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The Rise of NEFC: Anatomy of Creating a Juggernaut

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    The Rise of NEFC: Anatomy of Creating a Juggernaut

    So, I'm sure at least a few of my MANY NEFC friends can provide more accurate details, I'd like to get this started and in so doing pay my very belated (despite the fact that I have done so many times) respects....

    I remember when NEFC was cute and cuddly Tri-Valley. They were a good mid-tier club along with the likes of Aztecs, Crusaders, SF Vikings, North Shore United, etc. FC Puma was probably a more notable club at the time. I think they turned into something else, maybe New England Eagles before the merger with FC Puma, but in any case they had a couple of stronger boys teams at the higher age groups led by the Worcester Academy guy and they had at least one girls team that was not at the level of Stars and Scorps but played them fairly competitive. Here are at least a few factors that led to the outstanding, powerhouse club that we see now and that essentially owns TS.

    1) Forekicks affiliation and access.

    2) Merger with FC Puma.

    3) Timely, and as I recall pretty simultaneous beneficiaries of another cyclical round of Scorpions fallout, landing BB and PM, and regardless what one thinks of them, perhaps more importantly having at least two years of very good players land in their lap, creating the double whammy of strengthening NEFC and damaging Scorps in a way from which Scorps arguably never has recovered.

    4) Landing a semi-celebrity and national-player-to-be with the parent with or without club consent becoming the face of the club and promoting the club non-stop through the now infamous several year "internet savvy marketing" plan, which apparently included marketing all day and night on TS while ingeniously creating the perception that the rival clubs were doing the marketing and they were only responding in defense, so that the rivals were essentially paralyzed to actually market themselves. This became a hallmark strategy....alleging something enough to corner rivals into being unable to respond or if they did respond causing the rivals to march right into a bear trap in the woods.

    5) Going for ECNL (apparently repeatedly) and turning rejection into a triumph.

    6) The whole "alternative paths" thesis to the point that "alternative" became synonymous with "equal" and now better than equal. Adding the "watering down/dilution" thesis for extra effect.

    7) Some strong results on the pitch, and relatively strong results from both the girls side and the boys side, making the club look more like the Bolts of old (when Bolts also had strong girls teams).

    8) Becoming by far the largest and most money-conscious and money-making of among the top rival clubs, and then ingeniously focusing on the whole money grab thesis as more true of the rivals than themselves. Becoming the Starbucks on every block while creating the perception of the rivals as the boutique Coffee Connection (remember them?) that is either on the verge of folding or being bought out.

    9) And some never-die resentment and bitterness from old wounds, perceived snubs, lopsided beatdowns in a bygone era, etc keep the drive burning inside. In other words, a little bit of an inferiority complex/chip on the shoulder goes a long way, and nothing is sweeter than the comeuppance. Screw the ECNL. Who needs them? We sure as heck don't.

    In short, well played across the board. Congrats.

    #2
    Originally posted by perspective View Post
    So, I'm sure at least a few of my MANY NEFC friends can provide more accurate details, I'd like to get this started and in so doing pay my very belated (despite the fact that I have done so many times) respects....

    I remember when NEFC was cute and cuddly Tri-Valley. They were a good mid-tier club along with the likes of Aztecs, Crusaders, SF Vikings, North Shore United, etc. FC Puma was probably a more notable club at the time. I think they turned into something else, maybe New England Eagles before the merger with FC Puma, but in any case they had a couple of stronger boys teams at the higher age groups led by the Worcester Academy guy and they had at least one girls team that was not at the level of Stars and Scorps but played them fairly competitive. Here are at least a few factors that led to the outstanding, powerhouse club that we see now and that essentially owns TS.

    1) Forekicks affiliation and access.

    2) Merger with FC Puma.

    3) Timely, and as I recall pretty simultaneous beneficiaries of another cyclical round of Scorpions fallout, landing BB and PM, and regardless what one thinks of them, perhaps more importantly having at least two years of very good players land in their lap, creating the double whammy of strengthening NEFC and damaging Scorps in a way from which Scorps arguably never has recovered.

    4) Landing a semi-celebrity and national-player-to-be with the parent with or without club consent becoming the face of the club and promoting the club non-stop through the now infamous several year "internet savvy marketing" plan, which apparently included marketing all day and night on TS while ingeniously creating the perception that the rival clubs were doing the marketing and they were only responding in defense, so that the rivals were essentially paralyzed to actually market themselves. This became a hallmark strategy....alleging something enough to corner rivals into being unable to respond or if they did respond causing the rivals to march right into a bear trap in the woods.

    5) Going for ECNL (apparently repeatedly) and turning rejection into a triumph.

    6) The whole "alternative paths" thesis to the point that "alternative" became synonymous with "equal" and now better than equal. Adding the "watering down/dilution" thesis for extra effect.

    7) Some strong results on the pitch, and relatively strong results from both the girls side and the boys side, making the club look more like the Bolts of old (when Bolts also had strong girls teams).

    8) Becoming by far the largest and most money-conscious and money-making of among the top rival clubs, and then ingeniously focusing on the whole money grab thesis as more true of the rivals than themselves. Becoming the Starbucks on every block while creating the perception of the rivals as the boutique Coffee Connection (remember them?) that is either on the verge of folding or being bought out.

    9) And some never-die resentment and bitterness from old wounds, perceived snubs, lopsided beatdowns in a bygone era, etc keep the drive burning inside. In other words, a little bit of an inferiority complex/chip on the shoulder goes a long way, and nothing is sweeter than the comeuppance. Screw the ECNL. Who needs them? We sure as heck don't.

    In short, well played across the board. Congrats.
    I can see why you're unemployed.

    Comment


      #3
      I think you left out the part of having a millionaire owner. There was never a struggle for funding. Just saying.

      Comment


        #4
        The rise of nefc...anatomy of creating a juggernaut

        Who's going to take over the metro north branch now that the doc there is moving?

        Comment


          #5
          Could it just be that the Stars and Scorpions just screwed it all up and opened the door for someone else to step up?

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by perspective View Post
            So, I'm sure at least a few of my MANY NEFC friends can provide more accurate details, I'd like to get this started and in so doing pay my very belated (despite the fact that I have done so many times) respects....

            I remember when NEFC was cute and cuddly Tri-Valley. They were a good mid-tier club along with the likes of Aztecs, Crusaders, SF Vikings, North Shore United, etc. FC Puma was probably a more notable club at the time. I think they turned into something else, maybe New England Eagles before the merger with FC Puma, but in any case they had a couple of stronger boys teams at the higher age groups led by the Worcester Academy guy and they had at least one girls team that was not at the level of Stars and Scorps but played them fairly competitive. Here are at least a few factors that led to the outstanding, powerhouse club that we see now and that essentially owns TS.

            1) Forekicks affiliation and access.

            2) Merger with FC Puma.

            3) Timely, and as I recall pretty simultaneous beneficiaries of another cyclical round of Scorpions fallout, landing BB and PM, and regardless what one thinks of them, perhaps more importantly having at least two years of very good players land in their lap, creating the double whammy of strengthening NEFC and damaging Scorps in a way from which Scorps arguably never has recovered.

            4) Landing a semi-celebrity and national-player-to-be with the parent with or without club consent becoming the face of the club and promoting the club non-stop through the now infamous several year "internet savvy marketing" plan, which apparently included marketing all day and night on TS while ingeniously creating the perception that the rival clubs were doing the marketing and they were only responding in defense, so that the rivals were essentially paralyzed to actually market themselves. This became a hallmark strategy....alleging something enough to corner rivals into being unable to respond or if they did respond causing the rivals to march right into a bear trap in the woods.

            5) Going for ECNL (apparently repeatedly) and turning rejection into a triumph.

            6) The whole "alternative paths" thesis to the point that "alternative" became synonymous with "equal" and now better than equal. Adding the "watering down/dilution" thesis for extra effect.

            7) Some strong results on the pitch, and relatively strong results from both the girls side and the boys side, making the club look more like the Bolts of old (when Bolts also had strong girls teams).

            8) Becoming by far the largest and most money-conscious and money-making of among the top rival clubs, and then ingeniously focusing on the whole money grab thesis as more true of the rivals than themselves. Becoming the Starbucks on every block while creating the perception of the rivals as the boutique Coffee Connection (remember them?) that is either on the verge of folding or being bought out.

            9) And some never-die resentment and bitterness from old wounds, perceived snubs, lopsided beatdowns in a bygone era, etc keep the drive burning inside. In other words, a little bit of an inferiority complex/chip on the shoulder goes a long way, and nothing is sweeter than the comeuppance. Screw the ECNL. Who needs them? We sure as heck don't.

            In short, well played across the board. Congrats.

            I liken NEFC to Manchester United.
            People that know very little about the sport want to join them or cheer for them. Yes they both are successful and have won many championships because they have a lot of funding and many resources to get the trophies they need to make the followers happy.
            There are many others that despise the whole makeup of the organization and what they stand for. The numbers are growing also.
            NEFC is losing its luster and people with half a brain will run away.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by perspective View Post
              So, I'm sure at least a few of my MANY NEFC friends can provide more accurate details, I'd like to get this started and in so doing pay my very belated (despite the fact that I have done so many times) respects....

              I remember when NEFC was cute and cuddly Tri-Valley. They were a good mid-tier club along with the likes of Aztecs, Crusaders, SF Vikings, North Shore United, etc. FC Puma was probably a more notable club at the time. I think they turned into something else, maybe New England Eagles before the merger with FC Puma, but in any case they had a couple of stronger boys teams at the higher age groups led by the Worcester Academy guy and they had at least one girls team that was not at the level of Stars and Scorps but played them fairly competitive. Here are at least a few factors that led to the outstanding, powerhouse club that we see now and that essentially owns TS.

              1) Forekicks affiliation and access.

              2) Merger with FC Puma.

              3) Timely, and as I recall pretty simultaneous beneficiaries of another cyclical round of Scorpions fallout, landing BB and PM, and regardless what one thinks of them, perhaps more importantly having at least two years of very good players land in their lap, creating the double whammy of strengthening NEFC and damaging Scorps in a way from which Scorps arguably never has recovered.

              4) Landing a semi-celebrity and national-player-to-be with the parent with or without club consent becoming the face of the club and promoting the club non-stop through the now infamous several year "internet savvy marketing" plan, which apparently included marketing all day and night on TS while ingeniously creating the perception that the rival clubs were doing the marketing and they were only responding in defense, so that the rivals were essentially paralyzed to actually market themselves. This became a hallmark strategy....alleging something enough to corner rivals into being unable to respond or if they did respond causing the rivals to march right into a bear trap in the woods.

              5) Going for ECNL (apparently repeatedly) and turning rejection into a triumph.

              6) The whole "alternative paths" thesis to the point that "alternative" became synonymous with "equal" and now better than equal. Adding the "watering down/dilution" thesis for extra effect.

              7) Some strong results on the pitch, and relatively strong results from both the girls side and the boys side, making the club look more like the Bolts of old (when Bolts also had strong girls teams).

              8) Becoming by far the largest and most money-conscious and money-making of among the top rival clubs, and then ingeniously focusing on the whole money grab thesis as more true of the rivals than themselves. Becoming the Starbucks on every block while creating the perception of the rivals as the boutique Coffee Connection (remember them?) that is either on the verge of folding or being bought out.

              9) And some never-die resentment and bitterness from old wounds, perceived snubs, lopsided beatdowns in a bygone era, etc keep the drive burning inside. In other words, a little bit of an inferiority complex/chip on the shoulder goes a long way, and nothing is sweeter than the comeuppance. Screw the ECNL. Who needs them? We sure as heck don't.

              In short, well played across the board. Congrats.
              Pretty funny to read this admission of surrender. All this from a guy who literally leads this forum in posts making dozens of them a day attacking NEFC as well as anyone who disagrees with the Stars/ECNL point of view. Could it be there was more truth behind what you were railing against and a lot more momentum for change than you were willing to admit? Now you just seem pissed that all the work you put in tying to blunt that momentum didn't have the impact you were looking for and now are just looking to blame someone.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                I liken NEFC to Manchester United.
                People that know very little about the sport want to join them or cheer for them. Yes they both are successful and have won many championships because they have a lot of funding and many resources to get the trophies they need to make the followers happy.
                There are many others that despise the whole makeup of the organization and what they stand for. The numbers are growing also.
                NEFC is losing its luster and people with half a brain will run away.
                Love these statements. Talk about sour grapes from a former employee

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  Could it just be that the Stars and Scorpions just screwed it all up and opened the door for someone else to step up?
                  That's part of the irony of the allegations about marketing hype and all the rest. The rivals managed to create a firewall where they made it a presumption, a priori, that their rivals (Stars and Scorps) had hyped, and then if they ever tried to all, ever tried to fight back, the allegation of hyping was right there always at the ready. Actually pretty clever, and meanwhile they hyped like crazy and controlled perceptions so that the more they hyped themselves the more they made it look, sound, and feel like the rivals were doing it. I must admit quite, quite clever.

                  The Scorps were easy. All they needed were the Scorps' self-inflicted wounds, taking a couple of good teams to be the foundation of a couple of really good teams at the very same age groups the Scorps would be damaged, and then combining all that with periodic "Demise of the Scorps"' threads. That's why the only real panic we saw was after the Breakers announcement, basically the day after Scorps quite literally were declared dead on this site. And that's when there was a several days blitzkrieg to ensure that any momentum/excitement in the wake of that announcement was well-contained.

                  Attacking Stars has been more complex, and, with no attempt to be exhaustive here, included....

                  1) The Stars recruit and steal all their players.

                  2) They don't care about their players and are just using them and will discard them at a moment's notice while we, the rival club, are caring and generous.

                  3) They don't really win...sure they might have won a few state cups but where are the national titles? Using their success against them by raising the bar high enough that they actually looked mediocre.

                  3) The idea of more and better college commitments is a sham...not really getting any money, not that many top-tier D commits, players not actually playing, players not actually getting real scholarship money, etc, etc

                  4) The club and especially the key figures are abusive, and who would ever want their kid to play for abusive people?

                  And, again, a huge key, was creating the ironic firewall where any attempt to combat any of the above was structured in advance to only add salt to the wound of the damaging points already made.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    Pretty funny to read this admission of surrender. All this from a guy who literally leads this forum in posts making dozens of them a day attacking NEFC as well as anyone who disagrees with the Stars/ECNL point of view. Could it be there was more truth behind what you were railing against and a lot more momentum for change than you were willing to admit? Now you just seem pissed that all the work you put in tying to blunt that momentum didn't have the impact you were looking for and now are just looking to blame someone.
                    You are so right my friend. Uncork the Krug and Cristal and enjoy. You deserve it. High fives all around the basement. Cheers.

                    By the way, this post is a perfect example of the firewall I described and creating something as a presumption...."the Stars/ECNL point of view." What is the Stars/ECNL point of view? And how many months do you have to go back to be even remotely correct about me writing dozens of posts a day defending ECNL and attacking NEFC????

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      Pretty funny to read this admission of surrender. All this from a guy who literally leads this forum in posts making dozens of them a day attacking NEFC as well as anyone who disagrees with the Stars/ECNL point of view. Could it be there was more truth behind what you were railing against and a lot more momentum for change than you were willing to admit? Now you just seem pissed that all the work you put in tying to blunt that momentum didn't have the impact you were looking for and now are just looking to blame someone.
                      And your insightful comments on the actual content in the post???

                      Comment


                        #12
                        And, oh, I almost forgot. The key poster implementing the whole deal doesn't actually post! More genius. He's an innocent being linked to wild things that we're still waiting to actually see and who is never anything but magnanimous. Hopefully one day my profuse apologies for being sooooooo wrong about who was posting will be accepted.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Perspective do you ever contemplate your part in the Rise of NEFC? For all of your protestations about others, you are actually the one setting the agenda for much of the debate here on TS. This thread is a prime example. How many posters are just going to read the thread title and not understand the satire? Clearly you mean much of what you have written as tongue in cheek but you are the one actually starting the dialogue and focusing it specifically on the Stars. You have never seen that you are the perfect foil.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            While the focus is on the damage inflicted to scorps and stars, I think they also did a number on MPS which 5 years seemed to be everywhere. I know they expanded out of state but they do not seem to the player in Mass that they once were.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                              Perspective do you ever contemplate your part in the Rise of NEFC? For all of your protestations about others, you are actually the one setting the agenda for much of the debate here on TS. This thread is a prime example. How many posters are just going to read the thread title and not understand the satire? Clearly you mean much of what you have written as tongue in cheek but you are the one actually starting the dialogue and focusing it specifically on the Stars. You have never seen that you are the perfect foil.
                              Thank you! I forgot this one....the tried and true allegation that it's actually me who put the target on the back of the ENCL clubs and unwittingly spurred NEFC to greatness. Another version of the if you defend anything then the firewall is set so that defense just proves what you wanted all along. Sort of like the constant focus on MONEY. NEFC has more and spends more and hypes more than any club in Massachusetts but you would never know that reading TS. Again, very well played.

                              Comment

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