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From the GFC web site:

Upstate Premier Soccer Clubs Form SC Largest Club
Upstate Premier Youth Soccer Clubs to Form States Largest Club April 1, 2004 --- Greenville, South Carolina --- For immediate release The Greenville Futbol Club (GFC) and St. Giles United Soccer Club (SGUSC), the Upstates premier youth soccer clubs, will merge in the FALL 2004, forming Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA) the largest youth soccer club in South Carolina. The Boards of the two clubs agreed to merge following a series of extensive exploratory meetings. The merger process will involve implementing operational guidelines and financial management procedures. Officials with both clubs will also be focusing on jointly developing mission statements, staff responsibilities, tournament and event management, as well as, registration information and communications. With a program that will encompass over 2500 players ranging in ages from 4 19, the club will focus on developing an organizational structure that will be equally beneficial to players at the recreation, classic and elite levels. Player evaluation and team selection processes are being formulated for all facets of the program for teams that will take to the field in the FALL of 2004. According to Pearse Tormey, Executive Director of Coaching and Administration for SGUSC: Both clubs have experienced rapid growth and significant success over the past few years. We have both been involved in other mergers, campaigns to develop field complexes, and increased tournament commitments. It was natural that we would look beyond being competitors to becoming partners. The discussions we have had about merging have been very positive and the carefully planned steps we have agreed to will guarantee a smooth transition into one club. Andrew Hyslop, Director of Coaching for GFC, added: Greenville Futbol Club and St Giles United Soccer Club each provide a full range of services for youth soccer players. It makes sense for our clubs to come together in order to offer the best possible soccer opportunities for families in the Upstate and beyond. As with any merger involving thousands of club members, there are numerous matters to review. We want each member of both clubs to feel that they benefit from the merger, which is why we are pleased that we have taken a step by step approach to the merger. SGUSC was formed in 2001 as the result of a merger between the St. Giles Soccer Club and the Upstate Girls Soccer Association. SGUSC currently provides programs for approximately 1,500 youth players and is the largest coed youth soccer club in the Upstate. It has its own soccer complex consisting of 10 soccer fields on 42 acres of property. GFC was formed in 2000 as the result of a merger between the Downtown Soccer Association and the Golden Strip Soccer Club. GFC currently provides programs for approximately 1,200 players and is the second largest coed youth soccer club in the Upstate. It has a soccer complex consisting of 5 soccer fields on 20 acres of property. For additional information, please contact: Andrew Hyslop [email protected] Pearse Tormey [email protected]

Wow. This should be interesting. Who will be the DOC?

Confusing Name. Academy implies residential, Elite is misleading if rec and classic are involved. I strongly support their consolidation and wish them the best of success. Hope they will read our thread on Vocabulary and Syntax.

P.S. Maybe Academy is a typo for Association

Here's why I liked the name when I first heard of it in the announcement. First, it seemed by using "Carolina" instead of the name of a city or church that these folks are implicitly claiming wider coverage -- something that it seemed like both GFC and SGU were doing in any case by having top teams with players from not only Columbia and Charleston but from Georgia and Tennessee as well. Secondly, by using "Elite" these folks seem to be calling out what their aspirations really are and what they are going to offer all of their players -- a chance if the player has the ambition and talent to play on an elite team that competes regionally and nationally with the best in the country. Thirdly, by using "Soccer" these guys stop using that "Futbol" term that confuses all of us here in the United States (just kidding here). In terms of "Academy", it seems like they're focusing on training/development. Of course, all of this is an incredibly ignorant opinion from someone who is also excited by their merger and wish them the best of success as well.

But all of these are nits as I sit here late at night writing this. The real reason I like "CESA" is that it isn't spelled "Duke" -- and in particular it isn't spelled "Connecticut" or "Okafor" -- because at this moment I can't go to sleep as I sit here in agony over the basketball game I just witnessed. I know this has nothing to do with soccer -- I just had to say it.

How is CESA gonna be pronounced? (SEE-SUH or CESS-SUH?) Oh well, I guess it doesnt matter.....but I don't know if I agree with all the prognosticators that this new club will dominate SC soccer statewide. There are still strong clubs in Aiken, MPSC, SSC & CSC. It would however, make state soccer more competitive if the Cola. clubs would merge, but I dont know if they want to go in that direction. I also don't know that the new CESA club will continue to attract Cola area players, at least with the boys side. It will now be even more competitive to make the best clubs at CESA, and if the guys who were going up to GFC/St. Giles teams stay in the midlands then the Cola teams will be just as strong as CESA. However, I do believe that CESA will pick up the best girls in the state who want to play at the highest level. There is currently only one girls state champ from midlands-CSC Burn Navy 89 Girls. If CSC can continue to strengthen its girls program in other age groups and challenge for other state titles, then it may be able to keep some of the best girls in the midlands. It appears that the only answer in the Cola area to the new merger with CESA, will have to come from CSC. This is the only area club with higher goals and aspirations. The other area clubs LSC/NECSA/CRSA just want to operate on a very small scale; producing good to average (at best) soccer teams, but not playing at a high level or in top tournaments. In the final analysis, maybe CESA will prove to be the best thing for Cola area soccer since the invention of the smiley-face ball. But the area clubs have to take the merger at CESA serious and work with CSC to strive for the highest level of soccer they can produce. If Cola area soccer remains the way it is now, with the several separate clubs; next fall CRSA, LSC, NECSA will all be struggling for wins; while CSC will be the only competitive Cola area club and battling CESA alone.

>> [2004striker] ...but I don't know if I agree with all the prognosticators that this new club will dominate SC soccer statewide.<<

I'm no prognosticator. Looking at the last 4 years, however, the clubs that constitute CESA have won 53% of all state titles combined [63% boys, 44% girls].

I think that you're right that the Columbia-area clubs have to do something to try to increase their competiveness. Is there any word on CSC's/Eddie Crosby's attempt to work on this? I thought that it was a wonderful idea and hope something good comes of it.

>>There is currently only one girls state champ from midlands...<<

A small nit: actually, there are 2: CSC [2003 U15] and Lexington [2003 U13]. But I think that your point is valid.

Good article on club selection:
http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/SetPieces/1080745002/view

The merger is kind of old news. Lots of us would have liked to have kept the St Giles in the name
only because it has been around for so long.
Now we get to buy all new uniforms. OH Boy!!

Does anyone know how the MPSC Freedom has done this season? They did'nt play during the season
but they are going to play in the State Cup Tourney. This is a U12 Girls team.

This is a very good article about choosing a club!

While the merger is now "public by both clubs boards" there is still much to do. DOCs, Tormey and Hyslop are spending long days regarding details of the new club then long evenings continuing with the spring season...there continues to be far to much incorrect speculation on details that are yet to be announced, but the unanimous support of the boards and overwhelming positive comments by parents seem to convey the swell of excitement for CESA is going to be amazing. The organizational structure to support rec soccer alone will be unmatched in SC, the same will apply to the classic program.
The two clubs bring together exactly what is needed to raise SC soccer "at every competetive level" to a new plateau...you'll be interested to see more specifics unfold in the next 60 days, "it won't be your fathers" club.

BobF

>>[2004striker] [from the article] What is the club's approach to team vs. player development? Some say if a team would be totally affected by one player moving up to another age level, then it's time to move that player. If you find that hard to accept, you may want to consider your own approach to the youth game, is it about developing players or about winning matches now.<<

Thanks tremendously for the link. I pulled out my favorite piece from the article; the "team versus player" dynamic is really tough to quantify and yet I think it's incredibly important. The concept of putting a player ahead of a team, rather than trying to tactically strengthen each team regardless of player needs, is a tough one -- but it seems to me to be incredibly critical. Every player wants to play on a winning team, and every coach wants teams to win, but when it comes down to it a major component of the quality of a club is whether it as an organized entity will put in place policies that will sacrifice short-term wins for longer-term player development [that in time should lead to a longer-term winning percentage given proper attention a club's developmental pipeline].

Thanks again for the link...