Maple Update

[Unregistered]

Latest on Maple reorg. Believe Tom Goodman was previously with NEFC (on their website he is still shown as a Board Member).

http://www.maplesoccer.com/news/new-...nts-for-maple/

Enough to reverse the trend of players to NEP?

[Unregistered]

Enough to reverse the trend of players to NEP?

ha ha ha ha

[Unregistered]

NEP bought Maple already - your a day late and a dollar short....it's already a done deal.

[Unregistered]

MAPLE has not been bought. NEC may not end up taking off the ground.

[Unregistered]

MAPLE has not been bought. NEC may not end up taking off the ground.

Making those changes discussed in the press release won't make much of a difference. Its just a league. They schedule refs, schedule the games, administer standards, and keep score. The clubs have to do the marketing.

What makes NEP more attractive is the allure of college soccer. Allure, is the sense of allusion for most of the players. But its real and it motivates many players and their parents. Many many kids move from Maple to NEP clubs during middle school or early HS for that reason. And the marketing is quite simple, just having the DOC, club owner, and coaches talk about college soccer is a starting point. Talk to the team of U16s and U17s about college and the opportunities there. Most of Div. 1 Maple players, if they play through HS years, will have a shot at Div. 3 college teams. A fraction of them can make Div. 2 and 3 teams too. Sell that point. Bring in college coaches to be on your board. If your club has a few HS level teams, they should have a college night in the Spring. And it shouldn't be parents begging for it. Just do it. Pay local Div. 3 coaches to run a clinic, have them watch the U16s and U17s on a Sunday afternoon in May. Do a better job at Maple tournaments to showcase the college coaches who are there and how to connect with them. And then do what FC Stars does and post the college commitments on your website. That is what sells after you graduate from U12.

[Unregistered]

Making those changes discussed in the press release won't make much of a difference. Its just a league. They schedule refs, schedule the games, administer standards, and keep score. The clubs have to do the marketing.

What makes NEP more attractive is the allure of college soccer. Allure, is the sense of allusion for most of the players. But its real and it motivates many players and their parents. Many many kids move from Maple to NEP clubs during middle school or early HS for that reason. And the marketing is quite simple, just having the DOC, club owner, and coaches talk about college soccer is a starting point. Talk to the team of U16s and U17s about college and the opportunities there. Most of Div. 1 Maple players, if they play through HS years, will have a shot at Div. 3 college teams. A fraction of them can make Div. 2 and 3 teams too. Sell that point. Bring in college coaches to be on your board. If your club has a few HS level teams, they should have a college night in the Spring. And it shouldn't be parents begging for it. Just do it. Pay local Div. 3 coaches to run a clinic, have them watch the U16s and U17s on a Sunday afternoon in May. Do a better job at Maple tournaments to showcase the college coaches who are there and how to connect with them. And then do what FC Stars does and post the college commitments on your website. That is what sells after you graduate from U12.

Makes a lot of sense, and this would satisfy some (many?). But some people are going to be aware of what's going on and have college soccer aspirations, and they'll see that the D1 MAPLE group is not equivalent to the level of competition in NPL, that they're playing on crappy fields, and that they're isn't really anyone in the club who can help them with college soccer. It will not be worth it for some people to pay more to get more, and a revamped MAPLE with an elite focus (NEC) and some better marketing by the clubs as suggested could/should do the trick for many.

[Unregistered]

There is a lot that Maple can do to help them recover but what they can't do is offer roughly the same product as NEP.

For example, if their league went to the mid to late June. Or they offered every town an elite team to play on Sundays as almost a Town+ program, etc

The bottom line is that they need to differentiate themselves from NEP.

[Unregistered]

Making those changes discussed in the press release won't make much of a difference. Its just a league. They schedule refs, schedule the games, administer standards, and keep score. The clubs have to do the marketing.

What makes NEP more attractive is the allure of college soccer. Allure, is the sense of allusion for most of the players. But its real and it motivates many players and their parents. Many many kids move from Maple to NEP clubs during middle school or early HS for that reason. And the marketing is quite simple, just having the DOC, club owner, and coaches talk about college soccer is a starting point. Talk to the team of U16s and U17s about college and the opportunities there. Most of Div. 1 Maple players, if they play through HS years, will have a shot at Div. 3 college teams. A fraction of them can make Div. 2 and 3 teams too. Sell that point. Bring in college coaches to be on your board. If your club has a few HS level teams, they should have a college night in the Spring. And it shouldn't be parents begging for it. Just do it. Pay local Div. 3 coaches to run a clinic, have them watch the U16s and U17s on a Sunday afternoon in May. Do a better job at Maple tournaments to showcase the college coaches who are there and how to connect with them. And then do what FC Stars does and post the college commitments on your website. That is what sells after you graduate from U12.

Stop the babbling. NEP and Maple are both a joke. If you want decent competition a
U14 and up you need to step up to a higher level such as NPL, Region 1, ECNL.

[Unregistered]

Stop the babbling. NEP and Maple are both a joke. If you want decent competition a
U14 and up you need to step up to a higher level such as NPL, Region 1, ECNL.

And if your child does not make a team that plays in those higher leagues, what do you suppose they do? Quit soccer? Get over yourself already. I have both an NEP player and ECNL player and find enjoyment watching them both play.

[Unregistered]

Stop the babbling. NEP and Maple are both a joke. If you want decent competition a
U14 and up you need to step up to a higher level such as NPL, Region 1, ECNL.

You're a jerk. And a snob. Nep and maple are good choices for lots of kids. Not everyone aspires to be or cares about becoming a national team player.

[Unregistered]

Maple is really a thing of the past.

Valeo, FCUSA in NEP. Best, Liverpool, Abbey and now SSS in NEC... Who is left?

[Unregistered]

Maple is really a thing of the past.

Valeo, FCUSA in NEP. Best, Liverpool, Abbey and now SSS in NEC... Who is left?

Where is the announcement for Abbey and SSS

[Unregistered]

Maple is really a thing of the past.

Valeo, FCUSA in NEP. Best, Liverpool, Abbey and now SSS in NEC... Who is left?

Where is there anything about Abbey and SSS in NEC? Nothing on NEC website.

[Unregistered]

Maple is really a thing of the past.

Valeo, FCUSA in NEP. Best, Liverpool, Abbey and now SSS in NEC... Who is left?

Next week's emergency meeting should be interesting.

[Unregistered]

Maple is really a thing of the past.

Valeo, FCUSA in NEP. Best, Liverpool, Abbey and now SSS in NEC... Who is left?

Hammer, strikers, but getting fewer and fewer