PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Youth Soccer Club is resuming its spring league after a two-week postponement.
The youth organization stopped the season March 17 after the parents of a boy playing on the under-14 level insisted he be allowed to play on a U14 all-girls team when the U14 boys program was canceled because of a lack of players.
Andrew May’s and Carmen Czachor’s oldest son, Spencer May, started practicing on a U14 girls team that practiced at Stevens Middle School, where Spencer attends.
League officials shut down that team’s practice — and a few days later stopped the entire spring season.
The organization sent out a seven-sentence statement by e-mail at 7 p.m. Monday announcing that the spring program has been restarted with no changes.
“Following a careful review of all of the circumstances leading up to the suspension of play, the club is reassured that it has not acted unlawfully or in a discriminatory manner in declining to offer coed play among older-age groups and in refusing to allow a boy to play on an all-girls team,” the statement signed by club president Darin Reidel said.
At the same time, Reidel sent a 15-sentence e-mail message to May and Czachor telling them of the club’s decision and the grievance procedures required of them if they had further concerns.
The parents are required to write toto the club of their complaint, and the organization will forward their statement to the Olympic Youth Soccer Association, the state organization governing the sport.
“Your concerns will receive a timely review and response,” Reidel wrote in the e-mail.
The president also advised the couple not to attend any U14 girls practices and not to disrupt any Port Angeles Youth Soccer Club games.
“Any such disruptions will not be productive for any of us,” Reidel wrote.
May, however, said he plans to take Spencer to the U14 girls practice at Stevens today.
“We will see what will happen on the field,” May said.
Spencer is officially registered with the club and should be allowed to play on a U14 team, even if it’s an all-girls squad, May said.
“They are going against their own mission statement and bylaws by not allowing coed teams,” he said.
Until last year, PAYSC allowed coed teams at all age levels.
May and Czachor have a younger son who plays on an all-boys team.
“We’re OK with that,” May said. “We just think all kids should be allowed to play.”
State law
May said he believes a new state law, SB 5967, backs up their position.
The law does not allow discrimination in youth sports, he said.
According to May, he and Czachor probably will write the letter to the club to be forwarded to the state organization.
“But why can’t we write directly to the state organization, and how do we know they will act in a timely fashion,” he said.
May said the couple will probably go to the city of Port Angeles and Clallam County to see how government officials feel about PAYSC alledgedly not following state discrimination law.
May, who writes a weekly garden column for the Peninsula Daily News, and Czachor also are considering going to the Secretary of State’s Office about the club abusing its own bylaws.
But the couple never threatened the club with a lawsuit, May added.
The youth soccer club did not answer an e-mail from the PDN about whether the season would be extended two weeks to make up for the missed time, or if there will be any more changes to the season.
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Sports Editor Brad ÂLaBrie can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at brad.labrie@peninsuladailynews.com.
