>>[lurker] Where is the outrage?

PMSL registration fee went from $225 last season to $350 this season. Any time I am subjected to a 55% price increase, I expect some sort of explanation. At the least the oil companies made a token effort at explaining the market dynamics behind gas prices. So far, I’ve been unable to find any discussion about this latest price gouging from SCYSA or the PMSL director.

I can only assume that in addition to a name change for PMSL, we will be experiencing 55% better customer service this year.

Any thoughts on this?

PS. The bond went up 150%, so be sure you don’t do anything contrary to the rules this year.<<

I'm not sure whether you're actually being serious or not, so I'll treat this as a serious post.

I don't think you're being charged for additional features or functionality of PMSL. I think you're being charged because of the fact that the SCYSA has been running at a deficit for the last few years. That, coupled with the SCYSA's latest board minutes where they're talking about buying and building Columbia-based fields and facilities, indicates an organization that has to increase revenues or decrease expenses drastically. I've seen no indication of any sustained interest in reducing expenses drastically (witness the administrative and director's expenses line items.)

In running any type of corporate entity, profit- or non-profit-based, you make fundamental assumptions concerning revenue and expenses. You can try to increase revenue by increasing customers or increasing the average fee paid per customer. Since the SCYSA isn't increasing its numbers of registered players, if it wants more revenue it has to increase the average fee paid per customer -- hence the increase in fees.

I've got to tell you; it seems to me as an "SCYSA watcher" that it's going to get worse. These folks are looking to spend even more and at the same time I'm seeing nothing to indicate a focus on a dramatic increase in registered players. And US Club Soccer is increasingly going to look attractive to clubs as the per-player fees continue to increase; thus potentially harming the SCYSA registered player count and causing a significant increase in fees.

If I ran the SCYSA, I'd do the following:
  • Immediately launch new programs to increase the registered player count.
  • Create a harsh, zero-based expense structure that lowered my discretionary spending by at least 25%-50%.