Cold&Hard,
Well, it looks like you might actually get IT….but, that only makes me wonder why you have such a problem with The Bridge FA. Is it actually The Bridge, or certain people associated with The Bridge?
For the parent of a Rec player, and many Classic players, they probably have no interest whatsoever in the Bridge. This is mainly because they don’t see their child ever playing at that level, and they have not put enough thought into the higher levels of soccer to think it might concern them in some way. If you would have asked me several years ago if I could ever see myself spending so much time and money on soccer, I would have told you that you were crazy. But, as I have seen my child continue to grow, I have change my views considerably.
I don’t know about the numbers you threw out (Rec and Classic vs Challenge), but they seem reasonable to me. And, yes, I agree with you….the Bridge is for a chosen few. But, the wording makes it sound like it is an elitist organization, which it is not. It is merely another option for those players who want and/or need to play at a higher level of competition. It is a choice AVAILABLE to them.
If a Mt. Pleasant player comes and tries out for a Bridge team, but does not make it, chances are he/she will go back to Mt. Pleasant. Same with a SSC player. But, the point is that these players who DO want to play at a higher level now have a choice. Sure, SSC had Challenge teams before, and most of the Bridge teams now may be made up of a majority of former SSC players, but like I said, this whole thing takes time.
A good example would be the Bridge FA 91 Boys team. They have always been a fair team. When they went to the Bridge, they made some player changes, got a new coach, and have since added at least one player from Mt. Pleasant and a few from the Hilton Head area. This is a whole different team now. I have seen this team before and after these changes, and I can tell you that this team is now a serious contender for the State Cup. It has taken a couple years, and a lot of frustration for a lot of people, but it is now paying off.
I disagree that it is ALL about winning…..another example…..the Bridge FA 92 Boys Red team. They are a true U12 team playing in the U13 Challenge division. Last year, while they were playing in their own age group, they faced virtually no competition in this state, and killed everyone. They chose to move up a year this past season, and finally faced serious competition. For playing up a year, they did very well. They finished the Fall season in 6th place out of 13 teams. If it was all about winning for them, they would have stayed where they were.
I’m not sure where you get the “getting the most for their dollar” from. I am paying more now for the Bridge than I was at SSC, but nothing has really changed, except for the name of the club.
I think what the Alliance member clubs get out of being a part of The Bridge is that they can then claim part of the success of The Bridge FA. Summerville Soccer Club can now use The Bridge FA as a recruitment tool. The more successful The Bridge becomes, the more people who want to play for them. If they try out for a Bridge team, but don’t make it, maybe they stay at SSC.
Sure, SSC was doing okay before the Bridge, and sure, Mt. Pleasant was doing okay before the Bridge. But, there are a lot of people who feel that “okay” is not good enough. Prime example is CESA. St. Giles and GFC were doing fine before their merger, but what happened after the merger? They went from pretty good to great. Since not every club in the Charleston area has joined The Bridge, it will take a little longer to show that the concept is a good one.
Another example of how The Bridge might help SSC. I spoke to the parent of a player on one of Stratford’s soccer teams. The player wore a Bridge t-shirt most every day to tryouts. The parent told me that other players constantly came up to their son with positive comments about The Bridge. These are all players who have only ever played Goose Creek Rec or for GCU. If some of these curious players decide to come out for a Bridge team in a few months, maybe some that don’t make it will decide to stay with SSC. Again, only time will tell.
The way I see it, SSC originally had the choice to either embrace and accept the Bridge FA concept, or simply lose players to it. Mt. Pleasant, so far, has chosen to NOT embrace The Bridge, and they will continue to lose players until someone over there in a position of authority realizes that it is only hurting them to not join. Mt. Pleasant will not be able to compete at the higher levels of soccer by themselves. They will have to join forces with someone else, whether it be The Bridge, or another club. I don’t see them hooking up with SSC (which is one reason the Bridge was formed) so that pretty much leaves one other group.
If a family moves into the Charleston area and decides to look at SSC for their soccer needs, SSC can tell them, “we offer rec, classic, and as a member of The Bridge FA, challenge – of which we have won several state cups recently.
If the same family decides to look at Mt. Pleasant, they get a similar story, but no option of a challenge program that has shown such success recently at the State level.
True, the State is only so big, but it will be a LONG time before the Charleston area's soccer resources are max'd out.
Yes, the truth does hurt sometimes….but, only to those who care, and only to those who choose to ignore the obvious. Rec and Classic players who have no interest in playing at a higher lever of soccer could care less about the Bridge, and their parents typically do not think about the big picture like the higher level players’ parents do. When my son played Rec, all I cared about was paying my $25, getting a t-shirt, and watching my boy play. Now that I see what he can do, the sky is the limit….high school Varsity, College, Pro? Who knows, but at least we are thinking about it…..and we now have options….
