SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Region 3 Premier league Fall 07

One Lowcountry team earned the right to play in The Premier League next fall. I call that dismall compared to the representation we had several years ago.

Congratulations to the two U-13 Bridge teams today. Hopefully that is indicative of the program moving in the right direction.

You are wrong in your interpretation. Player development is the number one thing I've always advocated on these posts.

I enjoy when people talk of "dominance" and "championships." The only way you can achieve that is not by just wanting it real bad, everyone wants to win real bad, but by developing players enough to achieve the results that obtain "dominance" and "championships."

The most important thing needed for player development is for good players to have good players to train and play against as much as possible. In addition, are good trainers and coaches to go with that.

The Bridge FA has a very good staff and a large amount of the top players in the area. But, yes, they need the small percent of players they don't have to compete consistently with a club like CESA who's doing a better job of attracting a larger talent pool with its quality coaching staff.

And, the small percent of players not at the Bridge FA aren't not coming because of lack of "services." It's the tough decision of club loyalty and leaving friends behind that's the reason. Here, again, is where an honest DOC or coach should convince them what's best for their future is to join the top situation for them personally, which in every age and every gender, is Bridge FA.

Only TWO "services" truly matter to develop top players: 1) other top players and 2) top coaches. All other "services" like college programs, sponsoring all-star, high school and ODP events/games, etc, etc are secondary bells, whistles and, for that matter, excuses for other people from clubs outside Charleston to keep Bridge FA at odds with their Lowcountry counterparts.

Chico, you say that you've "grown tired of trying to make the argument to Beezer and others that the best mechanism for Bridge to attract players from other clubs is to offer increasingly better and more comprehensive services to players."

While I agree that "better and more comprehensive services" is normally a wonderful idea, you need to keep in mind that the Bridge does not have pockets nearly as deep as CESA. I just don't see the DOC at Bridge driving a Land (or Range?) Rover anytime in the foreseeable future. All these services you refer to cost money. I suppose this is another wonderful Catch-22 - you have to spend money to get more players, but you can't get more money til you get more players.

But, specifically, in the case of Mt. Pleasant joining or not joining the Bridge FA, I do not believe that, at this point in time, services for players, of lack thereof, have anything to do with the issue. I believe it rests solely on the backs of a handful of people. There are plenty of people East of the Cooper who would love to be a part of the Bridge, and would love for their recreation department to embrace the “alliance” philosophy, but until that handful of people get past their egos and their “dislikes” for certain other people, it is not going to happen, more services or no.

Belligerant: Is that the wonderful smell of a red herring I detect?

I'm a bit confused. As an example, why do you need automobiles to run spring training and a full spring program for U15+ that includes college scrimmages as well as inter-club scrimmages at the various colleges? Do you raise automobiles as a factor because you believe that it's necessary to bribe your coaches/administrators to do so with automobiles? If this is what it takes, what I'd recommend is going to a local automobile dealership and making a deal with them exchanging automobile leasing rights for a sponsorship. Seems kind of strange to me, but I guess that's just a different way of doing things.

Coach Chass...Thank you for keeping it real..If the players at CUSC and MPSC want to play at BFA..They will come because they choose to not because their club might join an alliance and now if they want to play challenge they are forced to join BFA...Nobody is forcing people to stay home..it's all about choices..I for one can say that the best training my child has received thus far..came from Charleston United...Hands down

Coach Grist and his U14 girls took both CESA 92 and Bridge 92 to two overtime games this weekend...I am sure some stood up and took notice..

Yep...any game that goes down to an overtime decision would seem to warrant respect for both sides.

Chico, there is no red herring here, honestly. I raised the issue of automobiles because it seemed like a good example (to me, at least) of the kind of sponsorships that CESA has that allow them to offer these "better and more comprehensive services" you speak of.

Now, Land Rovers aren't exactly my thing, but a quick glance on the web shows them going from the 30s all the way up to well over $80k. Admittedly, I have absolutely no idea what the Land Rover sponsorship consists of. Heck, maybe there is no cash involved, merely the use of some vehicles for a period of time. And, I am by no means faulting CESA for these sponsorships - personally, I think it’s pretty awesome. But, I certainly am not suggesting any sort of bribes to anyone - for you to suggest that is fairly ridiculous.

Again, I contend that the activities you mention - “spring training and a full spring program for U15+ that includes college scrimmages as well as inter-club scrimmages” cost money, and plenty of it. Sure, the Bridge could run out and drum up forty or fifty thousand dollars in sponsorships – that should not be a problem (dang, why didn’t anyone think of that BEFORE), but until that mysterious cash cow is discovered, you have to work with what you have.