Do Clubs Benefit from League Loyalty

[Slow Xavi]

Moved this from another thread; on subject of +s and -s of league loyalty at the club level.

[QUOTE=Unregistered;1443927]

FC should be applauded for choosing what is best for their Boys' Navy teams over league politics.

Wish more clubs would follow their lead, in both directions.[/QUOTE

They had no choice. FC has always feared losing their players to Clubs in OYSA, especially on the boys side. It was not done because it was the best for the boys but purely out of necessity and they saw the writing on the wall, kids were starting to leave and FC went into survival mode.

[QUOTE=Unregistered;1443929]

The same goes for OYSA on the girls side. They are losing girls at a high rate to OPL.

Assuming the FC did this solely to retain high-end boys: have Westside, Eastside, WA Timbers, THUSC, and Crossfire been better served by going lock-step with their respective leagues?

My question there is not about coaches in those respective clubs (they get some benefits to being loyal to one network or the other); rather have the clubs benefited from going lock-step with the Timbers or OPL?

Westside, Eastside and WA. Timbers use to win national championships; Southside use to win state championships on the girls' side . . . will that ever happen again?

[Unregistered]

The better question is do parents benefit from league, or even club, loyalty? I see all these parents who put down one league or the other as if they own it or are somehow attached. And people act as if their club is better than someone else's, even though their only attachment to it is that their kid plays there. We do have the ability to take our kids anywhere to play so everyone is free to join whatever club, and league, they desire. All of this club and league "ownership" is stupid. They are no different from Safeway of Albertsons or Wal Mart. Do you feel ownership of your grocery store just because you shop there? Do you put down Albertsons shoppers because you shop at Safeway?

[Slow Xavi]

The better question is do parents benefit from league, or even club, loyalty? I see all these parents who put down one league or the other as if they own it or are somehow attached. And people act as if their club is better than someone else's, even though their only attachment to it is that their kid plays there. We do have the ability to take our kids anywhere to play so everyone is free to join whatever club, and league, they desire. All of this club and league "ownership" is stupid. They are no different from Safeway of Albertsons or Wal Mart. Do you feel ownership of your grocery store just because you shop there? Do you put down Albertsons shoppers because you shop at Safeway?

Fair enough question. I've personally found personal value in being part of something bigger than myself (team, club, company, organization) at least at times.

My question assumes folks find some connection a club beneficial beyond the transaction of the moment, but your point is a fair one - ultimately what are you and your child getting out of loyalty to a league or a club.

[Unregistered]

Having been in the youth club sports scene with 5 children and various sports I can say with 100% certainty that at some point it should be about your child ... not club, team, league loyalty. Guarantee you the clubs are not wired to think of your best interest rather they look to please the most in an effort to increase their bottom line. Many times what is best for the club is also best for the players. as soon as you see that it isn't the appropriate fit for your child, you should get out and quick.

My take on all of these parents putting down one another's leagues is that their children are likely young or they have not yet encountered any controversy. All it takes is having a high level player on a team that is average good or having a bubble player at a club that doesn't have a good place for them to change your perspective.

[Slow Xavi]

Having been in the youth club sports scene with 5 children and various sports I can say with 100% certainty that at some point it should be about your child ... not club, team, league loyalty. Guarantee you the clubs are not wired to think of your best interest rather they look to please the most in an effort to increase their bottom line. Many times what is best for the club is also best for the players. as soon as you see that it isn't the appropriate fit for your child, you should get out and quick.

My take on all of these parents putting down one another's leagues is that their children are likely young or they have not yet encountered any controversy. All it takes is having a high level player on a team that is average good or having a bubble player at a club that doesn't have a good place for them to change your perspective.

2 questions:

How long to you give a club/team to determine whether it is the right fit?

If you were a board member, DOC, or business manager for one the league/Timbers loyal clubs (Westside, Eastside, Wa Timbers, Crossfire, THUSC) would you say network-loyalty is paying dividends for the club?

[Unregistered]

2 questions:

How long to you give a club/team to determine whether it is the right fit?

If you were a board member, DOC, or business manager for one the league/Timbers loyal clubs (Westside, Eastside, Wa Timbers, Crossfire, THUSC) would you say network-loyalty is paying dividends for the club?

I actually was a board member for one of the above listed clubs and team treasurer for two different teams. I was very loyal and had a very strong bond with our club. To make a long story short, our club acted out of the best interest of one of my children who also happened to play at a very high level. It simply did not fit their business model to do what was right for the player and at the end of the day us leaving the club was absolutely, hands down the right decision. It was unfortunate the way it went down and had someone told me that it was going to happen that way prior I would have been extremely skeptical. We left very suddenly, forfeiting all of our fees because they were going to hold the player card hostage even though the season had not started and were pretty much shunned as a result. It was an ugly time and an eye opener. We should have acted much earlier and without a bias in favor of our club. The writing on was on the wall but we wanted to believe the rhetoric.

[Unregistered]

soul searching

I have two boys playing at a very high level on WA Timbers and I can't see the benefit of being a TA club I'm looking for another option next season.

I can't deal with the political process it's crazy

[Unregistered]

[QUOTE=Slow Xavi;1443954]Moved this from another thread; on subject of +s and -s of league loyalty at the club level.

[QUOTE=Unregistered;1443927]

Assuming the FC did this solely to retain high-end boys: have Westside, Eastside, WA Timbers, THUSC, and Crossfire been better served by going lock-step with their respective leagues?

My question there is not about coaches in those respective clubs (they get some benefits to being loyal to one network or the other); rather have the clubs benefited from going lock-step with the Timbers or OPL?

Westside, Eastside and WA. Timbers use to win national championships; Southside use to win state championships on the girls' side . . . will that ever happen again?

FC has won as many national championships as Westside, Eastside or Washington. None of those teams have won anything at that level since their affiliation with Timbers. No it's not likely that it will ever happen again. The DA will take just enough of the good players that they won't be able to compete at that level and ECNL takes the top girls players.

[Unregistered]

I have two boys playing at a very high level on WA Timbers and I can't see the benefit of being a TA club I'm looking for another option next season.

I can't deal with the political process it's crazy

I am the poster espousing the concept of being loyal to your club only so long as they are loyal to you. Knowing what I know now, I simply ignore politics and act as though it does not exists. I don't get involved in parent drama and I don't care what others think of us.

Having said that, it would seem that boys (especially those at a high level) do well in Timbers aligned clubs or Westside and Eastside. When I think of boys teams Wa Timbers don't come to mind but I am NOT familiar with all age groups. If you don't think that your club has your boys in the appropriate league or you don't like the affiliation (which seems to come with all clubs) then maybe during tryout season you should take them to try out elsewhere and get a feel for other teams.

[Unregistered]

Having been in the youth club sports scene with 5 children and various sports I can say with 100% certainty that at some point it should be about your child ... not club, team, league loyalty. Guarantee you the clubs are not wired to think of your best interest rather they look to please the most in an effort to increase their bottom line. Many times what is best for the club is also best for the players. as soon as you see that it isn't the appropriate fit for your child, you should get out and quick.

My take on all of these parents putting down one another's leagues is that their children are likely young or they have not yet encountered any controversy. All it takes is having a high level player on a team that is average good or having a bubble player at a club that doesn't have a good place for them to change your perspective.

Great post and oh so true. Sometimes all it takes is a coaching change but that can move things either way. From good to bad, or vice versa.

[Unregistered]

Fair enough question. I've personally found personal value in being part of something bigger than myself (team, club, company, organization) at least at times.

My question assumes folks find some connection a club beneficial beyond the transaction of the moment, but your point is a fair one - ultimately what are you and your child getting out of loyalty to a league or a club.

We left our old club because it didn't offer enough for our kids playing on their teams.
That was to step up a level.
They've been playing at the top level in Oregon for several years now and I'm happy with the club. I support the club and believe it is the best place they could be for their continuing development and opportunity to move on to college play if they want.
Having said that we almost left the club a couple years ago because the coaching was starting to head down the drain. There has been some coaches let go and refocusing at the club and it's going the right direction now, though.
I do believe that any club in Oregon is going to be out for their best interests and it's up to us to look out for our best interests. If they start to diverge again I'm not afraid to say 'bye-bye'.

[Slow Xavi]

[QUOTE=Unregistered;1444042][QUOTE=Slow Xavi;1443954]Moved this from another thread; on subject of +s and -s of league loyalty at the club level.

FC has won as many national championships as Westside, Eastside or Washington. None of those teams have won anything at that level since their affiliation with Timbers. No it's not likely that it will ever happen again. The DA will take just enough of the good players that they won't be able to compete at that level and ECNL takes the top girls players.

Didn't mean to exclude FC's national championships; was focused on TA clubs that have won national championships pre-TA and OPL member clubs that did well before the OPL was cemented.

[Unregistered]

soul searching

I have two boys playing at a very high level on WA Timbers and I can't see the benefit of being a TA club I'm looking for another option next season.

I can't deal with the political process it's crazy

[Unregistered]

I have two boys playing at a very high level on WA Timbers and I can't see the benefit of being a TA club I'm looking for another option next season.

I can't deal with the political process it's crazy

Oh, so all of the threads on here about how badly that organization is run are warranted. They have never been an option for us, and that sounds like a good thing for us.

[Unregistered]

NOt so fast

Oh, so all of the threads on here about how badly that organization is run are warranted. They have never been an option for us, and that sounds like a good thing for us.

Here lies the problem. Not all TA Clubs or OPL Clubs are run the same. You can't make generalization based on the league affiliation. There good TA Clubs and there good OPL Clubs. Not all TA Doc answer to their boards and same with OPL Doc. The Clubs that don't have that check and balance tend to be the poorly run ones and the ones that typically make bad decisions in the long run. You need to have a vision and a cohesive board and a DOC that works their board. Otherwise you are left with bad decisions that impact the Club in the long run because ego gets in the way. A great example is FCPDX entry into the USSF Academy program. It was a reaction to potential threats but not much thought was put into. They expected the best boys player to migrate to their Club and it did not happen. Consequently their DOC was let go and it cost FC many good players and stained their reputation. There are other examples out there.