision.The Iowa Soccer Association continued to refuse to affiliate our club until we raised the $3,900 to file the grievance with the United States Soccer Federation, which grievance we won during the summer of 2015. The attorney for the Iowa Soccer Association was from the same large law firm in Des Moines that formed JUSC, continued to represent JUSC, and had sent me two "cease and desist" letters relating to comments I made about JUSC publicly. In the pre-hearing brief for the Iowa Soccer Association, its attorney stated, in part, that the "J-Hawk Soccer Club should suffer the consequences of its decisions." (See Page 14 of ISA Pre-hearing Brief stating J-Hawk should "suffer the consequences" here) Pretty disturbing language concerning an all-volunteer, low-cost youth soccer club. (see J-Hawk SC reply to ISA brief here) Furthermore, at the grievance hearing, there were three USC representatives who testified against J-Hawk SC's affiliation with ISA. These representatives included two former presidents of USC and another club employee. The USC representatives said J-Hawk SC was bad for Urbandale.
Bad for Urbandale?! Let's see. USC now allows parents to coach Level 2 teams. Check. USC now allows older teams to have more practices on complex fields. Check. USC is stating in recent posts that it has grown since J-Hawk SC formed. If that is true, and we had 425 players last fall, then there are 425 additional kids playing soccer in Urbandale. Check. USC charged $60 for U6 with a $25 late fee prior to J-Hawk SC. J-Hawk SC has always charged $30 with a $5 late fee for U6. USC just announced a fee of $25 with a $5 late fee for U6 for the fall. Check. No USC, J-Hawk SC has not been bad for Urbandale. It has been bad for USC and JUSC's bank accounts, but not Urbandale. Fortunately, the arbitrator, who was from a Minneapolis area law firm, agreed with J-Hawk SC that the existence of two clubs in Urbandale had actually been a good thing. The J-Hawk Soccer Club became the first soccer club in the United States in 7 years to win a grievance decision against a state soccer association. (See the USSF Award to J-Hawk SC here) As such, J-Hawk SC was finally admitted into the Iowa Soccer Association and Greater Des Moines Junior Soccer League in the summer of 2015.
Beyond achieving affiliation from the Iowa Soccer Association, the J-Hawk Soccer Club's biggest challenge has been receiving adequate field space from the City of Urbandale. In the late winter of 2012, when the J-Hawk Soccer Club only had about 180 players, the Parks and Rec. Commission UNANIMOUSLY recommended that J-Hawk SC should receive exclusive use of both Upper and Lower Walker Johnston Park Fields. However, Urbandale Soccer Club's long-term president and a member of the Urbandale City Council, Ron Pogge, had other plans. (In addition to serving as a director and President of USC for many years, the J-Hawk SC additionally learned that Mr. Pogge continued to serve as the Registered Agent for USC until this position was uncovered in the spring of 2016. In fact, Councilman Pogge's name is on every filing USC has with the Iowa Secretary of State from 1993 to 2016.)(see Pogge documents here). In 2012, Mr. Pogge seconded a motion that did not grant J-Hawk SC exclusive use of both Walker Johnston Fields as unanimously recommended by the Parks and Rec. Commission, but significantly restricted J-Hawk SC's access to the fields. (see minutes from February, 2012 Urbandale City Council Meeting here, with Pogge second) A year later, in 2013, J-Hawk SC had grown to over 300 players. The City decided to get the City staff involved in the recommendation and that recommendation was for J-Hawk SC to receive all of Lower Walker, and nearly all of Upper Walker Johnston, with the exception of sharing part of Upper Walker Johnston on Saturdays with USC. USC representative/Councilman Pogge again intervened and made the motion himself to further restrict J-Hawk SC's access to the Upper Field, by permitting USC to get exclusive use to Upper Walker on Tuesday nights (a prime practice night). Pursuant to Mr. Pogge's motion, J-Hawk SC also had to do all of the mowing and painting of both fields, to include USC's fields, without any compensation from USC. (see minutes from the August, 2013 Urbandale City Council Meeting here, with the Pogge motion). Again, do no forget that Mr. Pogge was the long-time president of USC, reportedly cosigned on a loan for USC in the 1990s, and was the long-time registered agent of USC, until 2016. (see USC/Pogge Secretary of State Filings here, from 1993 until 2016 - 23 years).
In January of 2016, without any due diligence (such as player numbers or field utilization information from the clubs) the City of Urbandale recommended status quo on the field leases for another ten years. There was additionally a recommendation for J-Hawk SC to pay $80,000 for parking at Walker Johnston Park, which parking had been completed and paid for years previously. The $80,000 from J-Hawk SC would come off of a previously agreed upon amount of $160,000 that Urbandale Sports Association (the adult softball group at Walker Johnston) said it would pay. USA has revenue of over $300,000 and net beer sales of around $50,000 annually. UGRA (which is an outstanding volunteer organization) and USC would also have to pay $80,000 each for new parking at the soccer and softball complex.
After a starting position of status quo on leases with an $80,000 bill in January, 2016, the City wanted the J-Hawk Soccer Club to get together with the USC to try to come to a compromise. As one might imagine, after three meetings between J-Hawk SC and USC, USC had no interest in compromising, and even stated at the beginning of the second meeting that: "We are not here to negotiate." Since the City started out with status quo, USC had no motivation to compromise. At the May 2016 Park & Rec. Commission meeting, approximately 40 players from J-Hawk SC showed up in uniform, along with another 30-35 parents. J-Hawk SC supported also sent nearly 40 emails to the Commission, which is unheard of in city politics. However, it was clear from the discussion at the meeting that the decision had been made before the meeting began, at least those leading the meeting and a majority of the Commission had their minds made up. The Commission had no discussion of J-Hawk SC's reasonable proposal of both Walker Johnston fields and only 1 U12 field at the Soccer Complex. J-Hawk Soccer Club's field proposal requests only 30% of the soccer field space, while J-Hawk has over 40% of the volunteer coached players between the two clubs, and over 30% of the players, even when USC includes, JUSC, and Sporting Iowa players. The Park and Rec. Commission used NO CRITERIA to determine field allocation. The Commission gave NO RATIONALE as to why J-Hawk SC, USC, USA, and UGRA would each may the same amount for parking ($80,000), when the allocation of space and availability to revenue was so different between the groups. (Perhaps the City of Urbandale will build a concession stand for J-Hawk SC, just as it did for adult softball - that would help with revenue). At the end of the evening, the Park and Recreation Commission recommended 10 year leases (effectively) in which USC would get 80 % of the field space in Urbandale (the entire soccer complex) and J-Hawk Soccer Club would get 20% of the space. Interestingly, each clubs would pay the same amount toward parking - $80,000. JUSC, the for profit entity with $600,000 in revenue and $400,000 in paid staff would pay $0 for parking.
So, the Park and Recreation Commission wishes to shut our low-cost, all-volunteer group out of the complex for 10 years. Do you really believe that a majority of the USC volunteers from the early 1990's would prefer for a select club with $600,000 in revenue and $400,000 in employees, along with nearly 80% of its members originating from clubs other than USC, and with over 60% of its membership from outside of Urbandale, to use the complex fields before an all-volunteer, low-cost club from Urbandale?! We are confident the answer to that question is NO.
Sadly, the J-Hawk SC has faced many more challenges than what I have shared above. Over the years we have had our soccer nets cut down on two occasions (on both occasions we made police reports). I recently received a warning that we needed to look out because someone could get "hurt" if the Facebook discussion continued. I was not concerned that that individual would harm anyone, but that he was worried about other adults. Finally, someone recently put both a razor blade and screw in the same wheel of my car on the night after I was on KCCI regarding this matter, when my car was parked in front of my house.
I hope you share the facts and what is going on in Urbandale with others. Matt Carver, President, J-Hawk Soccer Club
