"If the club model is not based on player development, how long do you really think they are going to succeed?"
An interesting question. What exactly is the club model? And how do clubs define success? Clubs have different missions and measure themselves accordingly.
I know of clubs that exist because they want to grow and deepen the player pool for the local high schools they serve.
I know of clubs that exist becasue they are trying to bring competitve soccer to kids who currently can't afford to play.
Big clubs like CESA and SCU.....exist to be all things to their customers. To a Premier family......the objective is to win, period. States, Regions, Nationals. Thats why they recruit kids in from outside of their normal area. To a Challenge family it might be to provide value via reasonably high quality training and competition without the cost and pressure of being on a Premier team. CESA is also focussed on building large recreational and adult programs.
Those are 3 different club models who would absolutely define "success" differently. And while development is a part of all three.....where it pegs out from a priority perspective is going to differ. If your objective is to win....then development,while important, still takes a back seat to the more quantifiable objective of winning.
Its interesting to me in looking at USSF Academy rosters in Charlotte......to see the number of kids who cut their teeth at smaller clubs. Not a majority by any means....but still a surprisingly high number.
