LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I applaud Colin Elmes for shedding light on the important parts missing in the BCSA Discussion Paper
May 17, 2010
Dear Soccer Members,
I applaud Colin Elmes for shedding light on the important parts missing in the BCSA Discussion Paper. (Colin Elmes of the TSS Academy Responds to the BCSA Discussion Paper)
Yes, the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) did vote to include the Soccer Academy Alliance of Canada (SAAC) as an Associate Member. Yes, this OSA vote is of huge importance to the BCSA discussion. Further to this is the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) clarification of FIFA's Amendments (Article 19 and 19bis). Also what FIFA actually said and did with respect to their mandated amendments.
Please read the following links for your information:
OSA votes SAAC as an Associate Member - Examiner.com
CSA responds to FIFA Amendments (Protection of Minors) - BCSA web site
To include soccer schools, academies and the like is logical step in the development of soccer in Canada as we all should be teaching from the same page and working together by using CSA's LTPD. After all, the LTPD has it's roots and mandate from Sports Canada -
"Sport Canada strives to enhance opportunities for all Canadians to participate and excel in sport. This is achieved by enhancing the capacity and coordination of the Canadian sport system, encouraging participation in sport and enabling Canadians with talents and dedication to achieve excellence in international sport."
I welcome Colin's statement "Giving players the right to choose
is what holds our feet to the fire" as that is what we should be
doing as soccer administrators and program developers. But are we when we say clubs, club academies and other district
entities that have paid staff and coaches should have protected
commercial territories. Further let's not forget the
landscape of clubs is changing to cradle to grave models where youth and
adults are in the same club. This is not only to afford members a better
development model but better services that are usually paid for. But
that is what academies do too.
Better services doesn't come without cost hence members fees have gone
up and clubs are being compressed in their territories. All this due to
the lack of government funding and to support the move to more
professionally administrated clubs with professional coaching in a
national development model. Some clubs have grown to have annual budgets
in the neighbourhood of $500, 000 with at least 1/4 of that going
towards paid staff and coaches.
Reality is these are small dollars compared to Ontario clubs that have
budgets of $3 - 4,000,000. Regardless, clubs are putting money aside in
the hundred of thousands of dollars or millions to afford Artificial
Turf fields, indoor fields and clubhouses to benefit their services to
members.
With this reality, I fail to see the difference between clubs and soccer
schools or academies.
Bottom line is there is very little difference in the dollar side of clubs and club academies or soccer schools and academies. Hence why should the sport control the commercial choices with geographical barriers as players and families should be able to make choices for themselves. I doubt many of us would support the idea of the government controlling us to buy goods and services only in our communities or only Canadian made . The future of the sports success and retention is choice in a free market system. Here the quality and width of the services in a year round, cradle to grave, both gender club/academy or a academy/club setting that is part of multiple leagues is the deciding factor of how players and families should make their choice.
As soccer communities across the country embace changes like the
above it's my hope we will expand our thirst for development at all
levels by working together as volunteers and professionals. Working
together not only in our clubs, districts, leagues and PSO but by being
a part of the national and internetional soccer community for developing
the sport for the players and their families. This can only be done when
there is more lateral communications and sharing between like entites.
By commuicating and sharing with clubs and districts in our backyard,
across the country, into USA, the UK or Austraila. Once we do this, we
will learn we don't have to re-create our development models and their
supporting organizations but only change or tweak them.
Whether it's being pointed to Austraila's Crawford Report that changed
the face of soccer and sports Down Under, The FA's Charter Standard that
sets national standards at all amateur/pro-am levels of the sport,
learning how USYSA went from 100,000 kids in 1974 to over 3,000,000+
today or that
there are 4 national youth soccer associations under US Soccer that
have contribed to the success of all levels of the game in the US and
especially their National Teams. Let's embrace change to give the
players and their families more choice, let them push us to make
us communicate and share together to bring quick and effective changes
to the sport as it's their future we are stewards of.
Neil W. Humphrey
Coach, Administrator and Program Developer
