Dear LPYFC Families,

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your unwavering support and interest in being a part of our organization. The dedication shown by our community is truly remarkable, and all board members, both past and present, deeply appreciate it.

As you may or may not know, we officially organized and were established in 2017 with the primary goal of fostering transparency between the organization and its valued members. In 2018, we proudly launched our first official season of operation with only ten board members, no funds, and no equipment. Yet, through hard work and determination, we managed to raise the necessary funds to acquire new equipment and cover operational expenses. Your overwhelming support since then has been nothing short of astonishing.

This year, we have reached yet another milestone, with a record number of registrations. Our football program now boasts 154 players for the upcoming season. While this achievement is undoubtedly thrilling, it also poses some challenges that we wish to address openly with our members before reaching any conclusions.

Traditionally, most parents are accustomed to having their children play on teams alongside their classmates. However, in accordance with the established CAYFL rules, 5th and 6th Graders can participate on JVC or C teams, and 7th and 8th Graders can join B or A teams. These rules also limit the number of higher-grade players allowed on lower-level teams. Many towns within our league, such as Masco, Danvers, Marblehead, and occasionally Lynnfield, have faced this situation annually. Both these towns and the CAYFL Directors agree, based on historical experience, that it is beneficial to split teams to maintain program health. Instead of having over 30 players on a team, the aim is to have around 20+/- players per team.

Our current registrations indicate that we have 39 kids signed up for 2nd through 4th Grade (D Team), 50 kids for 5th & 6th Grade (JVC & C Team), and 65 kids for 7th & 8th Grade (B & A Team). To determine the best course of action, we have engaged in thoughtful deliberations with various stakeholders, including our board members, organization coaches, former board members, CAYFL leaders, commissioners from other towns within CAYFL, leaders from other youth leagues, high school coaches from neighboring towns, and our own Lynnfield High School Head Coach. We firmly believe this decision should not be made in isolation but with collective input from all members.

As a board, we understand that we do not function in isolation but serve to execute our mission: to promote and encourage football and cheerleading for the children of Lynnfield residents. We strive to represent you all to the best of our abilities while upholding our mission. We value your input and feedback as we move forward, as we recognize that the future of our organization lies in the hands of the youngest members of our community. Although many of us on the current board have served for years, we hope that new individuals will step up in the future, dedicated to investing as much time and energy as we have.

Please be assured that no decisions are taken lightly, and we are proud to have a diverse and inclusive board with 14 member positions—exceeding the numbers in most other towns.

With this in mind, we cordially invite ALL members of our organization to attend our upcoming board meeting. The meeting will occur on Thursday, July 27th, at 7:30 PM, at the Merritt Center at 600 Market Street. If you have a football player in our organization, we welcome and encourage you to join us at this meeting to share your desires, wishes, or concerns regarding the alignment of our football teams for the upcoming season. We kindly request that you come prepared to express your thoughts while also being receptive to others’ viewpoints. Let us maintain a respectful and courteous atmosphere, honoring the rules of our organization. Furthermore, please remember that no food or drink is allowed inside the Merritt Center.

We sincerely hope to see each and every one of you there!

Respectfully,

LPYFC Board of Directors

 

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