ODP- is it still happening this year?

[Guest]

The ones who were drunk at the games???

Keepin' it classy

[Guest]

I heard a rumor that OYSA is too broke to put on the Friendship Cup for ODP this year. Is this correct Simon?

[Guest]

Keepin' it classy

They actually were drunk. And pretty hungover for most games. The girls were old enough to recognize it. Sad. The head coach Anthony was hungover the whole trip and angry most of the time. These are facts. Simon, ask any of the parents and they will confirm. It was a sh-show. And how you employ coaches like this is beyond anything comprehensible

[simondate]

I heard a rumor that OYSA is too broke to put on the Friendship Cup for ODP this year. Is this correct Simon?

Nope. Friendship Cup is on this year.

[Guest]

Nope. Friendship Cup is on this year.

Yawn.....

[Guest]

Nope. Friendship Cup is on this year.

Hi Simon have the ODP West Region Talent ID Camp invites gone out for this year? I haven't seen any announcements from OYSA or USYS yet

[simondate]

Yawn.....

Take a nap little camper. It'll be okay.
We committed to 'keeping things the same' this year, which includes Friendship Cup as the last event of this seasonal year for ODP.
Expect changes next year.

[Guest]

Take a nap little camper. It'll be okay.
We committed to 'keeping things the same' this year, which includes Friendship Cup as the last event of this seasonal year for ODP.
Expect changes next year.

Simon - you do you I guess but maybe sticking to factual responses and leaving out the condescending comments would best. Totally expected from anonymous *******s, but perhaps the president of OYSA should keep it classy. Don’t get sucked into this sihthole.

[Guest]

Take a nap little camper. It'll be okay.
We committed to 'keeping things the same' this year, which includes Friendship Cup as the last event of this seasonal year for ODP.
Expect changes next year.

I wish you luck getting players to show up. From what I have heard, the horse has left the barn and people have had it with ODP.
You bought a money pit and no amount of sweat equity can fix it. It’s a wrap. The best players will avoid this like the plague as there are now much better and valid pathways.

[Guest]

Simon,

As you may have noticed, there are quite a few participants in this forum that are heavily invested in devaluing the ODP program, suggesting that (in particular) because the Top Talent In ECNL is not involved, it's essentially a second-class collection of talent, and therefore (according to them) a pointless waste of time.

Whether or not these attitudes are representative of the ECNL clubs or their staff, or are just the random ranting of disgruntled parents in an anonymous forum, I dunno. Certainly, some of the travel platforms make participation in ODP impossible, and lots of different clubs and platforms are fighting to be the "top of the pyramid" and would benefit from the killing of alternatives, and there's a long history of bad blood between US Club and USYS. On the other hand, all of the clubs that participate in ECNL also participate in OYSA offerings, even if only for their select and rec teams, and my assumption is that you see it as your mission to serve the ENTIRE soccer community, not just the elite player (which is what this forum tends to focus on, and where the big-spending parents are also to be found).

Do you experience much hostility from the ECNL and ECNL-curious clubs to OYSA programming? Do you sense that said clubs think OYSA should focus on non-elite players, and leave elite programming to the travel leagues outside your jurisdiction? Or is there support from the broader soccer community for what you are doing, even if it draws criticism here?

[Guest]

At the $urf all club meeting last week they said $urf Oregon will host $urf Regional Training Centers all over OR and Vancouver. What does this mean for ODP boys and Timbers RTC? Whatever makes money I guess for $urf.

[Guest]

At the $urf all club meeting last week they said $urf Oregon will host $urf Regional Training Centers all over OR and Vancouver. What does this mean for ODP boys and Timbers RTC? Whatever makes money I guess for $urf.

Anything but Surf Nation...............

[simondate]

Simon,

As you may have noticed, there are quite a few participants in this forum that are heavily invested in devaluing the ODP program, suggesting that (in particular) because the Top Talent In ECNL is not involved, it's essentially a second-class collection of talent, and therefore (according to them) a pointless waste of time.

Whether or not these attitudes are representative of the ECNL clubs or their staff, or are just the random ranting of disgruntled parents in an anonymous forum, I dunno. Certainly, some of the travel platforms make participation in ODP impossible, and lots of different clubs and platforms are fighting to be the "top of the pyramid" and would benefit from the killing of alternatives, and there's a long history of bad blood between US Club and USYS. On the other hand, all of the clubs that participate in ECNL also participate in OYSA offerings, even if only for their select and rec teams, and my assumption is that you see it as your mission to serve the ENTIRE soccer community, not just the elite player (which is what this forum tends to focus on, and where the big-spending parents are also to be found).

Do you experience much hostility from the ECNL and ECNL-curious clubs to OYSA programming? Do you sense that said clubs think OYSA should focus on non-elite players, and leave elite programming to the travel leagues outside your jurisdiction? Or is there support from the broader soccer community for what you are doing, even if it draws criticism here?

What a great question! Seriously! Refreshing.

Here's where we see ODP...It's an incredible program that should serve a much broader base than it currently does, and that some of our clubs service.

Let me use an analogy to describe ODP. In 2004 I was the visual presentation manager of Hollywood Video. I worked out of the Wilsonville corporate office, and I, along with about a dozen other 25-30-somethings was responsible for what the inside of our 1800+ stores looked like. We had a quarterly meeting in January to review Q4 2003, in the Tigard Theater on 99. We sat there with the other young folks in the marketing group and listened to the report being given and they talked about competitors. Blockbuster was the obvious one. Movie Gallery was another. Then they talked about this little upstart in San Francisco that had the audacity to use the internet to let people order movies from home, and then have them mailed to them. They stood there and made fun of this new company for not following the model of wanting to come into a store on a Friday night, growing the new release wall, picking up some popcorn and some milk duds, paying for your movie and then returning it the next day. In the back rows of the movies theater we were in, our younger group thought this was actually pretty freaking cool, and it was weird to hear them poke fun and innovation. That company was called Netflix, and they continued to innovate. In 2005, just one year after this quarterly review, Hollywood was sold to Movie Gallery for $1.2B and pretty soon the rest of the industry followed. This all happened because people didn't change, evolve, or innovate.

I would argue, with the landscape of youth soccer being what it is today, that ODP falls into the category of a program that was the cream of the crop 20 years ago but has fallen behind other organizations that have sprung up and are going a good job of reaching a certain demographic. ECNL events are great, GA is decent, too. There are a number of other alphabet-soup leagues that spring up and offer something new. Less travel. More travel. Regionalization. Showcases. 'Kinda' showcases. The one thing they all have in common though is that they are expensive. WAY more expensive than ODP (which I feel is still too expensive btw). If you don't have money, you can't play in these leagues. Yes, there are scholarships, and yes there is help and the clubs do a decent job providing that, but 2-3 showcases a year and a national showcase thrown in adds up quickly.

Being cheaper though, doesn't mean better. ODP has always been cheaper, but it's not enough. We need a comprehensive plan to reach the entire state, give them an experience that exposes them to higher level coaching, gives them opportunities to get in front of college coaches and lets them play with other kids that they are not normally with. We committed to keeping things the same this year as it has been for the last decade. You can't fix what you don't know, so that's what we've done. It hasn't worked smoothly, but we've had a great look at where we need to change and 'innovate'. I think you'll like what we're going to be rolling out this year. It's different, and it's less cost than it was last year. I've made no secret of the fact that I think we have to get to a point where ODP is a free program. It used to be. Then it wasn't. Then it became a revenue source. Then it became a recruiting issue. Then it became a money-grab. It will change again in 2025. It will serve the masses.

Oh, and for your last two points, about the hostility and the criticism....not really. Sure, some ECNL and ECNL-curious (love that phrase, I may steal it!) clubs are more open to discussion than others, but I enjoy our conversations. They're awkward sometimes. They're blunt, but they are always productive. My job is never to tell a club how they should run. I never have, and never will. My job is, however, to set clear parameters about how you participate in our league, and what that requires from you as a commitment. This will change significantly again this month as we roll out the new calendar and the club standards. Most of the club leadership are really cool men and women, who genuinely want what's best for the kids, but struggle with the need for keeping up with the Joneses. They've got customers to answer to, also. To your point, I think most people on here are disgruntled parents with nothing better to do. Take the anonymous part out, and make people have an account, and you'll lose 95% of people on here. That's why I have an account. If you've got something to say, stand behind it. It's not hard to do.

And the criticism comes with the job I guess. I get crap about being on here, too. "It's below the dignity of OYSA". I don't care. We meet people where they are, and if it involves us, sometimes it's fun to provide facts, although the tinfoil hat folks on here, don't like it. It's funny, because I spend about 15-20 mins a week browsing this cesspool of a site...partly out of morbid curiosity, and partly to reassure myself that if you're obsessed with criticizing me, or OYSA, or the 2009 bracket because you've spent hours analyzing results and deciphering which teams should have the best goal difference going into state cup, and why the XXX club team are awful, then there's nothing we can do to help you. And the best part about it is that club leaders (hi guys!) read this as we joke about it, too. Honestly, there are some awful conversations on here. But occasionally, like this one, there is some thoughtful questions that I feel like are worth engaging.

Thanks again for your question. Call anytime.

Simon
503.957.3523

[Guest]

What a great question! Seriously! Refreshing.

Here's where we see ODP...It's an incredible program that should serve a much broader base than it currently does, and that some of our clubs service.

Let me use an analogy to describe ODP. In 2004 I was the visual presentation manager of Hollywood Video. I worked out of the Wilsonville corporate office, and I, along with about a dozen other 25-30-somethings was responsible for what the inside of our 1800+ stores looked like. We had a quarterly meeting in January to review Q4 2003, in the Tigard Theater on 99. We sat there with the other young folks in the marketing group and listened to the report being given and they talked about competitors. Blockbuster was the obvious one. Movie Gallery was another. Then they talked about this little upstart in San Francisco that had the audacity to use the internet to let people order movies from home, and then have them mailed to them. They stood there and made fun of this new company for not following the model of wanting to come into a store on a Friday night, growing the new release wall, picking up some popcorn and some milk duds, paying for your movie and then returning it the next day. In the back rows of the movies theater we were in, our younger group thought this was actually pretty freaking cool, and it was weird to hear them poke fun and innovation. That company was called Netflix, and they continued to innovate. In 2005, just one year after this quarterly review, Hollywood was sold to Movie Gallery for $1.2B and pretty soon the rest of the industry followed. This all happened because people didn't change, evolve, or innovate.

I would argue, with the landscape of youth soccer being what it is today, that ODP falls into the category of a program that was the cream of the crop 20 years ago but has fallen behind other organizations that have sprung up and are going a good job of reaching a certain demographic. ECNL events are great, GA is decent, too. There are a number of other alphabet-soup leagues that spring up and offer something new. Less travel. More travel. Regionalization. Showcases. 'Kinda' showcases. The one thing they all have in common though is that they are expensive. WAY more expensive than ODP (which I feel is still too expensive btw). If you don't have money, you can't play in these leagues. Yes, there are scholarships, and yes there is help and the clubs do a decent job providing that, but 2-3 showcases a year and a national showcase thrown in adds up quickly.

Being cheaper though, doesn't mean better. ODP has always been cheaper, but it's not enough. We need a comprehensive plan to reach the entire state, give them an experience that exposes them to higher level coaching, gives them opportunities to get in front of college coaches and lets them play with other kids that they are not normally with. We committed to keeping things the same this year as it has been for the last decade. You can't fix what you don't know, so that's what we've done. It hasn't worked smoothly, but we've had a great look at where we need to change and 'innovate'. I think you'll like what we're going to be rolling out this year. It's different, and it's less cost than it was last year. I've made no secret of the fact that I think we have to get to a point where ODP is a free program. It used to be. Then it wasn't. Then it became a revenue source. Then it became a recruiting issue. Then it became a money-grab. It will change again in 2025. It will serve the masses.

Oh, and for your last two points, about the hostility and the criticism....not really. Sure, some ECNL and ECNL-curious (love that phrase, I may steal it!) clubs are more open to discussion than others, but I enjoy our conversations. They're awkward sometimes. They're blunt, but they are always productive. My job is never to tell a club how they should run. I never have, and never will. My job is, however, to set clear parameters about how you participate in our league, and what that requires from you as a commitment. This will change significantly again this month as we roll out the new calendar and the club standards. Most of the club leadership are really cool men and women, who genuinely want what's best for the kids, but struggle with the need for keeping up with the Joneses. They've got customers to answer to, also. To your point, I think most people on here are disgruntled parents with nothing better to do. Take the anonymous part out, and make people have an account, and you'll lose 95% of people on here. That's why I have an account. If you've got something to say, stand behind it. It's not hard to do.

And the criticism comes with the job I guess. I get crap about being on here, too. "It's below the dignity of OYSA". I don't care. We meet people where they are, and if it involves us, sometimes it's fun to provide facts, although the tinfoil hat folks on here, don't like it. It's funny, because I spend about 15-20 mins a week browsing this cesspool of a site...partly out of morbid curiosity, and partly to reassure myself that if you're obsessed with criticizing me, or OYSA, or the 2009 bracket because you've spent hours analyzing results and deciphering which teams should have the best goal difference going into state cup, and why the XXX club team are awful, then there's nothing we can do to help you. And the best part about it is that club leaders (hi guys!) read this as we joke about it, too. Honestly, there are some awful conversations on here. But occasionally, like this one, there is some thoughtful questions that I feel like are worth engaging.

Thanks again for your question. Call anytime.

Simon
503.957.3523

ODP is devalued and marginalized not because of anonymous posters on this cesspool site , which is better suited for the Dark Web allowing you and the doc's tobgetbyour fix of perverse reading jollies.

Instead newbie it's the direct result of US Soccer open market stance on youth soccer in the states. Today the MLS next brand/platform for boys has no time for the archaic usys odp program you are ignorantly pimping.

Furthermore the US Club association has systematically skimmed off the best Girls clubs from usys and are getting the next best tier of boys clubs below the MLS Next to play with them vs usys.

US Club oversees the showcase & travel leagues labeled ECNL

scrapping the dinosaur called oysa ODP would be your 1st intelligent leadership decision, setting the tone you are here to serve the oysa members best interest.

BTW, the oysa has never been tasked or asked to run any leagues,

Cups yes.

You may want to do a little research on what your role actually is.

[Guest]

ODP is devalued and marginalized not because of anonymous posters on this cesspool site , which is better suited for the Dark Web allowing you and the doc's tobgetbyour fix of perverse reading jollies.

Instead newbie it's the direct result of US Soccer open market stance on youth soccer in the states. Today the MLS next brand/platform for boys has no time for the archaic usys odp program you are ignorantly pimping.

Furthermore the US Club association has systematically skimmed off the best Girls clubs from usys and are getting the next best tier of boys clubs below the MLS Next to play with them vs usys.

US Club oversees the showcase & travel leagues labeled ECNL

scrapping the dinosaur called oysa ODP would be your 1st intelligent leadership decision, setting the tone you are here to serve the oysa members best interest.

BTW, the oysa has never been tasked or asked to run any leagues,

Cups yes.

You may want to do a little research on what your role actually is.

What I know for sure is speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we have.

O.W.