SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP CESA soccer fields mentioned in "Legislators' pet projects"

From the SCYSA Newletter sent out today:

SC Youth Soccer is excited to announce our intention to bid on the 2009 Region III President’s Cup. It has been nearly twelve years since SC Youth Soccer bid on a Regional tournament, and with the assistance of the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA) we will be doing so again. CESA is experienced in organizing and managing quality tournaments, and they have the soccer “know how” to make this event a truly wonderful experience for Region III teams. SC Youth Soccer sincerely hopes you will be supportive of our bid to bring this event to South Carolina in 2009.

Holy crap, Chico! That is the best Emerson quote around, but I will have to mull a while to see if I like what you did with it. . .

Did SCYSA ask any other club if they were interested in helping with this endevor? If not they should have.
Just like SCYSA should promote other tournaments in the
State and not just the CESA tournament at the end of May.

Columbia is the perfect location for one or even two first class soccer facilites like Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill. Two artificial turf fields capable of supporting year round youth and adult league play at all hours of the day surrounded by beautiful grass fields built at a cost of 14M, excluding the cost of the land would have a huge economic impact on Columbia.

Those complaining about the funding CESA is getting should quit complanining about that and put their drive, creativity and relationships towars the development of such a complex. Is 14M, plus the cost of land really that expensive to create a complex that'll consistently draw teams from all over the southest to the capital city of South Carolina?

This parent thinks not. A couple of weeks ago I posted a comment about building such a complex in Columbia along with a poll to see what level of support there is for development. Since the posting to each forum on this site there have be countless readers of the posting but few votes for or against the development of such a complex in Columbia. Think small time and you'll stay small time. Think big time and who knows . . .

CUFC would be the perfect club to manage such a facility. If you're a Banker, Developers or Buiness owner who supports youth soccer getting behind this initiative should be a no brainer.

Then the CUFC folks should work with neighboring governments to build it. As a York Countian I am jelaous of what you already have in Columbia area.

We now have Manchester.....which is controlled by RH Parks and Rec. Columbia area has 2 very nice facilities in Lexington and Ballentine. If you want a 3rd build it. Jo doubt you can use it.

But....I would be opposed to SCYSA'a funding of it. I would support SCYSA helping from a paperwork/grant writing perspective....opposed to their putting cash into it.

If SCYSA and/or US Soccer is supporting other private clubs the precident has already been establshed. They would have an obligation to be involved financially at some level.

Manchester - I noted from your prior post that you recommend CUFC run any facility built in the Midlands, not Congaree Rapids or LCSC. Why, because CUFC is the predominate club in the Midlands

Soccersmylife - From prior posts I noted that you are likely a Bridge parent or player. If a facility was built in Charleston, let me guess you would be all for Bridge running the new facility, not Summerville or Charleston United.

CESA parents do not spend their time bemoaning the fact that the only professional soccer team in the State of South Carolina right now is located in Charleston. No, we support the Battery and take our kids to matches, because it is good for soccer in the state not just the lowcountry.

Well CESA is the predominate Club in not just the upstate, but the STATE. I think you will find that CESA approached SCYSA about their desire to host a regionals, not the other way around. I get tired of parents from other clubs complaining whenever CESA does something positive for soccer in the state. We all spend countless hours on this board bemoaoning the fact that soccer is not growing in the State of South Carolina and that generally our state is not as strong at the regional level as say North Carolina or Florida. CESA is taking aggressive steps to try and change both of those things. I wish CUFC and Bridge would spend less time taking pot shots at CESA and more time focusing on growing soccer in our state.

BD: Any way they can get more fields built in Cola is a win-win for the state. If SCYSA gets involved in a big way, then I hope they could leverage it in such a way that they could reduce or eliminate field usage fees they pay for when two clubs play a game on a 3rd club's fields. I could see SCYSA turning the fields over to a Cola club for annual operating & maintenance costs with some provision to hold league games, state cups, and ODP events at no cost to the state for the next 10-15 years and let the local club pump the fields for the rest of the year for training, tournaments, and other things to help pay for the annual operating costs.

Man: In terms of number of fields, I would speculate that they need a complex that can handle a minimum of 10 fields, with adequate parking and some sort of concession/restroom facility, but would suggest they consider going for a complex that could handle 20 fields might be more appropriate. So what would that take 50 acres to get started?

If SCYSA wants to get into the seed money business and start an aggressive field campaign I could support that. So long as it benefits everyone in the state and seed money is provided across the state.

Putting fields in Columbia will benefit Columbia kids first and foremost. And while I'm all for Columbia kids....we have field access issues all over the state. Manchester is a fabulous game facility....but tons of kids up here are practicing on outfields of baseball fields.....while Manchester sits empty.

Game fields are great. And if SCYSA wants to invest in a Manchester/Ramblewood game only type facility and locate it in Columbia then great. Fields could also be used for State Cup and ODP.

But I see CESA getting grant money from the State for fields and SCYSA funding a facility in Columbia as totally separate issues. Part of the function of State government is building adequate recreation facilities. Tons of upstate kids play rec soccer at CESA. Unless awash in money, I don't see the role of SCYSA as building complexes, particularly if only 1 Club or region of the state will benefit.

>>[soccersmylife] Did SCYSA ask any other club if they were interested in helping with this endevor? If not they should have.<<

Two scenarios are presented below. It's left to the reader to decide which one is more likely.

Tuesday Morning: Setting, CESA offices. Telephone rings.

Steve Ballentine: "Hello, this is Steve Ballentine, president of the SCYSA. May I speak to Pearse Tormey and Andrew Hyslop?"

Pearse Tormey, Andrew Hyslop: "Hello, this is Pease and Andrew. How ya' doing Steve? How's that golf game?"

Ballentine: "Fine, fine. Look, guys, the reason I'm calling you is that I want CESA to host the Region III regionals for South Carolina. I realize it's a lot of work, but the SCYSA will do the lion's share of all of it and CESA will sit back and rake in the dough. We in South Carolina need to get ambitious -- so we at the SCYSA want CESA to stop hiding its light behind a bushel basket, so to speak, and help lead our state forward. How about it?"

Tormey/Hyslop: "Uhhhh...Steve, it sounds awfully complicated. We're not sure we're the right ones for this."

Ballentine: "Dudes...of course you are! When me and my buddies here at the SCYSA were sitting around and drinking beer the other night, we all asked ourselves just what our favorite club is. And there's no doubt -- it's CESA! We love you guys. We'd do anything for you. Now we're asking that you do something for us."

Tormey/Hyslop: "Steve...it's kinda painful to bring up, but you really screwed us last year when you created those new rules out of thin air with respect to that whole Columbia kerfuffle. Some of us are still a little..."

Ballentine: "Guys, guys...you know it was all an act. We just had to make believe that we were being tough on CESA to get the other clubs off our back. You're our favorite, baby. We love you. We'd do anything for you. We'll never hurt you again. Just give us one more chance, please. You won't be sorry."

Tormey/Hyslop: "We don't know...last time you said you wouldn't hurt us again...and it just seems to happen again and again."

Ballentine: "We love you. We really do. We'll never hurt you again. Let's start over and make it work out. Let's dream big and make this regional event happen."

Tormey/Hyslop: "Okay...we guess we'll give it a try...we love you too..."

--------------------------------------------------
An alternative scenario.

Tormey/Hyslop: "Steve, hey...this is Pearse and Andrew. As you know, we've built a multi-million dollar complex on our own that is privately owned. Based on all of the business we've driven to hotels, restaurants, and the like, we've gotten some local government agencies to agree to dramatically increase the size of our complex by co-locating a municipal field with our existing fields. We now have enough contiguous fields to make a bid to the USYSA to host the Region III tournament. As the state agency, we need your approval. If we do this, the SCYSA won't have to do anything but sign some forms and of course you'll get money. How about it?"

Ballentine: Okay.