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The busy season for area youth soccer teams is fast-approaching and leaders of the Lakes United Futbol program are feeling some extra pressure, in addition to the usual rush of getting schedules aligned, registering athletes and seeing that fields are in shape. 

The April Lakes United Futbol Executive Board meeting was standing-room-only at Wyoming Library Community Room;  as 40 to 50 people told Board members they must tackle some serious concerns about how the program is being operated.  

Lakes United Futbol covers a majority of Chisago and the upper part of Washington counties and uses fields at Wyoming’s Goodview Park, Forest Lake Middle School and North Branch Middle School campus. Sessions are also held at Blaine Sports Center.  

It is under the umbrella organization of the Twin Cities Soccer League, which has dozens of member clubs.

The regular season for youth kicks-off May 23 and runs through July 18. Younger players have day camps in Forest Lake June 24-28.  The turmoil described by member families at the Executive Board session could not be coming at a worse time.

Tax forms filed by the non-profit organization for 2022, show revenues of $188,000 and expenditures at $163,000.

Audience members said requests for a full treasurer’s report have gone unfilled. The word is that there is no funding for program scholarships and some asked why.

Board members are being accused of exacting retribution on a recently ousted league program officer, by “expelling” her plus four  total players from two families, as well.  

Many who spoke at the meeting in the library said they were parents of youth soccer players, and two or three said they were there to observe.  After an awkward back and forth of asking to be allowed to speak and being denied by the program’s President Shannon Fleahman— Board officers running the meeting agreed to amend the agenda and add  the most pressing piece of business—reinstating the youngsters who had been rejected.

As a non-profit 501C3 organization,  the Lakes United Futbol Board has mostly a Board of operational members  overseen by a subcommittee of sorts, an “executive board” that makes decisions and takes action.  There were four members at this meeting, of 10 Board members reportedly possible.  Some questioned if the attendance met the definition of a quorum  to even hold the meeting.

It was explained how past personal confrontations, that nobody wanted to describe in detail,  were at the heart of ejecting the youth. 

The parent of a couple of the subject children was accused of harassing Fleahman.  The parent stated, however, that she was only advocating for others, and offered a copy of her emails.  The Board’s drastic response was excessive and did not adhere to league rules, the audience members alleged.

A Lakes United Futbol program parent, Trevor Danke, also stated the expulsion of two families occurred in violation of league rules and the first item of business should be the youth reinstated. Danke claimed nine teams were represented in the audience, of the Lakes United Futbol program’s 11.  He added that there are concerns about “transparency” related to recent decisions and lack of “due process,” and also asked for all the Board to resign and order a new election.  The executive board members were not in support of this course.

An affected parent, Mickelle Pohlman, stated the Board acted “extremely inappropriately to take it out on the children.”   Eliminating them from team rosters was “ludicrous and groundless.”  She said  adults can handle the situation, but children participants must be off limits. 

President Fleahman responded, “How do you remove (a parent) and not remove the kids?”

As an organization under the Twin Cities Soccer League, the executive board members were also hoping to update by-laws to comply with TCSL conditions and rules, they said. 

The parent-visitors were having none of that.  A number of parents would volunteer for a committee to re-write the by-laws, if the executive board agrees.  Those in the audience begged for establishing a committee and delaying this agenda item.

A recess was called by executive committee members and the room emptied. As the executive board talked amongst themselves for at least 20 minutes the audience milled about in the library foyer.  When the meeting reconvened the motion was made to reinstate the affected youths.

Other business still on the meeting agenda was continued to the following week, April 9.  It had taken over two hours to handle reversing the youth players’ expulsion and listen to complaints. 

But the continuation date was called off by an e-mail.  No new meeting date has yet been announced.

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