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Random question that's mildly related to the topic:

Does anyone remember the initial reason Hungryneck Soccer Club gave up its autonomy and merged with Mt. Pleasant Rec? Was it just money or something else?

All I can remember is being told we were merging and that we had to buy new uniforms because the colours changed =(.

Coach Chass,

I'm not from the area and I don't know the area that well but I'll add my two cents anyway.

It seems that most successful competitive clubs that field more than one team per age group go A-B-C, at least by U-12. Sometimes the name is overtly obvious (Premier-Challenge-Classic) and sometimes a more covert approach is taken (Gold-Blue-White).

As for whether you have enough kids in the low country to pull this off, I would say "yes", but I have heard parents complain on these boards that the drive from Mt. Pleasant to Summerville (and vice-versa) at 5:30 PM isn't pretty.

Coach C,
I'll respond later to your question(s).

adidaskitten,
What I was told was it was the issue of field space and it being better to merge with the town so that they could have a long term relationship for fields.

I am the one Bear refers to as 'used to rant' about social soccer in the midlands. With the merger that finally resulted in the midlands, there appears to be no more social soccer, nor selfish egos in the midlands. I venture to say that there exists in the lowcountry social soccer, egos, and selfishness that prevents the respective clubs from accomplishing what has been accomplished in the midlands. If the lowcountry ever came together as one, given the talents in coaching and players and great facilities, that CUFC and CESA would be fighting for second place in the state.

striker,

I think what the folks in the Low Country are looking for, with regard to the successful merger which became CUFC in the midlands, is this:

1. How many people took a pay cut?
2. How many people had to swallow their pride?

If the answer is "few".....then it should certainly be doable in the Charleston area. CESA and CUFC laid all the groundwork, all you have to do is follow the successful business model.

Since Challenge and Classic are divisions which both play state-wide, why not eliminate the confusion and just call it Challenge (or Classic) 1st Division and 2nd Division. Then there is no "stigma" attached to what level a child is playing at, everybody is playing "travel soccer". The only difference would be how competitive the team is.....whether it has earned the right to play Region Premier, 1st Division or 2nd Division.

Why not use a religation/promotion system? If you have 16 teams at an age group, go 8 and 8 with the top 2 moving up and the bottome 2 moving down. This way it will still be competitive and teams that want to move "up" to the first division have to prove that they are strong enough to do so. This would also eliminate teams "playing down" to win. if you were the 1st place team, you would move up (thought I would throw that in, because of another thread that talked about an undefeated team playing classic instead of challenge in the spring).

Hurst.... Amen. It does mean that you should install a promotion/relegation system ala NC.

FOR THE RECORD...CID I was typing while you entered your comment

In most of the age groups it may be doable (some may not have the numbers)... I would also limit the challenge league to 8 teams, 2 of which do not make the state cup as the premier teams come back and are relegated to the classic league and the classic league champion and runner up are promoted. Apply the same requirement as premier league does on the players coming back (I think it is 60%)

Of course none of this has anything to do with the thread but thoughts anyway...

And Coach Chass... for sure the low country has plenty of talent to make an A, B, C team in the same age group... But as stated by some it is not usually little Johnny that has the issue it is usually mom & dad who think Johnny should be in the A team and not the C and therefore I'll start my own club and bring the one coach who gives me the answer I want to hear...

Parents do not tend to grow up in soccer until they hit U15. By that point you have seen and learned enough to know it when you see it.... I'll give you a true example a parent was overhead boasting about their child at an ODP training session (won this and that). Now granted the child might have had an off day, but it was clear to those around, that the child was out of their comfort zone. Instead of praising the child for trying their best, the parent lashed out because the child had not tried hard enough...maybe/maybe not...I think it had more to do with the parent's embarrasement because of what he said.

People like these are the ones that end up getting involved for personal reasons and end up with the egos that prevent progress. IMO, this is why CESA's Tormey and Hislop have been succesful.