Royal Palm Beach Strykers accept May financial reports, add board member and plan early season logistics

The Royal Palm Beach Strykers board on a short May 2025 call accepted month-end financial reports for both its recreation and competitive programs, confirmed personnel changes and mapped logistics for an earlier-than-usual fall season.

Amy Santiago, who said she was stepping down as treasurer, reported the recreation checking account opened the month at $92,393.67 and closed at $33,053.28. She also read the competitive-program figures, saying competitive checking opened at $147,159.94 and closed at $82,637.41; competitive savings moved from $50,051.25 to $50,052.95. A motion to accept the recreation financials was made, seconded and approved without recorded objection; the competitive financial report was handled the same way.

The board filled two personnel items. President (name not specified in the transcript) announced that the secretary role — vacated by Amanda Lamb after she was elected treasurer — would be filled by Fernando Casale, who volunteered to serve. The president also said Sean O'Connor has accepted a return to the board in an advisory capacity and will be made an official board member.

Members discussed operational matters that affect the start of the season. The board plans to start the regular season several weeks earlier than normal, which shortened the regular registration window. Club leaders urged managers and returning players to register by the announced Friday cutoff so uniforms can be ordered on time; size-4 balls were scheduled to be released July 5 with additional game balls following July 9. The group said it will place customized uniform orders to avoid excess inventory and will run a secondary order window for late registrants.

On background checks, the president reported that Governor Ron DeSantis has agreed to postpone the rollout of proposed Level 2 (fingerprint-based) background checks until the 2026–27 season; for the coming season the club will continue to require Level 1 checks at about $45 each rather than the roughly $60 Level 2 checks would have cost. The board said it will confirm with the Village of Royal Palm Beach whether to follow that postponement locally.

The board reviewed proposed changes from the Florida Youth Soccer Association (FYSA) that would move age-group cutoffs from calendar-year birth dates back to an Aug. 1–Dec. 31 (school-calendar-style) system. Members reported pushback from coaches and clubs, and several said the region would discuss the proposal at upcoming meetings before a statewide vote at the FYSA AGM.

Logistical planning included field availability and permitting: the club is coordinating with the Village of Royal Palm Beach and Palm Beach County for possible satellite fields (including Royal Palm Elementary and Seminole Palms) and said it may need to front-load home games if fields are not ready. At the manager meeting, Bill was named competitive scheduler; managers were instructed to submit schedules by Sunday, with no changes allowed after Tuesday, and managers will be responsible for entering game scores via TeamSnap/QR. The club also confirmed managers will receive a $300 stipend, split across the season.

Other items included a maintenance issue — a damaged exterior outlet for the large striker sign — and vendor negotiations: the club's contact with score vendor Chad Purcell raised expectations for better service and possible concessions such as free shipping on initial orders.

The recreation portion of the meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m.; the competitive portion concluded at 7:21 p.m.