Thanks LeGrazie and others for your kind words. Also to scsoccer who raises some interesting questions that deserve a response.
Firstly, I am not the only one who thinks there is enough room for another club, trust me. We have a host involved in this new adventure and when we started planning this last year, we quickly bumped into two other outfits looking to open a new club (east of the Cooper) and so we merged our efforts into one.
I am intimately aware of the operations of both the City of Charleston and DISA in our area. I have the highest regard for both organizations and have children who have played in both programs. In addition I coached for a number of years on DI with the City and one of our board members still does. Yes we did talk with the City in an effort to combine our operations especially with regard to the little ones and internal programs and got a luke warm reception. The City as you probably know plays their rec level soccer in the MP SCAP program or at least did when I coached. The frustrating part about their operations (at that time) is that we could not play in post season tournaments or move to a higher level for those kids who needed a little more.
By the sounds of it, you know the typical path for these kids which is leave the City program and move to MPSC (long drive to Patriots Point). Unless you want to invest in a higher level of local soccer and DISA. There is a big gap between the City rates and DISA. More on DISA in a moment but let me conclude why the City is not the answer for developmental talent. Actually let me just point you to their summer camp program where the highlight for Daniel Island is Hip Hop and Lacrosse. This points to a more serious concern than adequate developmental soccer programs with the City. Partnering with municipalities means you probably lose control of your playing fields and have to abide by political decisions that often hurt soccer in general. I’m sure some of you reading this know what I mean with this statement.
I did personally reach out to DISA long before we moved too far, and the guys over there have been very supportive of what we are trying to do. I consider their coaches some of the best around and I enjoyed my families’ time with them. Top notch outfit and wish them all the luck, especially Stephen and his Hurricanes. I do not consider us in competition with them, or anyone else for that matter. Ours is a nonprofit organization and by definition this means we do not want or are allowed to make a dime of our efforts increasing the reach of soccer and youth sports in general. I am sure over time some of their kids might come to our Club and some of ours move on to theirs and if it is in the desire of the parents and players to do that, good for them. I anticipate a healthy and mutually beneficial partnership with all our local clubs.
As for targeting the same kids, possibly but like so many soccer programs, I suspect success at recruiting will come from a good reputation, a fair price, treating everyone with respect, and a strong program. Seems to me DISA has nothing to worry about, and I can assure you we will not either.
Do I think DISA is too expensive? You are talking to the same guy who played soccer in the streets growing up. The City of Charleston micro program at $30 is too expensive to me. What is important should be value for money and not the amount of the check you write. All Clubs (even ours) need to cover their expenses, whether it is with top rated coaches, superior fields, comfortable clubhouses, full time staff, or just underwriting scholarships. Each Club sets its prices based on a mixed bag of criteria and who am I to say what is right. I will say what is most important to me is that soccer should be accessible to all whether that is with low rate fees or full scholarships. I can guarantee you that DISA and our Club honor this sentiment.
Lastly, we do not intend to lure teams away from other clubs but I suspect some will come based on our mission and their relationship with some of our coaches. At least a number of players might want to follow a coach they are comfortable and happy with. We put that line in as we want to keep our options open, and support our own children who will grow old with the Club. As long as soccer keeps growing at the pace it is, and we are all successful in embracing a new group of youth to the game, additional clubs should be encouraged and not questioned. Bottom line. We will bring facilities and opportunity for the game to grow at a grass roots level. The best clubs will flourish and only those without strong leadership and goals need worry, but that is just as true in any form of business or life.
