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I definitely agree with you, "dhunter." And, as a matter of fact, sometimes pressuring kids leads to them picking another team. This tactic can easily backfire, and is normally only used when the desperate club is under pressure to get more players for monetary reasons. I do agree with what "the chief" says that club is all about money, even though most are non-profits.

"BTW, Isn't Little League Recreation?"

Yes I believe it is, but I was more focusing on the territory assigment concept that they use. Club are in such competion with each other right now that the one losing out are the players. How many kids are on the wrong level team because the "local" club wars make it hard for parents to figure out where thier kids should be playing.

Perhap the state level org should assign territory for the rec level play to clubs with some sort of charter. Equal cost and requirements then over time we could grow the system to where club were more territorial with the highest level team becomeing a union of top performing clubs in an area (assuming region play would take more quality players than might exist in some clubs. Idea is rough but the skeleton is there.

I will be back to the CHS games. I have been dealing with other family issues and my boy's karate is taking up most of my time. If you think soccer can suck only try being on the traveling karate team. The US Open will cost me $200 just my child to enter.

I only asked because in Recreation you can have 5-10 teams in a league playing eachother in a given terriroty where you will probably have one maybe two traveling teams. So if you have a terrible coach in Recreation you move to another team in that grouping the following year, where club you could get screwed if you did teritory based teams and I think the competition between the clubs is a good thing, a free market is always better in the long run. HS sports is just like what you are saying and my daughter got stuck with an abusive coach for 4 years before he was fired. If it wasn't for some great club coaches she would have quit by her Junior year.

I don't think the system is perfect but I can't think of a better way to do it and if a club does think of a better way I am sure they will use it to their advantage.

One last note, I have sat on three different boards involving soccer and money has never been a driving factor for recruiting and retaining players. It has always been about increasing the club size so that economics of scale could allow the affordibity of better training. Such as being able to hire a full time DOC that has the sole intention of training the club players, or building lights for fields so players can train in the dark, or aquire more fields so that players are not training on top of eachother, the list goes on. I do not know a single board member that makes money from being on the board. Most boards members donate a lot of time and then turn around and pay the club to train their children the same fees as everyone else. Saying that clubs only do it for the money is just pure lazy and requires no thinking.

Excellent information!! Best post in this thread, so far! Your point is well made that not all are equal and that effort is required to reach this level. But I must also point out that as you said it takes $ and resources (read peoples time=money) to reach this.

Still excellent info!

Chief,

Don't get your blood in a boil. I wasn't really talking about your post on that last paragraph.

I was referring to the thinking such as:

"This tactic can easily backfire, and is normally only used when the desperate club is under pressure to get more players for monetary reasons. I do agree with what "the chief" says that club is all about money, even though most are non-profits."

He/She agrees with you but makes sure to put the "all about money" and "monetary reasons". Which makes the assumption that all clubs places zero value on developing the player or soccer in south carolina. I see this thinking a lot on the boards and I think I saw a few comments in another thread saying basically the same thing.

I need to be more careful in making sure I address exact comments with names and not mash it all in one post. I read about ten posts at once and then I allow my stream of conscience to type and that mixes up my comments to multiple posts in one large post. I should try and remember to write a post for each comment.

Also my name isn't Sparky.

Sparky is a term of endearment for one getting a little ahead of the game due to a slightly zealous effort, not an insult.

I agree with your point that clubs are not "ALL" about the money and that player devlopment is a key part of what they acheive through many peoples tireless and selfless efforts.

The fact remains that there is big, very big, money out there in the clubs and some people are making a living at this while others are doing it for the sport/kids. Do not get me wrong making a living at it is thier right but I think clubs sometimes go off the path to get that DOC or really good coach.
It can be a nasty circle: need money to get good coaches, growth comes from winning (or devlopment of good player if you want), good coaching leads to winning, growth leads to better player pool resulting in more winning. At some point you have to start with one of the above and get to the others, but clearly growth and money (the result of growth) a the keys behind sucessful programs.