Attention: Canadian Soccer Federation Steering Committee

I attended the first CSF Town Hall meeting on February 28, 2008. I heard many words spoken by a variety of people but, in my opinion, there was not enough discussion of the most obvious weakness in Canadian Soccer, our existing Soccer Club system. The answer to most of our problems in Canadian soccer is so simple and staring us in the face yet I see nothing being done to remedy the problem.

I remember my days as governor for the St. Andrews soccer club. I always wondered what the young players coming through that club would do after 18 years of age. I never really got the answer and it seems that it was not even a problem that people cared to discuss.

The problem is that in North America, for some very strange reason, and this applies in all sports, pro teams don't care about youth player development, period! These clubs have no youth systems, likely because it costs money. Soccer is different from all the other North American sports. The whole world is involved in our sport and they do invest in youth development. They have the whole structure properly set up. The rest of the world have clubs that are, as the CSF calls it, “full service clubs”. It must be mandatory that clubs in Canada have a youth system and senior teams. If this was in place, we would not have many of the problems we have today. The system has to be changed and changed drastically.

We must urge the CSA and our provincial organizations to change in order to clear the way for the growth of strong clubs system. It is vital. If not, nothing will change and we will always be a secondary soccer nation. We need a new club system that is set up to provide soccer for all ages. Player development must occur at the club level. We cannot compete against the rest of the world if we continue with the existing system. The current system is totally inadequate. It simply won't work. We know this.

The CSA and provincial associations should mandate that all clubs provide proper senior soccer, as well as youth team programs that feed the senior teams. It is my vision that these senior clubs will compete in leagues that are set up with a promotion/relegation system. This kind of arrangement will help us be able to compete against the best.

We need strong soccer clubs that serve their communities on all levels and enhance the spirit of those communities. I am originally from Holland and that’s how it is done there. Soccer is religion and a big part of the fibre of these towns and cities. I am convinced that this applies all around the world. We must develop this same system here in Canada. The story of soccer has not been told yet in this country. Once this new structure has been approved and sanctioned, bring ON the world.

I can't change anything by myself but my convictions are very strong. We don’t want more situations like Jonathan Deguzman or Owen Hargreaves and I am sure there are more who might make the same choice. These young men (and Canadian soccer) have benefited from the European Club system. It’s time we develop our own.

Your group, the CSF, should press for this direction and establish all the guidelines for the ultimate success of soccer. I suggest that you set up a study group that will provide extensive detail as to the real workings of a club and club system. I remember speaking about this in the late seventies and it was like speaking to a stone wall. I don’t believe the CSA and the provincial associations will ever take this approach because it is foreign to them. However, this approach is vital, especially if we all really care about soccer. The Europeans are not stupid. We should use their example as a guiding force for the future of Canadian soccer.

What happened here in Canada to be stuck with a non performing system and why has this been tolerated for so long? Why has no one ever questioned this? I suppose that money has a lot to do with it. We have witnessed that the demand for soccer in Canada is growing quickly and is just about second to none (take the TFC fans as an example). The need to improve the state of soccer from the ground up is tremendous but the system to make it happen simply is not there. We are in a very unique position to demand and also offer the solutions that will certainly help Canada attain a top position in soccer internationally.

Good luck.

John VanderKolk

Canadian Soccer Federation