3Step is a private equity backed company that has swooped into the soccer scene in New England by buying up clubs, leagues, tournaments, referees, and facilities. We’ve all read this book before and hated the ending.
The two big problems 3Step’s plan are:
1) there is a gigantic conflict of interest in everything they do
2) they are all about the money to the point that they cut corners and will do pretty much anything to improve the bottom line.
Conflict of Interest: How can it be acceptable that our child’s club team is playing an opponent that also employs literally all the referees and referee assigners in the region? When our kids play against a 3Step club (Seacoast, Liverpool, Best, Aztecs, etc.), they are also playing against the referees officiating the game at the same time. This calls into question the fairness of the refereeing but also the referee assignments themselves, especially considering that there is a referee shortage and that 3Step owned clubs magically always have referees for every match while other clubs get the shaft. Go figure. It sounds like a crazy conspiracy theory, but it is actually what is happening here in youth soccer. The same company owns all the leagues, many of the clubs, and also all the referees. This is so wrong.
All About the Money: Clubs need to make money to stay in business, but a company’s values must align with their mission. When your values are purely about profit, then the product will naturally suffer. When the product has to do with children and their development, this creates a fundamental problem. Personally, I have grown very uncomfortable with the idea that the company that owns my child’s soccer club is so profit driven. Their approach is driving quality coaches out of the club and forcing detrimental changes in programs. The hits keep on coming without an end in sight.
If you disagree with this, just look at what 3Step has done to Liverpool, Aztecs, and Seacoast in Mass. All three clubs are in steep decline and are being run into the ground by 3Step. This has been very disruptive to the soccer experience of our children.
Hopefully people will soon begin to see that we are gambling with our children’s futures whenever we support a greedy company like 3Step. It is time to stop this assault on youth soccer and take the game back for our kids.
The two big problems 3Step’s plan are:
1) there is a gigantic conflict of interest in everything they do
2) they are all about the money to the point that they cut corners and will do pretty much anything to improve the bottom line.
Conflict of Interest: How can it be acceptable that our child’s club team is playing an opponent that also employs literally all the referees and referee assigners in the region? When our kids play against a 3Step club (Seacoast, Liverpool, Best, Aztecs, etc.), they are also playing against the referees officiating the game at the same time. This calls into question the fairness of the refereeing but also the referee assignments themselves, especially considering that there is a referee shortage and that 3Step owned clubs magically always have referees for every match while other clubs get the shaft. Go figure. It sounds like a crazy conspiracy theory, but it is actually what is happening here in youth soccer. The same company owns all the leagues, many of the clubs, and also all the referees. This is so wrong.
All About the Money: Clubs need to make money to stay in business, but a company’s values must align with their mission. When your values are purely about profit, then the product will naturally suffer. When the product has to do with children and their development, this creates a fundamental problem. Personally, I have grown very uncomfortable with the idea that the company that owns my child’s soccer club is so profit driven. Their approach is driving quality coaches out of the club and forcing detrimental changes in programs. The hits keep on coming without an end in sight.
If you disagree with this, just look at what 3Step has done to Liverpool, Aztecs, and Seacoast in Mass. All three clubs are in steep decline and are being run into the ground by 3Step. This has been very disruptive to the soccer experience of our children.
Hopefully people will soon begin to see that we are gambling with our children’s futures whenever we support a greedy company like 3Step. It is time to stop this assault on youth soccer and take the game back for our kids.
Comment