Apply a "grandfather policy" allowing our female coach to continue as a player in the CSLNY

My name is Eric "Gonzo" Goncalves, I am the Captain of Gotham Argo, a club in the Metro 1 division of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League NY (CSLNY).

Dana P. Dimon who co-founded the club, is our coach and a player on our team Gotham Argo. The Cosmopolitan Soccer League NY, founded in 1923, was historically a league of teams comprised of male players, though there was nothing in the league name, rules or bylaws that specified that it was a men's league or restricted teams from registering female players. Rules and Bylaws referred only to "players".

Dana co-founded the team, Gotham Argo, in 2005 and has been team manager and coach since then and a registered player in the league since 2012.

The first and only female player in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League NY.

November of 2016 the board rescinded her player registration after an opposing team made a complaint about playing against a team with a female player - saying we'd played with an illegal player. (Our team, Gotham Argo, had won 3-2,)

January of 2017 the board of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League called an emergency vote at the mid-year meeting, proposing adding language to the rules and bylaws in order to restrict teams from registering female players. The vote passed.

At the meeting conclusion, the President and the General Secretary of the CSLNY told Dana that she was "grandfathered" to continue as a player.

However, in September 2017, at the top of the Fall 2017 season, during player registration, her registration came back as ineligible.

We were told the board had decided not to allow her to register as a player.
(Our team registered for the 17/18 season with the understanding she was "grandfathered" as a player)

The Cosmopolitan Soccer League New York is one of 13 leagues in the United States deemed Elite by the National Soccer Association.

Of the 13 Elite leagues, 9 of them would allow teams to register female players if they chose (and a handful have teams with female players registered).

Dana has been a loyal, supportive, and passionate participant and contributor to the CSLNY for more than 12 years.

A dedicated player who has played in the league for many years is now being told she is no longer permitted to play.

We feel the CSLNY board should honor the declaration that was made at the mid-year meeting in January 2017 to grandfather her as a player as our team registered for the 17/18 season based on the information that she was grandfathered to play.

DEFINITION of 'Grandfather Clause'

A grandfather clause is an exemption that allows persons or entities to continue with activities or operations that were approved before the implementation of new rules, regulations or laws.

A grandfather clause (or grandfather policy) is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from the new rule are said to have grandfather rights or acquired rights, or to have been grandfathered in.

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Please CLICK this link to read an excellent support letter from the manager of Mr. Dennehy's, a top team in our division.