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With all this talk about one club in columbia what will it take to make this happen?
Who wants this to happen? Can we compete with GFC if we do?

What does GFC offer ttha clubs in cloumbia do not? Why would a kid/parent drive to greenville to prctice when they have clubs here?

all what talk?... no, i doubt it will happen. the girls have already attempted to create an all-columbia team with cfc and it has been less than successful, to say the least.

i'm not sure why players travel to greenville to play. especially when there are already quality programs in columbia. i dont think that the fact that some players travel to greenville discredits any of the players or teams in columbia either. a football player (or any athlete) that leaves college and gets drafted to a team far away from home isnt neccessarily any better than the player that stays and plays close to home.

I can answer for some of the reasons that a parent would drive to Greenville to play for a team.

1. Looking for a club with organization and less politics about who makes and plays for teams.
2. Better training. There are a few good trainers in Columbia. The problem is that it is a side job or secondary job. Greenville has made the commitment to training. Ever wonder why Greenville trains every team 3 times a week and every team my sons have ever been on in Columbia only train twice a week. Anyone would be impressed by the organization of practices that occurs at the Ridge Rd fields in Greenville on Mon, Tue, Wed and Thurs every week. If you don't believe it, just go and look.
3. Exposure in big tournaments. Greenville is invited to tournaments that clubs in Columbia can't even get a team into but once every 5-6 years.
4. Commitment by players. It seems that maybe Columbia has too many distractions. Players can't seem to commit to a team/sport for even 4 months. None of the teams that we have been involved in can manage to get all of the kids to practices and games.
5. Commitment by parents. I don't know how many times over the last 8 years I have heard "I don't want to drive that far to practice". This wasn't to Greenville. This was from Lexington-Irmo, Irmo-Northeast or any combination of these. None of these are more than 30 minutes apart. For most (not all) of the parents, it is all about convenience. Can I get my son/daughter to practice in 5 minutes. Up until u17/u18, the kids can't get get themselves to practice.

Everyone is knocking the coaches, DOC's and boards, but don't you think that they all want the best players on their teams. Until the parents wake up, merging clubs/creating superclubs will never work. Club mergers and superteams in SC are not convenient. We do not even have enough players to have 2 great teams in one age group in SC. In Atlanta (which has a population greater that SC), a great team may be convenient. It may also be 1 to 1 1/5 hours away in Atlanta. I am not sure that we have enough committed & qualified (did everyone notice the combination of qualities) coaches in the area to handle these merged teams. A lot of the quality coaches are also the DOC's at these clubs and want the best players for themsleves. If that is the case, you just lost the commitment to the merger of teams.

Wake up parents, if you and your children want to play on a better team, then make the commitment (both of you). This does not necessarily mean go to Greenville, but make a few sacrifices in the short term for the long term gain. It may mean that you go to practice and actually STAY and watch, not drop them off and go do something else. Anything worth having is worth working for.

RCates

Thank you for your upfront answer! I myself often wondered why in the hell would a kid drive to Greenville to play but now I have a better understanding! The one thing I disagree with however is that just because the staff is full time at GFC doesn't mean that they are more committted thatn the staffs here in Cola! I mean they do nothing but train teams but there are plenty of great coaches that are truly dedicated here as well!
With that said your point is well taken and thanks for your response!
Shearer

Shearer -

I agree with you that there are some committed coaches in the Columbia area. Some of the committed coaches also happen to be excellent trainers, but some are not. Part of the committed part I was talking about was taking soccer in the Columbia area to a higher level. As long as the individual club's DOC's performance (and ultimately pay) is judged by only that clubs performance, then there will always be the determination to hold onto any good player.

Another aspect of committment by the DOC's is the education of the coaches and the training/evaluation of all of the players in their club that should be done. I realize that these people have families, but to be a DOC at a club takes a lot of time. Being a DOC is at a minimum a time consuming part time job. The DOC should be involved with the training of all of the teams. Over the years, I haven't seen alot of the DOC's of the local clubs out watching the teams that they don't actually coach in their club at games. A true DOC should be visible and available to the members of their club. Everytime I attend GFC games, I see Chris Barrett, Andrew Hyslop, Brian Mills, Russell Shelley or Jim Rinker also there in support (unless they are coaching somewhere else). When I watch St. Giles games, I almost always see Pearse Tormey, Carlos Osario or David Minihan there also supporting the teams. When I watch GFC vs. St. Giles games, it is unusual if all of the club's coaches (sometimes a dozen or more)aren't there in support if available. This is because they care about all of the teams in the club, not just the one(s) that they coach.

I do believe that Eddie Crosby at CSC will bring a new outlook to soccer in this area. With his youth, training ability and love for the game, I see big things ahead for him. Unfortunately, as he shows people outside the Columbia area these assets, don't be surprised that other clubs come calling. Charleston, Greenville, Augusta, Aiken, etc..... are always looking for qualified people to add to their program or to lead a part or all of their program.

go go goooal,
Why do you feel that CSC would not attract Sumter area kids due to distance. We have three kids traveling to GFC to play already. The distance is not a factor to players who are serious about playing on top quality teams. A merger would help all players from the columbia, Sumter, etc. areas. Distance will not matter to those would would make the teams anyway. There are many advantages to a merger and CSC seams to have an edge in being the club that others would merge into. The smaller clubs would still be abkle to operate they would just do it with out the elite players from each age group. That would only result in 3 or 4 players from each age group from each club. The merger would be great for all of Columbia not just the Irmo area kids.

I'm a staff coach at CSC and have followed this merger topic for sometime now. Here are some points that people need to realize before merger talks arise. First CFC (all girls club) have come under the CSC umbrella. So for girls soccer the only club that can rival the number of girls playing is Lexington (and thats only in its youth rec. ranks not select team.. god forbid if they ever got organized they would surely dominate girls soccer in the midlands). So from a girls merger stand point its happened. However it was more CFC joining CSC not merging...very smart on both sides part b/c it makes for easier organization. Secondly from the boys stand point...a merger MAY not be the best working idea. Reason being is CSC is not going to give up its complex it has worked hard to develop and is getting ready to get better soon, (lights, paved parking, concession stand w/bathrooms, etc) just to make a merger. Whats is going to have to happen is players from other clubs are just plain and simple going to have walk over to CSC and leave their club. If players/parents make the commitment (and we have many that do) to come to Ballentine park to play, sooner or later others will come too. Mergers don't have to happen to make a club bigger and better, people just have to come and play. Eddie Crosby has many great plans for the club, some of which have already happend in a very short time (CFC). In addition he has brought new coaches in as well, some people know them, others who are just getting started but have tremendous desire and potential to be great...we just have to give them a chance. A & B teams are also something that CSC is going to be doing this year. In years past either there were not enough players or there were not enough coaches do more teams so players were cut and sent to other clubs to play. That will no longer be the case this year. Third and last point, CSC is not GFC. GFC has tons of players in their club, they are a differnet animal. We don't and can't look at others clubs and try to copy what we can't be. CSC can only aim to be as successful. In time the club will attract more players and coaches & then compete on a more even playing field. But when a club has enough kids trying out to make 3 teams in each age group, it gives them leverage and tons of talent to pull from and until CSC has that many kids trying out, the club will have to do things its own way and not GFC's way. Bottom line....a merger MAY not be the best way....player/parents will have to make the commitment to come to CSC..leaving egos behind b/c not everybody's kid is Pele like most think...and coaches from other clubs come join bring players with them. This would be the fastest and easiest way to make a more talented midstate soccer club.

Chris Christian
CSC Staff Coach

I think Chris Christian is correct. A merger is not the only way for more competative teams to form in the Midlands. The CSC plan is to become the dominant club, just by being bigger and better than everone else. If they do, then a merger is irrelevant for the families that play there. I don't think anyone can argue with the analysis.

If it means more kids playing better soccer, I wish CSC luck. Really.

GGG, I don't take Chris' comments personally. I don't read them as cocky or arogant or anything else. I think what he says is just a matter of stating the facts. Their perspective and plans are natural for a large club with fields and coaches.

Just means that every other club (individual parents and players also) has to make a decision whether to join CSC, do what it takes to compete with them on that level, or settle for being second tier. I think there are very valid arguments for taking any one of these three paths and I don't think that any one of them is "wrong". Just depends what your goals are and how much time, energy and money you are willing to spend.

CSC idea is not negative. Its realistic. Again why does a merger have to happen? CFC realized this and came and joined and by the way, we DO share our fields. Do you really think we don't want the best club? Sorry you feel the way you about CSC.

Christian, this is not a personal thing against CSC, only my too passionate thoughts! I apologize. My comments are not against CSC, yet they are made in support of attaining a strong, competitive, but representative soccer club through development of one central club. Yet, it will take a long time for CSC to grow into a soccer power. My opinion was that by having one central club, you would have a more representative Cola. community soccer club. It will take a long time before NECSA/CRSA players/coaches decide to 'walk on over (en masse) to Ballentine to play.' I know that I am out here on my own with this merger/consolidation business, but I still believe that a merger now of combined efforts will better serve the Cola. soccer community in the years ahead. NECSA,CRSA,LSC are strong, vibrate, involved clubs now. They will not remain so. A merger now with CSC would combine strong coaching and exceptional organization and involved parents. Since it will obviously not occur, the forecast will be that CRSA, NECSA will slowly cease to produce competitive teams, as it loses players/coaches to CSC. They will become on par with LSC, which may be acceptable to some. Yet, I wish CSC well in its endeavor to do it alone. Just don't beat us smaller clubs up too badly on your way to the top.