SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Other Prep Sports Opinions Requested on Georgia/SC All-Star Game

SCHSSCA Member Coaches,

Please reply with your opinions concerning the addition of a Georgia/South Carolina high school all-star game to begin play this summer 2004!

We are actively working to make this game a reality, but need to reach consensus among our member coaches. ONLY SCHSSCA member coaches' replies will be tallied.

The match would feature the top 16 (or so) players from the Palmetto State against their counterparts from the Peach State a week after the North-South Soccer Classic in Mt. Pleasant.

A site is yet to be determined, but efforts with Furman University and Clemson University are underway.

Financial funding would be separate from the North-South Soccer Classic as well.

Players that play in the Georgia/South Carolina All-Star game would not be eligible to play in the North-South Soccer Classic (i.e. Shrine Bowl / North-South for football).

All comments are welcome and may be posted as replies to this topic thread, or you may email me at kevin@scsoccer.com.

I think this is a tremendous idea!!

However, I think that if we limit participation to one or the other, then we will diminish the lustre of both. Why not establish two different sets of people/coaches to select each? A group of coaches, along with the North/South Director, could select and run that event. Then another group of coaches, possibly the more experienced and recognizable coaches, could select and run the SC/Ga All-Star game.

Also, if the SC/Ga game comes to fruition, why not open up the North/South to all classes instead of just seniors? Maybe the North/South game could be any player but the SC/Ga game could be only seniors and if a player is slected to both, then that is just another straw in their hat, so to speak.

Since I live in Charleston, I am partial to Blackbaud, especially since we are losing the McDonald's game. In any case, this should be a rotating game. A year at Blackbaud, a year at Clemson/Furman, a year in southern Georgia, a year in northern Georgia, and then repeat the rotation.

In any case, if you limit players to participating in either the North/South game or the SC/Ga game AND limit both games to only seniors, then you dilute the talent pool and thus the quality of the game for each. In order to keep both games fresh and at a high quality, you have to open one of them up to all classes and allow players selected to both games to play in both. I feel that if you allow players from any class to play in at least one of the games, then you are only going to see about 5-6 players on both teams, and if they're that good, then they deserve both accolades.

I think this is a tremendous idea!!

However, I think that if we limit participation to one or the other, then we will diminish the lustre of both. Why not establish two different sets of people/coaches to select each? A group of coaches, along with the North/South Director, could select and run that event. Then another group of coaches, possibly the more experienced and recognizable coaches, could select and run the SC/Ga All-Star game.

Also, if the SC/Ga game comes to fruition, why not open up the North/South to all classes instead of just seniors? Maybe the North/South game could be any player but the SC/Ga game could be only seniors and if a player is slected to both, then that is just another straw in their hat, so to speak.

Since I live in Charleston, I am partial to Blackbaud, especially since we are losing the McDonald's game. In any case, this should be a rotating game. A year at Blackbaud, a year at Clemson/Furman, a year in southern Georgia, a year in northern Georgia, and then repeat the rotation.

In any case, if you limit players to participating in either the North/South game or the SC/Ga game AND limit both games to only seniors, then you dilute the talent pool and thus the quality of the game for each. In order to keep both games fresh and at a high quality, you have to open one of them up to all classes and allow players selected to both games to play in both. I feel that if you allow players from any class to play in at least one of the games, then you are only going to see about 5-6 players on both teams, and if they're that good, then they deserve both accolades.

As we will discuss at the clinic this weekend we need to reach a unified opinion. We will look at two options of picking players. 40 picked for the N/S then 16 others or the 16 picked from the pool of 40. What ever we decide it has to be approved by the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association. Our guidelines for our N/S game will be followed in this game also

There is good and bad in both ways to pick players. I think 40 + 16 would dilute the quality of the N/S game. There are not 56 real good seniors in SC. But it gives more kids the chance to be recognized.
We could get together, watch film, practices, etc at N/S and pick 16 from the N/S game to play in SC/GA. That would involve some coordination on our part. But it is a good chance to select the absolute best to rep our state. The downside is that the players selected would have to be able to devote 2 weeks to allstar games instead of just one. That would be something we would have to put on the N/S form. A N/S player could opt to be available or not for SC/GA.