| " The only loser in this environment is the player" |
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| on 08 Nov 2006 | |
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This email came to me this morning from Gregg Thompson of Placer United - I asked him for permission to post this on the Far Post Report. He agreed. Here is his letter which, we believe, could apply to many areas in the state and probably the country. Dear Administrators, Coaches, Parents, This confrontational escalation between San Juan and Placer is getting out of control. San Juan decides to boycott the Placer girls tournament, Placer plans to boycott the Cal Cup Tournament, clubs are not re-scheduling games to accommodate one another...it's getting worse and worse. We are all pleased with ourselves for retaliating and "one upping" the opposing club's coaches, teams and administrators but the only loser in this environment is the player. As was said in an earlier email, "aren't we all in this for the players?" In my opinion, Placer and San Juan are splitting a small pie. Separate, we are average northern California clubs, we both have strong teams in certain age groups; however; as separate clubs we are not even on the radar as being able to compete with the top clubs in the state. I've been coaching at Placer for 4 years and I'm so tired of "I hate San Juan" or "Placer is terrible", the back stabbing, the yelling & screaming at games and the manipulation...it's ridiculous. The infighting and political non-sense most of us coaches deal with is the main reason most of my peers from the '84 Olympic Team, 1985-86 National Team and fellow club coaches decide to move on to different careers. We have some excellent coaches at both clubs but their passion and love for the game erodes coaching in this environment. After a few years, our top coaches move on to more fulfilling jobs...out of soccer, a loss for all soccer participants/enthusiasts.I'm assuming parents, players and clubs participate in competitive soccer for a few reasons: develop the soccer player to the best of their abilities play a high level of soccer prepare players to compete at the regional or national level (get an opportunity for college soccer) have fun I believe a fair measuring stick of the quality of players we are developing in the area is reflected in the rosters of the 2006 Boys ODP 1990, 91, 92 & 93 Regional Teams and the 2005 Girls ODP 1991, 90 & 88 Regional Teams listed on the US Youth Soccer web site. The numbers speak for themselves. The Bay Area and southern CA players dominate the rosters as they do on the national teams. We may have differing opinions on why the Bay Area and southern CA dominate our regional and national teams; however, the fact of the matter is that the clubs in S. Cal and the Bay Area are producing that level of player and the Sacramento area is not. I also think we can all agree that the current environment does little to contribute to player development. 2006 Regional Teams - Boys (from US Youth Soccer web site) 1990 (18 player roster) Southern CA players - 7 Sacramento Area players - 0 1992 (18 player roster) Southern CA players - 11 Sacramento Area players - 0 1993 (18 player roster) Southern CA players - 8 Sacramento Area players - 0 2005 ODP Regional Teams - Girls (from US Youth Soccer web site) 1991 (18 player roster) Southern CA & Bay Area players - 11 Sacramento Area players - 2 (Hannah Davidson & Ashley Mills Purkins) 1990 (18 player roster) Southern CA & Bay Area players - 7 Sacramento Area players - 1 (Mariam Azimi) 1988 (18 player roster) Southern CA & Bay Area players - 12 Sacramento Area players - 1 (Alexis Farler) After reviewing the rosters, somehow we manage to develop 1 or 2 girls to compete at a high level despite our efforts to destroy one another...unfortunately, even mustering 1 or 2 boys to compete at that level can't be said for the boys. Do I see a solution to this problem other than everyone putting aside their egos and focusing on what is important and that is the player and their development? In today's environment, definitely not. Do I hope things change? Definitely, I have 3 sons and 1 daughter in the system. My fear is 10 years from now, after my children have been through the system and I am no longer involved in soccer, I look at the rosters for the ODP players born in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and I see the same number of Sacramento area players reaching ODP regional and national teams. It is easy to pay lip service and act like we are making all attempts to resolve issues between the two clubs, it's easy to automatically point the finger at the other club, it's easy not to look in the mirror. Claiming club policy, board issues, etc. is nonsense, it's a way to hide behind decisions that are not for the benefit of the players. It would have been safe & easy for me to remain quiet, coach for a couple more years until my children are out of the system and move on; however, I hopeful there are people out there that agree with me and are in a position to do something about it. I'm sending this email to as many soccer people I know that may have some influence on the parties involved. If anyone out there that is in a position of influence to help us take steps forward, I urge you to do so; otherwise, we will continue with the same mediocrity as we have today. Options To Consider: Form a Super Club between San Juan and Placer Make one strong club in the Sacramento area that can potentially compete with clubs in southern CA. Allows us to have enough players within one club to make it financially sound allowing the club to: hire qualified, dedicated coaches. pay the coaches enough to ensure they attend 90%/95% of all practices and games. Turn the energy we have in competing against each other into energy developing players to compete at a high level and getting players on the ODP regional team and national teams. Keep the clubs separate but make "Player Development" a priority Whenever an issue, question or problem is discussed, ask the question: "What is best for the player?" If we ask that question to either club, the answer should be clear. If we let egos, policies and power cloud our decision making process, the player development priority always loses. Form a committee at Placer & San Juan that resolves conflicts between the two clubs...a committee that always makes player development a priority and has influence to make the right thing happen. Other ideas? Thanks for your time, Gregg Thompson Placer United |
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