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OK. I guess I'm too much of a simpleton to get all this. I just thought that state boundries would carry more weight than district and that this could be used as a precedent.

How does the absorption of the rock hill club going to better the soccer in the area. Isn't this another example of an "evil empire" getting stronger. Does this not hurt Discoveries? I don't follow the logic you are giving me.

What are you talking about? Absorption of Rock Hill Club? Discoveries? What does this have to do with what we're talking about, which is.....

We're talking about why CESA opening shop in Columbia isn't necessarily a good thing for competition on a Statewide basis.

Strategically its a great move on CESA's part....they already have 1 worthy competitor in Bridge. Diluting the Columbia market adds players for CESA while minimizing the probability of another unified Club coming out of a metro area to challenge their dominance, ala Bridge.

Big Daddy: I think I see what you are saying. You feel that the SCYSA should take steps to make South Carolina soccer more competitive regardless of what those steps might do to competitiveness outside of the state.

Given this logic, I'm thinking of writing an appeal to stop allowing South Carolina players to play outside of South Carolina. After all, we need more parity within South Carolina; by disallowing kids on state borders from going to other states those South Carolina clubs near the borders will be better able to compete in South Carolina.

What do you think? I really like it -- as long as we're going to deny South Carolina kids choice inside the state it makes sense to deny them choice outside of the state as well. And the really good news is that given the disregard for their own bylaws and the randomness of their decisions, I think there's a good chance of getting an SCYSA committee to make this happen!

I still want to know how these mystical "Regional Boundaries" are created. Can I find these online? Can one club buy up real estate to expand their options? Could they partner up with Remax?

Don't know "how" they were created but here they are,
Bylaw 322. GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OF DISTRICTS

Section 1: The Piedmont District is defined as - East of Georgia /South Carolina border. West of US 321 from NC border to SC 121 at Chester. SC 121 from Chester to Johnson. US 25 from Johnson to I - 20.
North of I - 20. South of the SC/Georgia border.

Section 2: The Mid-State District is defined as - Eastern boundary of Piedmont District west of I - 95, but not to exclude the Florence Soccer Association. North of the SC/Georgia border. South of the NC / SC border.

Section 3: The Coastal District is defined as - East of I - 95. West of the Atlantic Ocean. North of the SC/Georgia border. South of the NC / SC border.

Section 4. The districts may be realigned or new districts established by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.

Chico, you have got to be kidding me. Who do you think you are fooling, talking about choice?

I made the point in an earlier post about the number of CLubs in Columbia area already. Its not as if there is only one.

Hypothetically.....if a really really good player moved into the Upstate, lets say.....Duncan. And lets say this kid was not only ODP level, but good enough to make a regional team. His choices to play are.....one?

Your argument isn't about underpriveledged kids or choice. All you want is the upper hand.

And I stand by my comments about CESA. I don't begrudge them for they attempted. In fact I give them props for being creative and proactive. But like DeNiro said in the Deer Hunter, "Dis is dis." Don't dress this up as something other than what it was. The poor kids from Columbia will figure out how to get 'r done on the pitch.

And Chico.....what do you want to bet that there are as many kids playing out of state for CESA as there are SC kids playing where my kids play? Same with Bridge....Aiken, Hilton Head, etc.

Please don't confuse parental freedom of choice with organizational behaviour which is both predatory and oligopolic.

FINALLY--Someone who is not drinking the "red" kool-aid! Big Daddy--thank you for hitting the nail on the head with your comments. Your comment in regards to CESA's attempt to set up shop in the Midlands "has nothing to do with increasing competition, and everything to do with minimizing competition and consolidating control" most likely has more merit than most folks would like to admit.

kdlsc,

thanks......i love it when i run off on a tangent and then find out afterwards there are really facts to my crazed opinions!!!

>>Chico, you have got to be kidding me. Who do you think you are fooling, talking about choice?

I made the point in an earlier post about the number of CLubs in Columbia area already. Its not as if there is only one.<<

There are more SCYSA affiliated clubs in the Greenville and Charleston areas than the Columbia area. Moreover, if you denominate by population, the gap grows larger.

This causes your "point" that you made in the earlier post to be precisely as accurate as your contention that CASL NC and CASL VA are unrelated clubs.

>>Hypothetically.....if a really really good player moved into the Upstate, lets say.....Duncan. And lets say this kid was not only ODP level, but good enough to make a regional team. His choices to play are.....one?<<

Depends on where they move and how far they want to travel. I know of ODP kids in the upstate that play at CESA...but also that play at CFC, USA, CASC, and outside of the state in Atlanta.

>>Your argument isn't about underpriveledged kids or choice. All you want is the upper hand.<<

I actually want two things. First, I'd like Columbia area kids to have more choice than they have today. Secondly, I'd like to see soccer penetration increase dramatically in South Carolina -- which to me means hitting the underserved markets in the metropolitan areas.

I've been posting for several years on this theme of the need for soccer to penetrate underserved markets; it's not a newly created whim designed solely to buttress some recent argument.

>>And I stand by my comments about CESA. I don't begrudge them for they attempted. In fact I give them props for being creative and proactive. But like DeNiro said in the Deer Hunter, "Dis is dis." Don't dress this up as something other than what it was. The poor kids from Columbia will figure out how to get 'r done on the pitch. <<

When you say things like this, it is vaguely reminiscent of Marie Antoinette and her "Let them eat cake." remark. South Carolina has a lower penetration rate than almost any other Region III state. Our soccer teams are almost entirely made up of relatively affluent caucasian kids. And yet you somehow believe that the "poor kids" will figure out how to play socccer -- somehow. I guess you leave the details of that to someone else, huh?