SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP The Balkanization of Fort Mill Club Soccer

The formation of all of these clubs is more a reflection of money to be made than anything else. I agree that competition is good, though I believe that good, competent competition is even better.

Ya know now that I think of it they did get a new Walmart in Lake W last year, maby be that is the tipping point for when a place should get its own youth soccer club

Only gonna help to make Clover a stronger soccer area! Maybe with enough youth teams in the area the Fort Mill and Rock Hill kids can play more games locally and less on the road!

You got that right.

In the Upstate, soccer was much better for the consumer when their was a GFC and a St. Giles competing with each other.

And some pretty good soccer as well. There was a U-18 girls GFC team that I believe made it to the National semi-finals.

Heck, not too long ago, there were viable clubs in Summerville, Mount Pleasant, West Ashley and James Island. I'd say the Bridge concept, combined with CESA recruitment, pretty much killed that.

St. Giles, Greenville Futbol Club, NECSA, Columbia United, Mount Pleasant and Summerville all figured out, some time ago, that the best way to retain your best players, or attract the best players, is to win at the highest level.

That's been a successful formula for the "offsprings" of these dominant clubs. It's an amazing accomplishment when any other club in South Carolina can capture a state cup. It doesn't happen very often.

I believe that you could better associate the evolution much closer to the break up of "Ma-Bell". So many off-shoots and small companies, with no one able to provide large scale or universal coverage. Each in turn will have one small niche (team) and the rest of the club supports that team. Talent gets too diluted, not enough qualified coaches, etc. etc. So do we really develop players?

Another "problem" a little more unique to the FM area is the competition for players the clubs here get from the Charlotte Area Soccer Clubs. They make it hard for the various clubs on this side of the border to build team sometimes. Face it higher level soccer is a money sport and the parents of kids who excel will tkae them to where the better teams are even if it requires spending the money. Some drive to Columbia, some to Greenville, many more to Charlotte. There are even team that are mostly York county kids playing in Charlotte. The advantage is less travel to play teams (often more of them too) just as good as they would in SC. Works for girls all the way through HS but boys have to return at U15 (if they want to play HS). Now take the "MA-bell" off shoots thing and add that to it and you have problems for the off shoots.