SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Soccer Players in SC Drop (Again)

futbol(soccer): I don't know what "purged" meant in this -- although my guess is that you're right in your conjecture concerning the tightening of requirements and the law of unintended consequences.

Hurst66: More than 300 kids lost in the midstate district, so with 5 teams that's 60 per team -- you guys carry deep benches!

Both the coastal district and the midstate district saw losses in the hundreds. I personally think the root cause is probably a combination of stricter coaching requirements and a lack of active recruiting in the younger age groups -- combined with growth in non-SCYSA leagues. But that's just an opinion; I have no facts with which to back that up.

I know I harp on it a lot -- but I see absolutely no evidence of any concern, let alone well-conceived and designed programs, to increase the number of kids playing soccer by the SCYSA. But I've been beating that dead horse now for several years...

Steve: I wish I could get the registration numbers for YMCA, AYSO, USCS, etc. -- but I don't know how. I think your theory is a good one.

I believe that for everything except premier and challenge, that opportunities are rife for ***ANY*** organization to come in and offer alternatives to the SCYSA -- and/or for the SCYSA to change its policies and work hard to attract more kids into its affiliated programs.

Steve

Ot was interesting to read your expectations on the growth of Cesa-Columbia with better coaches and larger numbers. Could you elaborate on this with more detail. It was my understanding that Cesa-Columbia only managed to field one team this year.

gamecock44: Once again you have somehow managed to manipulate data in order to reinforce your agenda at denouncing anything positive about CESA-Columbia. I have reread several of your postings on many topics and, while there is weak attempt to hide it, a clear anti CESA-Columbia tone is evident. I do not know why you would have this and I may of course be wrong but that is how it reads. I simply do not have the time to make as many comments as you do but i can tell from reading yours that you probably never played or coached soccer. % points, Standard Devation, Variances etc have and never will be used in converstations or debates with true soccer lovers and understanders.

Sound familiar?

Chico- Please correct me if my understanding of the amount of CESA Columbia teams is incorrect.

No bias against Cesa here just need to keep the board balanced whenever I get chance. read my post on the cesa website thread about my thoughts in improving the level of sc soccer. Which is of course what we all want right?

More seriously, I tend to agree with "gamecock44" in the sense that CESA-Columbia appears to be spending most of its efforts on collaborating with the non-SCYSA recreation group SOAR (600+ players, right?) and working with younger age groups.

SCYSA-registered players in the Columbia area are dominated by CUFC (the second largest club in the state), Lexington, and CRSA (Lower Lexington is very small as well.)

I do think that "Steve" has a great point regarding non-SCYSA alternatives, particularly in the Columbia area. Between SOAR, the YMCA's, and the Lexington recreation clubs there are a huge number of non-SCYSA-affiliated kids out there. I've spoken to a few folks about that -- they can't see any possible benefit to joining the SCYSA given the expense and bureacracy.

So in the end, if Columbia-area soccer is to grow in terms of SCYSA registered players, I think that it's the current SCYSA clubs that will have to lead the way. The question is why these clubs would continue to affiliate their recreation and classic (not challenge or premier) players with the SCYSA when there are less expensive and less bureaucratic alternatives.

gamecock44: I was just kidding by taking one of your posts where I had quoted numbers and substituted "CUFC" and "CESA-Columbia."

You could be dead right about the number of teams at CESA-Columbia; I don't know the answer. Whether it's 1 team or 5 teams, however, it's a drop in the bucket compared to CUFC, Lexington, and CRSA. The SCYSA midstate numbers are going to rise or fall based on what these clubs do -- not on what CESA-Columbia, SOAR, the YMCA's, or the Lexington recreation clubs do.

Chico

Without knowledge of boards decsions of which affilation to be with I think the advantage to the SCYSA would be that any coach with ambition will always want be involved in the state cups. Once again i say that is why it is important that as parents we choose to put our trust in coaches with integrity and respect for the game and more importantly our children. In the current arms race taking place in our state coaches may forget their role. i pose the question who is the better coach. He who manages to gather the best 15 players in any given age group regardless of local or he who improves the level of a team and players by coaching?

44,
I'll be happy to elaborate. Again, we (my family) were in town visiting friends who were attending the MLK camp hosted by SOAR/CESA-Columbia. They were attending and asked if our kids would like to join theirs. We took them up on it and were pleasantly surprised to see that there were over 70+ kids out there having a blast (mine included). Plus, from what I'm hearing on this message board, SOAR has a recreation base well over 500+. I'm not claiming to be Einstein, but you do the math. The with organization, structure, support and professionalism coming from SOAR/CESA its just seems like a matter of time until others see the unique opportunities this alliance poses for youth soccer in the Midlands of SC. SOAR is a family oriented, faith-based organization that shares a goal and vision of outreach through the vehichle of sport. CESA-Columbia, too, offers an inclusive atmosphere by which players from any age or ability level can have an opportunity to learn and grow in a cost-effective manner and progression. It's a very similar concept we've been exposed to here in the Lowcountry with the Bridge, S'ville and JI. Finally, I'm not sure of the # of teams CESA-Columbia actually had. That too me is irrelavant. You've gotta start somewhere, right? And the last time I checked...Rome wasn't built in a day either...