'INCOME' - I think most of the club or rec dept income comes from the micro/rec/classic initiatives. Club Coaches would be forgoing minimal income by turning the challenge and premier levels over to BFA.
'STATUS' - This is the sticking point [on behalf of the club's perspective] that prevents the alliance. The Club's DOC will not make the decision - the players/families will. The players will only make this decision when 1) BFA obtains "CENTRALLY LOCATED" fields of good quality and 2) MPSC can no longer field a competitive Challenge/Premier team.
MPSC's 2006/2007 team's:
U17 was competitive in CLASSIC not CHALLENGE
U16 was not competitive at CHALLENGE
U15 is PREMIER
U14 is competitive at CHALLENGE
U13 is competitive at CHALLENGE
MPSC's rising U15s and below will make up competitive STATE CHALLENGE teams but are not strong enough to compete at the PREMIER level. The goal of the Alliance is to BUILD lowcountry teams that could showcase the best talent we have to offer and compete at the REGION Level, and of course, that's what aspiring CHALLENGE players want, right?
So, it really doesn't matter what the MPSC DOC or any other Club DOC says or does, IT'S UP TO THE PLAYER/PARENT TO JOIN THE ALLIANCE! That said, BFA must offer significant incentives to draw upon the individuals [not force a cooperation between clubs]. The incentives are: 1) better coaching, 2) central location, location, location, 3) better facilities, and 4) better opportunities (e.g. programs that expose players to college recruiting). BFA currently offers better coaching than most clubs, location is not good, facilities are adequate, minimal (local) recruiting exposure. Address these four issues and BFA will draw the best players in the region and you won't need an Alliance!
