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    Sportika combines with PSA

    If I am not mistaken I thought years ago Sportika was the "ACADEMY" that was going to takeover New Jersey soccer. I also heard that they were going to start something like a Charter School within that massive building of theirs. Well I can only wish them well and now you have PSA in the mix, things should get interesting.

    #2
    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
    If I am not mistaken I thought years ago Sportika was the "ACADEMY" that was going to takeover New Jersey soccer. I also heard that they were going to start something like a Charter School within that massive building of theirs. Well I can only wish them well and now you have PSA in the mix, things should get interesting.
    PSA is on an acquisition streak...they have merged with Wildcats, SDFC, and now Sportika. Definitely increasing their footprint across the state.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      PSA is on an acquisition streak...they have merged with Wildcats, SDFC, and now Sportika. Definitely increasing their footprint across the state.
      Wow now that's new to me. I didn't know that they took over all those clubs. Well I can't see them fully taking over Wildcats KM is much too greedy to let it go fully I believe.

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        #4
        Oh they merged fully in April of last year...

        https://www.princetonsoccer.org/wildcats-aboutus

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
          Oh they merged fully in April of last year...

          https://www.princetonsoccer.org/wildcats-aboutus
          Oh thats pretty cool, nothing like options for kids.

          Comment


            #6
            In the business world, mergers are not always good. When there are numerous synergies, okay, everyone benefits.

            But in this case, these mergers are occurring in the realm of soccer. Why?

            Not enough coaches? Not enough players? People tired of administrative stuff?

            Just remember that it's more important to stay together, and coaches, I have never seen a coach that wasn't competitive. I am not sure that a coach with a good team will like to be told what to do with his team under new management.

            So just guessing, you might have a situation where there are not enough quality coaches in an area, the administrative tasks are burdensome (carding, communicating with each team, reserving and organizing practice spaces and times for all teams, registering teams for tournaments in the season, etc), and now, does that coach want to be in this new environment? Does he want to give up administrative tasks and decision making control at the same time?

            Maybe the kids will want to go back and represent their "town"? But then how to compete at the highest competitive level?

            Some people have forgotten, it's not about adults! It's for the kids!!!

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              In the business world, mergers are not always good. When there are numerous synergies, okay, everyone benefits.

              But in this case, these mergers are occurring in the realm of soccer. Why?

              Not enough coaches? Not enough players? People tired of administrative stuff?

              Just remember that it's more important to stay together, and coaches, I have never seen a coach that wasn't competitive. I am not sure that a coach with a good team will like to be told what to do with his team under new management.

              So just guessing, you might have a situation where there are not enough quality coaches in an area, the administrative tasks are burdensome (carding, communicating with each team, reserving and organizing practice spaces and times for all teams, registering teams for tournaments in the season, etc), and now, does that coach want to be in this new environment? Does he want to give up administrative tasks and decision making control at the same time?

              Maybe the kids will want to go back and represent their "town"? But then how to compete at the highest competitive level?

              Some people have forgotten, it's not about adults! It's for the kids!!!
              We looked at PSA (North specifically, which is now PSA SDFC). Ultimately decided against it, but one of the things they did that i liked was having a "national" team, which was essentially an all-star team of players from each of their different locations. They would take this team to bigger tournaments outside of our area (eg. Surf Cup) that the local teams might not be qualified for or have interest in. This made it more attractive than say Cedar Stars where the different locations are pretty separate, and in some cases were just rebranded teams (eg. NJ Crush now called CSA Bergen).

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                We looked at PSA (North specifically, which is now PSA SDFC). Ultimately decided against it, but one of the things they did that i liked was having a "national" team, which was essentially an all-star team of players from each of their different locations. They would take this team to bigger tournaments outside of our area (eg. Surf Cup) that the local teams might not be qualified for or have interest in. This made it more attractive than say Cedar Stars where the different locations are pretty separate, and in some cases were just rebranded teams (eg. NJ Crush now called CSA Bergen).
                The National Team component for PSA is definitely a nice little leg up for a club that does not have an ECNL or GDA badge. It gives an extra experience for top talent but without all of the commitment of ECNL / GDA.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Yes, a "national" team is nice. And, this is new to EDP, probably taking more effect next year.

                  However, a team made up of all-star players would lose to a club team consisting of similarly talented players, and with more team chemistry.

                  This is frequently what you see at those "high" level tournaments. With that said, a National team is nice.

                  I would hope that other clubs try to compete at the "national" level with their own, home grown kids, with a few new players sprinkled in.

                  It would be interesting to see how the younger aged teams from NJ do in this format.

                  The point I also like to leave is the unintended feedback to parents, with kids on the younger teams. Are the professional coaches and directors saying, albeit unintentionally:

                  "We don't have all the good kids in a particular area so we can get those better players by acquiring their clubs."
                  OR,
                  "Your kids as a group are not good enough, so we are acquiring clubs from throughout New Jersey and adding 1-2 players from each area."

                  In the US, collectively, and I mean no disrespect, Parents know very little about soccer. And, the metrics used for soccer are terrible, it's as if goals and assists are the most important qualities.

                  Parents don't look at:
                  1) How many times my child gets dispossessed?
                  2) Is my child dribbling the soccer ball with their head up? (Isn't dribbling a basketball with both hands and the head up harder than a soccer ball? I guess the kids don't practice enough.)
                  3) Defense is where you put the best players. (Funny how many times you see a 0-0 or 1-0 game versus a 4-0 or 5-0 game isn't it?)

                  With that in mind, those "National" teams will need the best "role" players. How do they recruit those? They are overlooked completely.

                  Good luck!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    We looked at PSA (North specifically, which is now PSA SDFC). Ultimately decided against it, but one of the things they did that i liked was having a "national" team, which was essentially an all-star team of players from each of their different locations. They would take this team to bigger tournaments outside of our area (eg. Surf Cup) that the local teams might not be qualified for or have interest in. This made it more attractive than say Cedar Stars where the different locations are pretty separate, and in some cases were just rebranded teams (eg. NJ Crush now called CSA Bergen).
                    If your kid was any good at all, I mean really good, they are either GDA or ECNL, in that order, thanks!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I really miss the Crush Copter, its was a more gentle time....

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        If your kid was any good at all, I mean really good, they are either GDA or ECNL, in that order, thanks!
                        Wanted to look at alternatives that didn't require as much travel for league games, but ultimately decided to stay with her ECNL team.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                          Yes, a "national" team is nice. And, this is new to EDP, probably taking more effect next year.

                          However, a team made up of all-star players would lose to a club team consisting of similarly talented players, and with more team chemistry.

                          This is frequently what you see at those "high" level tournaments. With that said, a National team is nice.

                          I would hope that other clubs try to compete at the "national" level with their own, home grown kids, with a few new players sprinkled in.

                          It would be interesting to see how the younger aged teams from NJ do in this format.
                          For the older age groups (U15 and older), winning at these tournaments isn't nearly as important as having the opportunity for individual players to showcase to college coaches. At tryouts, PSA DOC gave a big presentation about they approach the college recruiting process, and this was the main message. Yes, all-star team doesn't have the chemistry as teams that have been together all season/years, but the objective at these tournaments for most of these kids is to get seen by coaches from colleges the player is interested in.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                            For the older age groups (U15 and older), winning at these tournaments isn't nearly as important as having the opportunity for individual players to showcase to college coaches. At tryouts, PSA DOC gave a big presentation about they approach the college recruiting process, and this was the main message. Yes, all-star team doesn't have the chemistry as teams that have been together all season/years, but the objective at these tournaments for most of these kids is to get seen by coaches from colleges the player is interested in.
                            So why even make an "ALL STAR" team...............no need for any such thing. College coaches are just looking for players that will fit into their system and fit the needs that they have at that particular time. ALL STAR team is just another way to make even more money off the paying clients. Kind of like............remember the old "SUMMER SELECT" or Super Y teams. Either way people are allowed to spend their money the way they choose.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                              If your kid was any good at all, I mean really good, they are either GDA or ECNL, in that order, thanks!
                              In our area what other GDA team do we really have to compare to.........I feel that either of our ECNL teams in the state could beat our GDA team in the state. Not saying that Cedars Stars is bad or anything just saying that as far a talent I think that both ECNL clubs are just a bit better.

                              Comment

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