Do we have a problem in the rural areas of South Carolina in Soccer?
Tonight I just had to cancel a match because we could not get a referee. This is not some rescheduled game that is a makeup from a rainout but a game on the schedule from the beginning. I generally have referee's travel 50-80 miles (a regular high cost expense on travel fees to the rural schools) to come to a regular season game, and our midlands scheduler tried everything this side of pulling one out of a hat or waving a magic wand to find one.
Thankfully we were able to call the opponents before they drove the 50+ miles to the match. But we have a critical shortage for referees.
In addition: Ridge-Spring Monetta & Blackville-Hilda (1A schools) have both had to cancel their programs due to a lack of players. (** most shocking since Blackville-Hilda was just recently in the 1A State Championship game less than 2 years ago) Both cancelled their programs after the season started, leaving many teams like mine to scramble to replace those games. I now hear that Denmark-Olar may be also on the edge of folding, having already canceled a game yesterday.
Why is it that the 1A & 2A divisions have multiple regions that have only 1-3 schools with soccer teams? Are we not spreading the gospel of the great game?
For those who love the game and have dedicated many a year to its growth, are we in a down cycle? Are we missing something? Are we losing ground to other interests? I hope I'm not seeing a trend in the wrong direction.
What do you see?
