SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP PMSL Fee

Where is the outrage?

PMSL registration fee went from $225 last season to $350 this season. Any time I am subjected to a 55% price increase, I expect some sort of explanation. At the least the oil companies made a token effort at explaining the market dynamics behind gas prices. So far, I’ve been unable to find any discussion about this latest price gouging from SCYSA or the PMSL director.

I can only assume that in addition to a name change for PMSL, we will be experiencing 55% better customer service this year.

Any thoughts on this?

PS. The bond went up 150%, so be sure you don’t do anything contrary to the rules this year.

I agree. I asked the same thing last week to a couple of club coaches/administrators. Seems like an explanation would be forthcoming -- maybe at the President's Meeting August 5th this will be discussed.

Man, I miss those Presidents Meetings.

;>) Good luck.

[Preface: A more detailed discussion of SCYSA financials can be found at this link.]

Here's some information that I hope can be discussed at the President's Meeting among the clubs and the SCYSA.



The most interesting things are as follows:

• Top-line revenue growth was 14% for the last two years while top-line expenses grew at 18%.
  
• Sponsorship revenue has declined 56% in the last two years.
  
• As I understand it, the marketing and publications expense item should go down drastically due to the switch to electronic media.
  
• From 2003-2005, insurance costs rose 130%!
  
• Administrative costs rose drastically (39%) as did directors expenses (30%).
  
• The SCYSA can continue losing money for years to come with no threat to their solvency. Their cash position on May 31, 2005 was $303,426; down from $328,656 in 2004 and down from $335,515 in 2003.
  

Earlier this year I asked about a decline over the last few years of 3000 registered players from the SCYSA. It turned out that the actual number is flat to only slightly declining. However, the fact is that the SCYSA, who has a mission to promote and develop youth soccer, has not added registered players at any significant rate in the last few years. Instead, it has increased fees to increase revenue while increasing expenses at an even faster rate.

If I were at the President's meeting, here are the questions I would ask of the SCYSA:

• What are you doing about containing your spending, particularly discretionary spending such as administrative costs and director's expenses?
  
• What are you doing about the skyrocketing insurance payments? What agencies/companies have you requested competing bids from and what are the spreads of those bids?
  
• What is your plan to increase the number of registered players?
  
• There appears to be the possibility that in the future one or more clubs will take 4000+ recreation players out of the SCYSA; what are your contingency plans for this besides raising rates on all remaining clubs and players?
  

>>[lurker] Where is the outrage?

PMSL registration fee went from $225 last season to $350 this season. Any time I am subjected to a 55% price increase, I expect some sort of explanation. At the least the oil companies made a token effort at explaining the market dynamics behind gas prices. So far, I’ve been unable to find any discussion about this latest price gouging from SCYSA or the PMSL director.

I can only assume that in addition to a name change for PMSL, we will be experiencing 55% better customer service this year.

Any thoughts on this?

PS. The bond went up 150%, so be sure you don’t do anything contrary to the rules this year.<<

I'm not sure whether you're actually being serious or not, so I'll treat this as a serious post.

I don't think you're being charged for additional features or functionality of PMSL. I think you're being charged because of the fact that the SCYSA has been running at a deficit for the last few years. That, coupled with the SCYSA's latest board minutes where they're talking about buying and building Columbia-based fields and facilities, indicates an organization that has to increase revenues or decrease expenses drastically. I've seen no indication of any sustained interest in reducing expenses drastically (witness the administrative and director's expenses line items.)

In running any type of corporate entity, profit- or non-profit-based, you make fundamental assumptions concerning revenue and expenses. You can try to increase revenue by increasing customers or increasing the average fee paid per customer. Since the SCYSA isn't increasing its numbers of registered players, if it wants more revenue it has to increase the average fee paid per customer -- hence the increase in fees.

I've got to tell you; it seems to me as an "SCYSA watcher" that it's going to get worse. These folks are looking to spend even more and at the same time I'm seeing nothing to indicate a focus on a dramatic increase in registered players. And US Club Soccer is increasingly going to look attractive to clubs as the per-player fees continue to increase; thus potentially harming the SCYSA registered player count and causing a significant increase in fees.

If I ran the SCYSA, I'd do the following:

• Immediately launch new programs to increase the registered player count.
  
• Create a harsh, zero-based expense structure that lowered my discretionary spending by at least 25%-50%.
  

What clubs are members of US Club Soccer? What clubs not already affiliated would consider a move to USCS in order to cut our costs at the club level?

Chico,

As much as I appreciate your analysis, I want OUTRAGE, not analysis.

I agree with your observations concerning SCYSA's financial condition, but what I'm interested in is the relationship between PMSL and SCYSA. For the last 3 years, I've made out a check payable to PMSL. I never really knew where that money went, or what I got for it beyond a schedule and use of Hotstat software. This year, I made out a check payable to SCYSA. I still don't know what I get for that money. It doesn't include referee fees, we're responsible for putting together our own schedules, field usage fees cannot even approach the total cost, etc. In previous years, I just assumed that someone who lives in Greenville was making a good living running this league. Now I think that I'm subsidizing a lot more people and a lot more projects that don't directly concern me.

Like I said, if I can't get answers, then I reserve the right to climb on my soapbox and rant.

Kevin Heise: The clubs I've heard are affiliated with USCS are Bridge, CESA, LCSC, and MPSC. There could be more.

I know that CUFC has in its bylaws the rights to affiliate with USCS but I don't know if they've actually done it.

If it would help clubs to manage their costs and thus make soccer more available to more South Carolina kids, I'd personally gladly volunteer time, energy, and financial support to pull kids out of PMSL and into a new South Carolina USCS league.

lurker: I guess what I'd like to see, beyond analysis or outrage, is actually for clubs to change their behavior to take responsibility for their own destiny. Clubs are the front-line entities for making youth soccer successful in South Carolina -- and yet most seem stuck on auto-pilot writing the checks each year without thinking about what those checks are for. I'm thrilled you're asking about the value associated with your check -- I just hope once you're over the initial outrage that you'll take the next step and do something about it. That "something" could be changing the behavior of the SCYSA through activism or elections or it could be the creation of non-SCYSA leagues.

I don't think that there's anything inherently wrong with the SCYSA; but I don't see much progressive thinking and action from the organization in terms of promoting and developing youth soccer in South Carolina. The organization seems ossified -- probably due to a combination of a lack of competition and a board of directors that seems insular and to some degree inbred. I'd like to see the SCYSA-affiliated clubs actually take their outrage and turn it into action.

This is a little off the beaten path for PMSL, but the same group sanctions it, so be it!

2005 Revenue & Expenses
REGISTRATION = $267,262 & $33,233 = (+) $234,029
TOURNAMENTS = $134,975 & $103,669 = (+) $31,126
CLINICS = $23,945 & $16,606 = (-) $7,339
ODP = $210,706 & $226,296 = (-) $15,590

So, without the "Sponsorships" and "Other", which are not listed under SCYSA Expenses, then the SCYSA made a $265,155 profit with expenses of $22,929 for a difference of $242,226. Is that necessary? Where is the benefit for the SCYSA players and coaches? Looks to me like a lot has gone to the administrators, of which regular and local board members are not allowed to be paid.

Also, should ODP coaches get paid for their services? After all, they are providing a service to the state of South Carolina soccer community -- something many didn't do without some sort of stipend or salary. What happened to 'progressing the sport'?

One more thing, does the SCYSA Executive Board answer to anyone? I mean, league name changes, sponsorship deals, schedules, etc., get passed by the buck at that level, but does this group every answer soccer questions to anyone?