These are important questions and as members, we should all be knowledgeable about this process. Our recent survey also shows many parents asking about these questions.
SYA is a community-based organization of volunteers. There is no other program in the Centreville and Clifton areas that are community based. We offer scholarships, financial aid, we support the County, we have partnerships with FCPA and FCPS and we participate in cost sharing efforts with schools and parks by providing services to offset County costs (such as mowing and fertilization of fields, improvements to gyms, etc). There are other nonprofit organizations out there but they do not have these efforts in place nor do they put money into improvements that SYA does. SYA has been a nonprofit volunteer organization for 49 years, serving the people of these immediate and extended areas. It is important to also note that there are For Profit organizations as well as adult programs. Part of the policy/process for allocation of permits is the establishment of a Priority system. The order is basically below and it is important to note that there is a complex formula that is used in addition to the listed below that details out ages and number of teams assigned to any given field/gym or portion thereof.
Fairfax County has many parks, many schools and many resources that the community can use. They have rules. One of those rules is that any Fairfax County resident may use any facility at no charge. This is a valuable resource for our community and as a taxpayer is a benefit to all of us. However, any group (called Community User) of 10 or more persons, must obtain a permit (which is issued by the Neighborhood and Community Services, NCS, division of Fairfax County), to use a field / gym / facility in Fairfax County. Being one of the largest Community Users in Fairfax County along with all the things that we do with Fairfax County, provides SYA with access to some of the best facilities in our areas.
There are many factors that go into the many cancelations that we have all seen. Rain outs for High School sports, new requirements in how green days are handled, PTSA events, school events, etc are all examples of cancelations. In addition, COVID has affected school use as well. SYA and all Community Users must adhere to school cancelations. This past year and a half, Fairfax County has seen an enormous increase in these cancelations.
More recently, however, there has been a change in how school property is allocated to Community Users in Fairfax County. These changes have resulted in schools canceling our permits, even after they have been issued to Community Users. This is true across Fairfax County for all Community Users, not just SYA. The SYA Leadership has been hard at work with FCPS, FCPA, NCS, the FCPS School Board, the FC Board of Supervisors as well as having two board members on the Fairfax County Athletic Council to resolve these issues.
SYA remains, as we have for the last 49 years, committed to providing the best and safest facilities for our participants. Part of this is making sure that all of our members know and understand how the process works. If you would like more information or want to help us in our efforts to improve our programs, please contact us by email at [email protected] and put SYA SPACE in the subject line. We thank you all for your concerns.
