To The Barcelona California Soccer Community

This e-mail is an update on the current landscape for group sports activities applicable to Club Youth Soccer.

First and foremost, we reiterate being fully motivated and dedicated to continue the Barcelona California Competitive Youth Soccer Program in our local community when it is safe to do so, and upon approval from the several bodies of authority involved in this chain of approval.  

To resume our competitive youth soccer program, we will require a green light of approval from each and every one of the authorities listed below, and further conditioned on our ability to comply with the associated protocols, which will inevitably accompany such approvals.  

A red light indicates no participation is allowed. The mandated protocols will be issued at the time of approval. The various authorities including their current status are as follows:-

1.     State of California – Red

2.     Los Angeles County – Red

3.     Los Angeles Unified School District – Red

4.     City of Calabasas – Red

5.     Las Virgenes Unified School District – Red

6.     Barcelona California Board Approval - Red

Cal South is the State Association governing body for youth soccer participants in Southern California.  Registration is required for players, coaches and administrators for legal participation and insurance, which applies to both practices and games.  Without registration no insurance coverage exists for either practices, scrimmages or games.

As indicated earlier this year (during lock down) we made the decision to withhold player registration beginning April 1, 2020 (the start of the new year) until we received the necessary green light from the various authorities in this chain of command. 

We previously made our decision in the safety and financial interests of our soccer community given the uncertainty of the season due to COVID.  The key considerations involved in this decision have not changed and thus we continue to withhold registration in the financial and safety interests of our members.  We do not wish to collect monies only to have to refund, due to the inability for soccer to be played.  We will begin the registration of players once the above authorities give the green light to proceed and our evaluation of being able to satisfy the associated protocols.

Coast Soccer League (“CSL”) is the gaming circuit entity for all teams competing in CSL.  Barcelona California teams have to date always competed in CSL.   Based on an email received a few days ago, CSL is requiring all teams to register for this still uncertain season by Aug 31st.   This CSL deadline does not change our decision or decision-making process. 

We wish we had better news on this front, but unfortunately this is our reality.  If you are observing the professional leagues most are experiencing COVID issues, even with daily testing and participation in a controlled environment.  These recent developments will not help our decision-making authorities.

There is no doubt our program is vulnerable to both the COVID situation and the decision making authorities including the City of Calabasas and LVUSD who control the use of our leased facilities at AC Stelle, Calabasas High, Agoura High and any other LVUSD facilities.  LAUSD is key to many other clubs including venues for practices and games by many of our competing clubs.  LAUSD has indicated no group youth sports are permitted on LAUSD facilities in 2020.

The COVID situation is clearly fluid, dynamic and unprecedented in our lifetimes.  We ask for your trust, patience and cooperation as we continue to monitor and evaluate the permissions and other factors necessary for us to resume the Barcelona California Soccer Program.  As a community club we must and will continue to remain loyal to our home base (AC Stelle) and soccer community.

We appreciate your understanding and support during these difficult times.

Sincerely,  

Rui Guimarais

obo: Barcelona California Board of Director’s

A Communication From The Protest, Appeal, and Disciplinary Committee Dear Coaches, Club and League Administrators, and Team Managers, The Cal South PAD Committee realizes that people are doing their best to blaze a path forward in these unprecedented times. There has been a great deal of confusion up until now over which rules apply, and to whom they apply too. In one location, teams were practicing, and in another location, they were not. People had far more questions, than anyone had answers, but now the State has released clear guidelines for us all to follow, and follow them we must. To that end, the PAD Committee would like to share these updates. 1) Coaches Have and Will Continue To Be Suspended for Failing to Follow Return To Play Protocols PAD has suspended Coaches for not following the mandates of the State of California. There are Coaches that are in the middle of hearings. There are Coaches that are just receiving warning letters and phone calls for not following the RTP Protocols. Many more Coaches will be warned, and several of them, will end up getting suspended, as well, for failing to follow the RTP Protocols. These RTP Protocols are in place to protect the safety and well-being of all coaches, players and families. Coaches, above all else, wear your masks at practice. Administer temperature checks of every player before the start of practice. Have the players use plenty of sanitizer throughout practice.   2) No Insurance Coverage for Communicable Diseases Cal South PAD wants all Coaches, Club and League Administrators, and Team Managers to know the US Courts are starting to report the first set of cases for wrongful death lawsuits tied to COVID-19 and the number of lawsuits grows daily. As expected, the targets of these lawsuits are the people within organizations responsible for establishing the environment in which the virus was contracted. These lawsuits claim those responsible were either negligent or grossly negligent of providing a safe environment.  In terms we in soccer can understand, if you take part in a scrimmage/game/tournament, at which someone contracts the virus and it is determined that person died as a result of a failure to follow the established guidelines of the state. The hosts could be found negligent, and guilty, of that persons wrongful death. If you are supposed to wear masks and social distance and the event doesn’t follow those guidelines, the people that hosted that event can be considered negligent for not having planned an event that followed standard protocols for safe operation of that event. Be clear and understand that there is NO WAIVER that can protect a coach, team manager or club admin from being held personally liable in a case where their actions or inactions were found Negligent or Grossly Negligent. Moreover, there is NO INSURANCE, to either defend the case, nor to pay out a claim or settlement. A Coach in this situation would be completely on their own to defend the case and personally liable for any award that is made. There is NO INSURANCE that will cover communicable disease driven lawsuits. A coach may be found negligent or grossly negligent if it is determined that they weren’t following established protocols, and as a result, personally liable for damages. Please follow all the state and local government requirements as well as the Cal South’s return to play protocols in order to stay safe, protect the players and protect yourselves. 3) Recruitment During Pandemic Cal South Staff and Board Members have seen examples of content displayed on social media and club websites in which clubs are actively recruiting based on the premise that their club is practicing without restrictions, or playing games or tournaments, when another club cannot. Regardless of where your team or club is along the return to play spectrum, no club, team or coach should use the Pandemic as a tool against another club to bolster their organizations registration counts. Parents will do whatever parents will do. There is no need to make a bad situation worse by creating unnecessary drama. Please do not advertisement and/or induce players to join your club, on the basis of being able to practice, scrimmage or play when other teams cannot. *If any of these updates give you pause, they should. Let us be clear, the entirety of this content is informative. Nothing in this communication is meant to be a rule, policy, protocol or other. This communication is simply to inform our members of their potential liability, remind them of their accountability, and ask that everyone thoroughly contemplate the steps you and your organization are taking, or are not taking, to follow the guidelines and protocols of the State, County and Cal South. Following the protocols will get us all back to play faster than if we continue to have rogue coaches either advance past the stage their community is supposed to be in, or decide not to honor the protocols of the stage they are in.*

Dear Barcelona California Family,

We are all well informed regarding the rampant COVID-19 corona-virus, so our announcement of suspension of practices and games for the foreseeable future will not come as a surprise.  Yesterday we received official notification from LVUSD of field closures (see below) and prior to that Cal South also suspended all games and tournament play.

Our hearts and thoughts go out to the people who have been affected by this unprecedented event and we appreciate the healthcare workers, local communities, and governments around the world who are on the front line working to contain this

COVID-19 corona-virus.

This is also a message of love, hope and support to all our member families and friends.  We live in an unprecedented era as it turns out, who would have predicted events leading up to this moment, let alone what lies ahead.  Please be vigilant of your surroundings and pay close attention to potential danger and harmful situations where this virus could be lingering and posing a threat.  We wish you all the very best in these challenging times and will stay in touch with you on news regarding the Barcelona program as events unfold.  Hopefully, we can get back to regular activities sooner than later. We will be continuing to reevaluate, as more details are provided. .

A few thoughts on how to protect yourself and families from a professor of pathology:-

Sincerely,

Rui Guimarais

Barcelona California

Club President

Forming teams. 

Boys Ages 2009 and 2010.

Come join the fun.

Contact.   JR Lobo   818 599-9158

A.C Stelle, Mondays 4p-515p. 

Everyone Welcome.