New youth sports signup system bars established teams
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By David Pierini, Editor
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board rolled out a new central registration process for youth sports that was supposed to make sign-ups easy.
However, some coaches and program directors are upset because of rule changes that break up long-established teams.
The issue came to light at the Jan. 7 park board meeting when Charles Moses, executive director of Hospitality House Youth Development on Logan Avenue North, expressed surprise when his organization received a letter in December informing him of the change.
The new rules call for individual registration and bar the entry of pre-existing teams.
Moses said the rule change felt like an “eviction.”
“Hospitality House was founded in athletics 65 years ago before Minneapolis ever had a hand in providing (sports) to youth in the inter-city,” Moses said. “That our beautiful children will no longer be able to sign up and play (as) Hospitality House, frankly, is a slap in the face.”
A few park board commissioners acknowledged receiving feedback about the new system. Some feedback was positive, but some reflected Moses's view.
Commissioner Billy Menz said he heard from several disappointed coaches. He acknowledged the previous registration system was inefficient but said more voices needed to be involved in changing the system.
“We have to get better at involving communities impacted by the decisions we make,” said Menz, who represents the Northeast side of the city. “I want to make sure we’re open to that. Centralized registration is a necessity, but it doesn't need to be exclusive or hold people out.”
Under the new rules, a Youth Sports staff will review all registrations and create teams based on peoples’ preferred parks. Formed teams will be put into citywide leagues.
Park board officials say centralized registration will help families better plan schedules and reduce disparities in skill level that sometimes occurred when pre-existing teams were allowed.
Board Vice President Steffanie Musich said centralized registration had been largely well-received in her district.
“I’ve been hearing from families whose kids ended up not playing under our previous policy, and they’re excited to see that we’re putting something in place that will ensure that every kid who wants to play gets put on a team,” said Musich, who represents the city’s Southeast. “I’m hopeful that as we work through this first year, we can spot the pain points and find ways to address those.”
For more youth sports registration information, visit the MPRB website.