We, the parents of Silicon Valley Soccer Academy (SVSA), are deeply concerned about an ongoing hostile takeover of SVSA by the Palo Alto Soccer Club (PASC).

SVSA was officially formed in 2016 as a stand-alone 501(c)(3) Corporation in the State of California with PASC and Juventus Soccer Club (JSC) as its founding members. 

For about a year, PASC has been attempting to turn the tables and become a controlling owner of SVSA by compromising the integrity of SVSA's Board of Directors, who have made changes or have allowed changes to be made without approval or support of the three main constituents of SVSA: (1) the Major League Soccer (MLS) who granted the status of elite youth club to SVSA for Boys; (2) the Girls Academy League who granted the status of academy to SVSA for girls; and (3) the SVSA families who support the organization with our fees and donations.

By signing this petition you are joining us in fighting back to ensure that SVSA remains a sovereign and independent 501(c)(3) non-profit. SVSA must continue to pursue its original mission and operating structure under the ByLaws that govern the organization. Specific requests and actions to be brought by this petition follow.

You can sign this petition anonymously (by checking the anonymous box).

Sincerely,

Concerned Parents of SVSA

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Demands

Specifically we are demanding the SVSA Board to rectify the following:

1. The SVSA Board must notify PASC to stop behaving as a controlling entity and act as intended and as stated in SVSA’s bylaws as a member of SVSA. 

• SVSA families’ dues are to be paid to SVSA and not PASC
• SVSA dues are to be used for SVSA purposes only
• SVSA scholarships should be awarded based on SVSA policy and not PASC policy
• PASC should cease to use SVSA as a marketing tool to promote a “brand” and instead acknowledge that SVSA’s purpose is to develop elite players with an emphasis on all youth from the Bay Area community and in particular, underprivileged youth who have benefitted from SVSA’s scholarships
• PASC should not interfere with SVSA’s decisions if they are deemed to benefit SVSA’s members
• The SVSA board members who signed a MOU on Sept 21, 2020, stating an understanding of PASC controlling SVSA fully, must disavow the MOU immediately

2. The SVSA Board must notify PASC that it's currently NOT IN GOOD STANDING

• Lack of good standing is due to PASC’s failure to pay SVSA since July per Article V, Section 2 of the bylaws
• In addition, PASC has surreptitiously posed as the recipient of all SVSA players fees for 2020/2021 season and has kept all the funds in their banks since then.
• Lack of good standing is grounds for removal of PASC as a member of SVSA

3. The SVSA Board must be overhauled as it has been compromised by members of PASC Board of Directors and their takeover intent. 

• Two Board members must resign immediately. They are board members of BOTH organizations and have breached and continue to breach their fiduciary duties to SVSA. Both have shown extremely poor judgment for accepting a board director position despite a clear conflict of interest.

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Why Should You Care? Why is a Takeover Bad for Us?

• SVSA’s founding mission to “provide mentorship and development for personal growth for aspiring young players including underprivileged at-risk youth” is not shared by PASC. Many players in SVSA would not have had the opportunity they have today without this mission.
• SVSA is one of the founding 65 elite youth soccer clubs that constitute the MLS academy. A takeover of PASC is not supported by any of the 65 clubs and sets an extremely dangerous precedence for them — that any club without having applied for and earned the elite status by merit can circumvent the process through a takeover under financial premises.
• The permanence of founding coaches is at risk. Many players came to SVSA to be developed by the original coaching staff for their top quality, long standing legacy and high profile in the US and internationally.