Modesto soccer board director fired for mismanaging funds. Accusations fly from both sides
Mitch Watson, the deposed Modesto Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) director of coaching accused of mismanaging funds, rallied a crowd of over 100 at a meeting in Enochs High School’s cafeteria on Dec. 19.
Watson and supporter Ryan Daley organized the meeting with the intent to vote out all sitting members of MYSA’s five-member board of directors in retaliation for his removal, according to emails and a meeting agenda sent out to MYSA members. That didn’t happen, though.
The meeting was advertised as an official, mandatory organizational gathering with the power to carry out action. But under pressure from attorneys representing the board, Watson instead used the time as an unofficial town hall to urge attendees to take action and to deny the allegations against him.
“Let me just tell you that didn’t happen, [nothing] like that happened… I didn’t break any laws,” Watson told the meeting’s attendees. “You know, if something like that were to happen, you would go to jail, right? That’s what happens when you do that kind of stuff.”
MYSA/AJAX is a Modesto-based nonprofit organization with thousands of members. It includes both competitive and recreational soccer programs for both kids and adults.
The board fired Watson in November and accused him of forgiving over $35,000 in unpaid club dues — some of which allegedly came from players on his own team — without authorization. By doing so, Watson nearly balanced the club’s books within a month.
Watson — terminated from a contract that was to last until 2026 — then allegedly used the accomplishment to demand a raise.
Watson said the debts were quickly cleared because of a $25,000 scholarship he secured and by cold calling members to collect. Watson said that financial statements could explain this, but that MYSA’s directors are not being transparent — a claim he repeated throughout the meeting.
Asked why he was fired if there was no mismanagement of funds on his part, Watson told The Bee it could have been because of a complicated and contentious election process including his unverified claims that the board members had reinstated themselves after they were voted off.
“I don’t know. You know, you’ll have to ask them that question. It was their decision, it wasn’t my decision… if you look at the timing, you know, the things that they raised happened many, many months ago, but they only became an issue after they got voted off the board,” said Watson.
The board of directors’ statements do mention the election being a reason it let Watson go. But the directors accused him of rigging it.
Three board incumbents were up for reelection, but Watson slyly placed three additional names on the ballot without the board’s knowledge the day of the election, the accusation alleges.
“That was the first time the Board became aware of the 3 new applicants, one of which was Ryan Daley, the person now calling for the removal of the entire sitting Board,” reads the MYSA board of directors’ statement of allegations. “At the AGM (Annual General Meeting), Mr. Watson instructed the membership to vote for 3 people. However, there were 5 open seats on the Board. Had Mr. Watson been more transparent with the Board, he would have known that.”
The Meeting
Many of the parents, MYSA/AJAX players and coaches at the meeting were upset that because of confusion created by what was happening between Watson and the board — program deadlines were missed and calls to the board demanding answers were not returned.
Daley spent much of his speaking time supporting Watson’s character and Watson spent most of his time describing who he is and his version of the events that led to him being fired.
Watson said that he was responsible for the organization’s recent improvement and growth. Daley said the organization was mismanaged before Watson arrived. Some of the accomplishments that Watson touted included getting the program off of regional probation, improving relationships with the city, raising competitiveness and increasing the organization’s purse from $274,000 to over $1 million.
He also claimed credit for sustaining programs that helped children with disabilities play soccer and scholarships that let those from low-income families play for free. Many in the crowd were nervous that Watson’s departure meant these programs wouldn’t continue.
“We have a list of deadlines that were missed, and the kids are missing on the opportunities… it just looks like we’re gonna keep missing on things, and the kids aren’t gonna keep them,” said Maria Ramos, who has two boys in the organization.
By the meeting’s end, attendees who spoke largely voiced their support for Watson — who at several points suggested the crowd show up at the board’s meeting Jan. 6. Many in the crowd joked about the sight of over 100 people cramming into MYSA’s small office for the meeting.
Watson appears to have convinced much of the crowd the board is to blame for the entire situation. A fervor of frustration and anger began to creep up. One attendee who questioned Watson’s explanation of events was met with yelling and rebuttals from the crowd. That response in turn was met with applause.
Most in the crowd were upset by the board’s lack of transparency.
Jon Apodaca, who has three daughters who play soccer, said he felt the board wasn’t being transparent enough, and he supported the work Watson had done for the organization. But he said he still felt there are questions that need to be answered.
“It really feels like it’s more of a personal vendetta, in my opinion, but that’s only because I’m hearing one side of the story,” Apodaca said.
The board’s releases stated that it could not get into all the details of an investigation it conducted because it “is limited by the law on how much information it can disclose.”
Lawsuits appear to be in the preparation stages on both sides. Watson at one point said lawyers representing the board were at the meeting to make sure it didn’t conduct any official acts. Watson asked attendees to email him with any accusations made against him to “develop that case.”
CORRECTION: The Bee’s senior editor Carlos Virgen recently volunteered as an assistant coach for his daughter’s MYSA recreation league soccer team but has not been involved in any board meetings or discussions about this or any other MYSA-AJAX issue.
