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| 2007 Annual Events Weekend Wrap-Up |
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 The 2007 Indiana Youth Soccer Annual Events Weekend was held Saturday January 13-14 at the Radisson Hotel, downtown Indianapolis. This year's event was held in conjunction with the NSCAA Annual Convention so that members could combine top-notch education opportunities with the Indiana Youth Soccer Annual Events Weekend.
2007 Annual Awards Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction
On Saturday evening, the events kicked off at the Radisson hotel, as Indiana Youth Soccer recognized outstanding leaders in youth soccer from across the state. With over 315 attendees, this year's Awards Dinner was an event shared by soccer friends and families from across the state. The Annual Awards Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction were sponsored by Pullen Insurance Services, Inc. Thank you to our sponsor!
The evening at the Radisson began with an informal reception hour from 6-7 PM where attendees could meet and greet soccer friends….while keeping one eye on the very exciting football game playing on the screen. Go Colts! Major League Soccer's the Chicago Fire hosted the reception event, giving away Fire hats, key chains, stickers, and backpacks. At the close of the reception, everyone filtered into the Meridian Ballroom for dinner and soccer fellowship. Indiana Youth Soccer Past President Dave Guthrie offered the invocation.
Indiana Youth Soccer Executive Director Don Rawson served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Annual Awards portion of the evening. Indiana Youth Soccer was honored to welcome US Youth Soccer President Larry Monaco as the guest speaker. Forty finalists and twelve winners were honored in eleven award categories. Both finalists and winners received an Indiana Youth Soccer Annual Award plaque and two free tickets to an upcoming regular season Chicago Fire MLS game, courtesy of the Chicago Fire.
Indiana Youth Soccer would like to thank the Chicago Fire organization for their generosity during the 2007 Annual Events Weekend. "The Chicago Fire was honored to attend the Indiana Youth Soccer awards dinner and is very excited to allow all of the Indiana Youth Soccer award winners a chance to attend a Chicago Fire home game for the 2007 season," said Patrick McNamara, Senior Account Executive with the Chicago Fire. "Without the help of numerous volunteers, coaches, administrators and referees, youth soccer in Indiana would not be where it is today and those award winners deserve some special rewards for their hard work."
The Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame Induction featured Hall of Fame member Roy Messer as Master of Ceremonies and George Brown as the guest speaker. The Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame inducted four new members and honored a Merit Award Winner for 2007. The Class of 2007 Hall of Fame Inductees included Angela Berry White, Jim Green, Tom Van Meter, and John McLachlan and the Merit Award went to Birch Bayh.
A detailed listing of all finalists, award winners and Hall of Fame Nominees can be found on the attachment below.
Throughout the evening, Indiana Youth Soccer kept all attendees on their toes with surprise gifts such as autographed copies of: The Kickin' Hoosiers: Jerry Yeagley and Championship Soccer at Indiana, courtesy of Indiana Youth Soccer and Coach Yeagley and three Chicago Fire gift packs with limited edition posters or autographed t-shirts, courtesy of the Chicago Fire. Event photography was provided by The Studio by Mark Rice.
2007 Annual Presidents' Breakfast
Sunday morning featured the 3rd Annual President's Breakfast in the Panorama Room on the 21st floor of the Radisson. The tasty breakfast buffet and tremendous view of the city helped everyone rise and shine by the 8:30 start time. Featured speakers included Pat McNamara of the Chicago Fire, Larry Monaco President of US Youth Soccer, and Dean Vinten, President of Indiana Youth Soccer.
During the presidents' breakfast McNamara discussed a possible future relationship with Indiana Youth Soccer and Larry Monaco spoke about the future of US Youth Soccer. Monaco related that he was impressed with the forward-thinking nature of Indiana Youth Soccer in regard to strategic planning and complimented the state organization for being among the forefront of those working to create a better environment in youth soccer.
Vinten spoke on strategic planning and proposed fee structure changes. A brief Q & A discussion session allowed member club presidents to ask questions about the future direction of Indiana Youth Soccer.
Two awards were presented at the Presidents' Breakfast including the Tournament of the Year and the Website of the Year. The winning clubs were recognized with a plaque. For more on 2007 award winners please see the attachment.
2007 Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting was prefaced with a carry-over of discussion items from the President's Breakfast. The AGM was called to order by 10:30 AM in the Meridian Ballroom West with over forty Indiana Youth Soccer clubs represented. Professional Registered Parliamentarian Dorothy Demarest presided over the meeting. Primary business included the approval of the proposed fee structure changes and elections for the Indiana Youth Soccer Board of Directors.
Newly elected Indiana Youth Soccer board members included: Patrick Callahan; Murray Clark, John Hiler and Alan Mills. Please see the separate article to read their bios and resumes.
Retiring board members included Dean Vinten, Dan Ax, Ted Sommer, and George Lund, Jr.. The directors' years of service and dedication were honored with a plaque detailing their contributions to the game. Outgoing President and board member Dean Vinten was honored with a standing ovation from the crowd for his exemplary service as President and Tournament & Cup Committee Coordinator.
The meeting concluded with Executive Director Don Rawson thanking the member organizations, board of directors and staff for their ongoing commitment to creating a better environment. Inner City Soccer Club, represented by Donahue Stewart, and Southern Indiana United, represented by Scott Klink, were the lucky winners of the surprise raffle for a set of small-sided goals, courtesy of Indiana Youth Soccer.
ISL Meeting
The Spring 2007 Indiana Soccer League organizational meeting was held Sunday at 10:00 AM in the Meridian Ballroom East. Led by ISL Commissioner Brian Southern, this meeting was a required event for all teams participating in the Spring 2007 Indiana Soccer League. Topics of discussion included team placements, scheduling, rosters, rule interpretation and code of conduct.
Board of Directors Meeting
The Indiana Youth Soccer board of directors met over lunch on Sunday afternoon to discuss the future of Indiana Youth Soccer and elect officers. The following officers were named: Murray Clark - President; John Hiler - Vice President, Tom Klein - Treasurer and Rick Weber - Secretary. Congratulations!
Indiana State Cup Bracket Draw
The final event on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM was the much-anticipated 2007 Indiana Youth Soccer State Cup Bracket Draw. The double-blind draw was coordinated by the Tournament & Cup Committee and conducted by audience participants. The final brackets can be viewed online at the Indiana Youth Soccer website.
The Indiana State Cup is part of the US Youth Soccer National Championship series for U13 to U19 age boys and girls teams. Only 16 teams ware accepted into each age group for State Cup play. Winners and select runners-up will qualify to be among the top boys and girls US Youth Soccer teams competing for regional titles in six age groups at the US Youth Soccer Region II Regional Championships.
NSCAA Convention
The Annual Events weekend ran in conjunction with the NSCAA convention. Hundreds of Indiana Youth Soccer members attended NSCAA sessions at the Convention Center. All participants were given access to the Exhibit Hall, the nation's largest soccer-specific trade show, to see the latest in soccer equipment, uniforms, and technology. Many clubs were able to directly meet with vendors to forge new long-term relationships.
Weekend Wrap-Up
What a wonderful weekend of events! Indiana Youth Soccer thanks everyone who participated in the 2007 Annual Event Weekend and congratulates the many finalists, award winners and Hall of Fame inductees. Thank you to everyone who works so diligently to create a better environment for youth soccer in our state.
See Attachment For More Details
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