Follow the Money

[Unregistered]

In 2014-15 (the last year OYSA released stats:

They registered 57,220 players.

57,220 times $6 (the increase in player card fees next year) equals $343,320.

$343,320 divided by 69 academy players (23 per age group as per GDA rules) equals a subsidy of just under $5000 per player.

$5000 per player in subsidy fees plus $2000 family registration fee equals $7000/year. This is the actual academy cost and from what I hear is right in line with ECNL costs. The only difference is ECNL families are paying their own way instead of receiving subsidies through increased card fees.

Math doesn't lie.

[Unregistered]

Player cards are pennies. The real money is in the Timbers running youth soccer after raising league fees 50%. The Timbers are fleecing Oregon soccer.

[Unregistered]

Player cards are pennies. The real money is in the Timbers running youth soccer after raising league fees 50%. The Timbers are fleecing Oregon soccer.

I agree

[Unregistered]

In 2014-15 (the last year OYSA released stats:

They registered 57,220 players.

57,220 times $6 (the increase in player card fees next year) equals $343,320.

$343,320 divided by 69 academy players (23 per age group as per GDA rules) equals a subsidy of just under $5000 per player.

$5000 per player in subsidy fees plus $2000 family registration fee equals $7000/year. This is the actual academy cost and from what I hear is right in line with ECNL costs. The only difference is ECNL families are paying their own way instead of receiving subsidies through increased card fees.

Math doesn't lie.

Aren't there 4 GDA teams: U14, U15, U17, and U19?

[Unregistered]

Aren't there 4 GDA teams: U14, U15, U17, and U19?

Oh probably. I was going off earlier, bad? information that the 14's and 15's would be combined. The enrollment numbers I shared are a few years out of date as well (thanks to the remarkable lack of transparency by the allegedly nonprofit OYSA), so it probably all balances out to about a $5k per year subsidy per academy player, paid by our increased card fees. Say what you want about ECNL, but you don't pay a dime unless your kid actually makes a team. And in answer to the inevitable comment, I am a TA parent.

[Unregistered]

So how much money is spent on subsidizing the boys vs the girls? Keeping in mind that just added and 04 and 05 birth year for boys and boys pay less, only $500.

[Unregistered]

So how much money is spent on subsidizing the boys vs the girls? Keeping in mind that just added and 04 and 05 birth year for boys and boys pay less, only $500.

Boys are subsidized by the highly profitable MLS Timbers. The NWSL Thorns are not profitable and can barely afford to play their professional players, let alone subsidize 4 (3?) teams of academy players. So everyone else in the state subsidizes the girls. This is an important difference.

[Unregistered]

Boys are subsidized by the highly profitable MLS Timbers. The NWSL Thorns are not profitable and can barely afford to play their professional players, let alone subsidize 4 (3?) teams of academy players. So everyone else in the state subsidizes the girls. This is an important difference.

In the girls case, Timbers are actually making Girls soccer even more cost prohibitive for all but the 100 girls on the GDA teams. They claim they want to cast a wider net. The wider net turned out to be even more expensive soccer for almost all girls in Oregon.

[Unregistered]

In the girls case, Timbers are actually making Girls soccer even more cost prohibitive for all but the 100 girls on the GDA teams. They claim they want to cast a wider net. The wider net turned out to be even more expensive soccer for almost all girls in Oregon.

0=0. More cost prohibitive? Most if not all clubs have financial assistance and scholarship programs so those that need economical help have options. Once again the middle is one that is left feeling the pain. Those with money could care less, it does not really matter in the long run if it costs more for their children...

[Unregistered]

In the girls case, Timbers are actually making Girls soccer even more cost prohibitive for all but the 100 girls on the GDA teams. They claim they want to cast a wider net. The wider net turned out to be even more expensive soccer for almost all girls in Oregon.

They are also taking scholarship dollars from the poorest kids in the state. Unless clubs are going to raise fees to cover the increased card cost (I don't know of any club that is raising fees), the club is eating that cost. $6 for one player is nothing. When you have 1000 players in your club that's $6000. Or the equivalent of six scholarships for poor kids. But hey, those academy girls are getting almost free soccer. Who cares about poor kids?

[Unregistered]

They are also taking scholarship dollars from the poorest kids in the state. Unless clubs are going to raise fees to cover the increased card cost (I don't know of any club that is raising fees), the club is eating that cost. $6 for one player is nothing. When you have 1000 players in your club that's $6000. Or the equivalent of six scholarships for poor kids. But hey, those academy girls are getting almost free soccer. Who cares about poor kids?

Truth. Plus league fees went up and club fees went up. Many parents struggle to pay for local club soccer as it is and GDA is adding to that burden. Don't see many Thorns Academy players that are suffering in the least.

[Unregistered]

Uhh, unless I'm mistaken, the card fee cost increase does not go to peregrine.

And the claim that the "Timbers are profitable, so they pay for boys DA, but the Thorns are not, so the money for GDA comes from running leagues and cups" doesn't pass the laugh test. Peregrine is Peregrine, and money is fungible. Perhaps the men are subsidizing the ladies, like happens at nearly every college and university in the country? You do know your Dad's scholarship is being paid for by the men's basketball and football programs, at least in Division I?

Following the money leads to a simpler conclusion: the local ECNL clubs don't want subsidized competition, and want to be on top of the girls soccer pyramid. They have been haughty and obnoxious while there, and now that they are facing a well funded challenge to their futbol feedlot, are going to try and throw every wrench in the works they can. Including, once again, trying to blow up OYSA.

[Unregistered]

Uhh, unless I'm mistaken, the card fee cost increase does not go to peregrine.

And the claim that the "Timbers are profitable, so they pay for boys DA, but the Thorns are not, so the money for GDA comes from running leagues and cups" doesn't pass the laugh test. Peregrine is Peregrine, and money is fungible. Perhaps the men are subsidizing the ladies, like happens at nearly every college and university in the country? You do know your Dad's scholarship is being paid for by the men's basketball and football programs, at least in Division I?

Following the money leads to a simpler conclusion: the local ECNL clubs don't want subsidized competition, and want to be on top of the girls soccer pyramid. They have been haughty and obnoxious while there, and now that they are facing a well funded challenge to their futbol feedlot, are going to try and throw every wrench in the works they can. Including, once again, trying to blow up OYSA.

DD's scholarship, no dad's.

[Unregistered]

Uhh, unless I'm mistaken, the card fee cost increase does not go to peregrine.

And the claim that the "Timbers are profitable, so they pay for boys DA, but the Thorns are not, so the money for GDA comes from running leagues and cups" doesn't pass the laugh test. Peregrine is Peregrine, and money is fungible. Perhaps the men are subsidizing the ladies, like happens at nearly every college and university in the country? You do know your Dad's scholarship is being paid for by the men's basketball and football programs, at least in Division I?

Following the money leads to a simpler conclusion: the local ECNL clubs don't want subsidized competition, and want to be on top of the girls soccer pyramid. They have been haughty and obnoxious while there, and now that they are facing a well funded challenge to their futbol feedlot, are going to try and throw every wrench in the works they can. Including, once again, trying to blow up OYSA.

You are mistaken. And pretty darn consistent about it.

[Unregistered]

Boys are subsidized by the highly profitable MLS Timbers. The NWSL Thorns are not profitable and can barely afford to play their professional players, let alone subsidize 4 (3?) teams of academy players. So everyone else in the state subsidizes the girls. This is an important difference.

It very easy to follow the money in the OYSA shell of a non-profit association these days.

Bottom line they don't have much income coming to them even though they have a 70,000 membership base, you can register with guidestar and see the 990 tax returns to confirm this reality.

The only significant and primary source of income/revenue by miles is membership dues, basically the cost of a player card for all usys/oysa managers/coaches & players. Rec and Classic level.

They are being asked to stretch this limited and singular revenue source to cover a lease on office space & storage. Pay for a van called Vinny, that I guess is used as an advertising banner with it's wrapped billboard features. Pay for a skeleton crew/staff in said offices and supply health insurance to the few employees and hopefully a living wage. Many other associated costs are piled on top of this just to keep the doors open, internet streaming and phone lines operating. Basically things are very tight these days.

They (OYSA) don't have any surplus cash flow that could be donated to the Peregrine LLC (Timbers/Thorns), It's just not possible.

Peregrine LLC (MLS Timbers/NWSL Thorns) have hundreds of revenue streams feeding it's for- profit business model and they do indeed show as an expense the costs of operating a Boys and Girls DA program sanctioned by US Soccer not the OYSA or USYS. The DA services provided to it's customers is nearly free to the users both boys and girls. $500 to the boys for a year and $2000 a year for girls.

Here is where the confusion sets in for you Peregrine must follow a salary cap structure that the MLS and NWSL institutes for the players (talent on field). That's the reason the salaries are so low for both the NWSL and MLS Players, but this Salary cap has nothing to do with how much income Peregrine takes in from all sources, just because the players make squat as so called Pros does not correlate with the income coming into Peregrine. Basically if Peregrine is really profitable they don't get to expense more than the salary cap allows, it's a competitive balance feature of the Single entity MLS and NWSL.

Peregrine not OYSA is funding their DA programs nobody else. If you don't want feed this animal don't pay for any product they supply. Which is virtually impossible in this market as they broadcast on both TV and radio 30+ times a year. If you shop at one of their adverisers you are feeding income into Peregrine , the same goes for registering teams in their OYSA sanctioned cups. Leagues and having your child participate in the USYS/OYSA RTC/ODP you are feeding income into Peregrine.

Pointing the finger at OYSA for handing over it's only profitable member services streams to Peregrine is really just crying over split milk. Not much you can do about it, it's done.