GA Arizona Showcase Cluster

[Guest]

Moving venue from Arizona to Los Angeles 8 weeks prior? What a sh*tshow. Non-refundable flights. Pre- and post-showcase plans ruined. College coaches being put out.

[Guest]

Can’t be true?

[Guest]

Can’t be true?

bell bank park couldn't find a buyer - court cancelled auction Thursday. Temp funding will run out and end of month and the assets will be liquidated to pay off over 300m in debt -

[Guest]

Tough situation for GA. Not sure what they could've done differently.

I've had games cancelled for freak snow in Colorado at a GA event. Then we switched to an ECNL team and had games cancelled for a freak ice storm in Texas. Always just assumed it was me.

[Guest]

bell bank park couldn't find a buyer - court cancelled auction Thursday. Temp funding will run out and end of month and the assets will be liquidated to pay off over 300m in debt -

Exactly correct. GA decided to pull the plug on Bell Bank.

Girls Academy Commissioner:

Due to financial issues identified and concerns raised over the future viability of the venue in Mesa, Arizona, the Girls Academy League is relocating our marquee Winter Showcase event. After extensive information gathering and consideration of many factors, including the potential impact on our member clubs and families, the League’s leaders felt that continuing to rely on the struggling Mesa facility would be irresponsible. The Board of Directors voted unanimously to move the event to a more reliable venue.

We understand that the late timing of this change may cause inconvenience for some clubs and families. We also know, however, that this is a critical event for player recruitment and that continuing down a path, with a facility that is going out of business, was simply not an option. Therefore, we worked swiftly to secure a different location that will provide the opportunity for our teams to compete. I want to assure everyone this decision was made responsibly, based on the information available to us, while keeping in mind the best interests of our players, clubs and families.

The following information can be used to provide support for your teams and families.

•The Winter Showcase event is being relocated to SilverLakes, in California 555 Hamner Ave., Norco, CA 92860
•A resource landing page online on the GA website Wednesday 10.11.2023

New Partnership with Elite Tournaments for GA Events 2023-2024

•The Girls Academy League will be partnering for the remainder of the 2023-2024 season with Elite Tournaments to ensure we host the highest caliber events. This will be effective with the Winter Showcase
•Elite Tournaments is an event management firm that specializes in youth sports with the ability to excel in a variety of platforms. They will provide expert support in marketing, logistical preparation, on-site management, and product activation.
•By virtue of this partnership, we are committed to creating a great event atmosphere for teams, coaches, college coaches, and spectators alike, while representing the GA’s brand and philosophy at all levels.
•The strengths and experience of Elite Tournaments and their staff will assist us in improving our organizational efficiency in areas such as logistical operations, team communication, marketing support, partnership activations, facility procurement, and economic impact data.

Notification of college coaches/ YNT Scouts of venue relocation

Q: How does this impact their attendance?

A communication has been sent to all college coaches and YNT Scouts notifying them of the relocation of the event to ensure they can adjust their travel plans accordingly. The League Commissioner will be communicating regularly with college coaches and YNT scouts.

Schedule questions and concerns

Q: Will match schedules and dates be consistent?
All play dates will remain consistent and unchanged.
The first possible kick-off on a team's first day will be.
Thursday: 8AM
Friday: 9AM

Q: Will games for east coast teams be scheduled earlier on travel out days?
Yes, wherever possible. But the last possible kick-off on travel out days will be:

U13: 11:00AM
U14: 11:00AM
U15: 1:00PM
U16: 1:00PM
U17: 1:00PM
U19: 1:00PM

[Guest]

Tough situation for GA. Not sure what they could've done differently.

.

Filed for bankruptcy in May. This didn't happen overnight.

[Guest]

Filed for bankruptcy in May. This didn't happen overnight.

About even GA would have been scheduling it. They were probably told what they wanted to hear and stayed optimistic.

[Guest]

About even GA would have been scheduling it. They were probably told what they wanted to hear and stayed optimistic.

I don't have a daughter involved, and I really hate to give the ECNL pompom squad more to be jerks about, but let's not pretend GA couldn't have done something about this earlier. The WSJ has been reporting about financial problems with the park for more than a year (back in the summer of 2022 at least), and it only opened in Jan 2022. Bell Bank thought it was so bad they terminated their naming rights deal over concerns about damage to their reputation. That was back in April 2023. If it was bad enough for Bell Bank to jump ship (presumably writing off a pretty good chunk of change in the process), shouldn't GA have been a little more proactive in protecting their event. It's not like there wasn't any warning and the bankruptcy just popped up out of nowhere. On the heels of the GA Rising debacle this summer, and their Commissioner moving on in the middle of it (I haven't seen anything about a replacement commissioner yet either), it just makes the GA look like a rudderless organization with poor direction at the top.

[Guest]

I don't have a daughter involved, and I really hate to give the ECNL pompom squad more to be jerks about, but let's not pretend GA couldn't have done something about this earlier. The WSJ has been reporting about financial problems with the park for more than a year (back in the summer of 2022 at least), and it only opened in Jan 2022. Bell Bank thought it was so bad they terminated their naming rights deal over concerns about damage to their reputation. That was back in April 2023. If it was bad enough for Bell Bank to jump ship (presumably writing off a pretty good chunk of change in the process), shouldn't GA have been a little more proactive in protecting their event. It's not like there wasn't any warning and the bankruptcy just popped up out of nowhere. On the heels of the GA Rising debacle this summer, and their Commissioner moving on in the middle of it (I haven't seen anything about a replacement commissioner yet either), it just makes the GA look like a rudderless organization with poor direction at the top.

Or maybe GA has been working to address Bell Bank for 6 months but didn't want to relay to player, parents, clubs until everything was in order.

Imagine what the "ECNL" pompom squad would have done if GA game out with a half-baked response.

Overall I think GA has handled the Bell Bank to Silverlakes change very well. Notices went out early enough that everyone can make accommodation changes, dates for the Winter Event haven't changed, and scouts + recruiters are being contacted personally + probably knew about the venue change several months ago.

On top of everything listed above everyone knows where Silverlakes is because ECNL/RL DPL etc all have events there.

[Guest]

Or maybe GA has been working to address Bell Bank for 6 months but didn't want to relay to player, parents, clubs until everything was in order.

Imagine what the "ECNL" pompom squad would have done if GA game out with a half-baked response.

Overall I think GA has handled the Bell Bank to Silverlakes change very well. Notices went out early enough that everyone can make accommodation changes, dates for the Winter Event haven't changed, and scouts + recruiters are being contacted personally + probably knew about the venue change several months ago.

On top of everything listed above everyone knows where Silverlakes is because ECNL/RL DPL etc all have events there.

TS is beautiful for people defending the indefensible. Look it's not a big deal, but GA could have handled it better. That's all I'm saying. The poster's point was that it actually isn't "early enough that everyone can make accommodation changes". Tell that to the guy that's got a nonrefundable flight and is going to eat cost. And they should have been working to address it for a lot more than 6 months. Bell Bank didn't start "working to address" the problem 6 months ago. By that point, they already knew enough to pull out of their naming rights deal completely, so GA is at least 6 months behind pulling out now. And how do you know coaches and scouts "probably knew" several months ago? How do you know they didn't just find out? And what diff does it make if everyone knows where Silverlakes is? If they didn't know where the new facility is would that matter? They can't use Google Maps? Do they miss all the tournaments that are in places they've never heard of becuase they can't find it?

[Guest]

TS is beautiful for people defending the indefensible. Look it's not a big deal, but GA could have handled it better. That's all I'm saying. The poster's point was that it actually isn't "early enough that everyone can make accommodation changes". Tell that to the guy that's got a nonrefundable flight and is going to eat cost. And they should have been working to address it for a lot more than 6 months. Bell Bank didn't start "working to address" the problem 6 months ago. By that point, they already knew enough to pull out of their naming rights deal completely, so GA is at least 6 months behind pulling out now. And how do you know coaches and scouts "probably knew" several months ago? How do you know they didn't just find out? And what diff does it make if everyone knows where Silverlakes is? If they didn't know where the new facility is would that matter? They can't use Google Maps? Do they miss all the tournaments that are in places they've never heard of becuase they can't find it?

Well, the OP didn't say "could've handled it better". It called it a cluster with not a lot of further details.

[Guest]

TS is beautiful for people defending the indefensible. Look it's not a big deal, but GA could have handled it better. That's all I'm saying. The poster's point was that it actually isn't "early enough that everyone can make accommodation changes". Tell that to the guy that's got a nonrefundable flight and is going to eat cost. And they should have been working to address it for a lot more than 6 months. Bell Bank didn't start "working to address" the problem 6 months ago. By that point, they already knew enough to pull out of their naming rights deal completely, so GA is at least 6 months behind pulling out now. And how do you know coaches and scouts "probably knew" several months ago? How do you know they didn't just find out? And what diff does it make if everyone knows where Silverlakes is? If they didn't know where the new facility is would that matter? They can't use Google Maps? Do they miss all the tournaments that are in places they've never heard of becuase they can't find it?

You obviously want to try and kick up dirt.

Maybe parents newer to GA or ECNL don't know where Silverlakes is. But if you've been doing this for the last couple of years you know where it is. Its a guarantee that all the college coaches and recruiters know where it is.

Silverlakes is in Southwest LA. East of Anaheim and South of Riverside. Everyone on the west coast knows where it is. The fields are short professional grade natural grass, dirt parking lot, its almost always windy, cold in the early morning, hot in the afternoon. One thing that's nice is there's a sports bar at the fields. Unfortunaly the drinks are over priced and the food sucks.

[Guest]

Sorry Silverlakes is in Southeast LA

[Guest]

Unfortunate situation but not the end of the world. Non refundable airfare doesnt mean you cant change flights at all. There may be a charge for the new location BUT you can often work out something if you call the airline directly! Same for hotels, who should have cancelations available anyway. Tough spot but manageable.