This post orginally was only about the interview below with a former Emerald City FC coach. Since the original posting two big news events have occurred. Firstly, the Seattle Youth Soccer Association voted 12-2 last night to suspend Emerald City FC for one year. See the letter sent out to parents here. It reads in part:
Last night, the SYSA Board of Commissioners voted 12-2 to suspend Emerald City FC, one of SYSA's member clubs, at a special meeting called for that purpose.
The SYSA Board's vote follows many months of frustration over ECFC's refusal to abide by the decision of the resolutions and vote of July 9,2009. That vote created a unified select soccer program, including a new select club, Seattle United, that was to oversee all select soccer for U11 to U14 players in SYSA, starting in 2010. Regrettably, ECFC's actions were causing serious harm to SYSA's interests, attempted to circumvent the decision of the SYSA Commissioners, and were causing confusion and distress to many SYSA families and players. The Commissioners felt they had no choice but to suspend ECFC from all participation in SYSA activities for one year before they did further harm to the association and its members.
Emerald City FC responded a few hours ago by jumping to US Club Soccer:
UPDATE: According to this post Emerald City Football Club has voted to join US Club Soccer. "We are making this decision because it is time to do what is right for young soccer players, what is right for competitive clubs and what is right for the good of the game," said Bobby Howe, director of coaching for Emerald City. "We want to redraw the youth soccer boundaries that currently restrict player development in this state and create a more open and diverse system. We want to give the game back to the players."
I was just sent the email which Emerald City sent out to its families in regards to the move to US Club Soccer. It reads in part: As anticipated, SYSA voted last night to suspend Emerald City from future SYSA-affiliated activities for one year. The practical effect is that ECFC is prohibited from fielding NEW teams under the SYSA for the coming year. Current teams are unaffected for the rest of the season, including State Cup play. Although the decision may sound damning, in actuality it liberates Emerald City and allows us embark on a new path, divesting us of the political wrangling that has consumed far too much of our time and energy of late. Indeed, taking a leadership role has long been a hallmark of Emerald City FC.
Thirty years ago, Emerald City was one of the first clubs to field teams in state- wide soccer leagues. Six years ago, Emerald City was one of the founding members of the PDL. Today, in order to offer the best possible developmental and competitive opportunities for our players, Emerald City will register all of our teams, U11 – U18, with US Club Soccer for the coming 2010/11 seasonal year. This decision is effective immediately. Make no mistake, Emerald City will continue as a premier level club serving all age groups.
Membership in US Club Soccer gives us a platform from which to seek competitive playing opportunities for all of our players, U11 – U18. It gives us the opportunity to offer a wider range of competitive play, both at the local and the national level. For example, [click here] to learn more about the variety of programs that US Club Soccer offers. Specific details for our teams about these as well as additional play packages will be available soon. Our goal is to provide a range of playing venues for our players that include familiar and new opportunities.
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Today I received feedback on my recent Emerald City FC interview.
This time we hear from a former ECFC coach. We will call this person "Coach Y." Coach Y gave me some initial comments, and then I followed up with a few questions. Coach Y suggests to us that the Seattle Youth Soccer Association has a long-standing mistrust of ECFC that has made cooperation difficult.
Coach Y: "I think your reporting on the SU/ECFC has been fair. Don't listen to those people. Some people will flame anything. I appreciate the work you do in the soccer community. The sad part about ECFC (I coached for ECFC for seven years and was a board member for over 4 years and Assistant Coaching Director there): we tried for many years to do some of the exact things that SU is doing now. SYSA for whatever reason never wanted that and I can't help thinking that if the leadership then could find common ground that this entire mess could have been avoided.
"One of the proposals that we gave many years ago was exactly a EC North / EC South type program and to get involved in SYSA. They never wanted ECFC involvement. For years, SYSA has mistrusted and even perhaps hated ECFC for unknown or vague reasons. The characters have changed a lot over the years both on EC and SYSA, yet the mistrust was always there. It is so much like a Hatfield and McCoys where no one knows where the argument even started and both sides are so fixated on keeping the argument that they fail to do what is truly best for the kids.
"Emerald City tried many times during my time there with (Walter King, Jeff Durgan, Mark Johnson, Brian Klien, Steve Hopp, Brian Schmetzer) to bridge the gap with SYSA. I have no idea what happened after my time (Bobby Howe era.)
I asked "Coach Y" a few direct questions:
Was there a time when SYSA / ECFC could have worked out their differences constructively? When was that time, and why didn't it happen?
Coach Y: "Yes. Many of the issues crept up in 6-7 years ago after ECFC starting paying coaches. SYSA felt there was elitism in ECFC coaches, yet I never saw anything even close. Proposals were given to reach more of SYSA and expand to an ECFC North / South and become the exclusive provider of premier soccer, similar to what LWYSA/Crossfire had accomplished. (At that time there were many independent clubs that were just fracturing the SYSA player base.) So there would be the Parrots, Badgers, Phoenix, Shorelines FC, and a couple of others. It seems all coaches, including ECFC's, didn't want to meet halfway. SYSA saw the problem and the confusion created by all the 'premier' club options. But instead of recognizing that changes would need to be made by all parties, SYSA appeared to blame ECFC for not offering enough to the member clubs.
Did you see concerted (institutionalized) efforts by SYSA to 'gang up' on ECFC?
Coach Y: "Not as a whole, but it seemed like each party (club) was protecting their interest and not really helping the kids. The argument is that SYSA has 10k kids...why should we support the efforts of a few hundred. ECFC recognized that kids play at different levels for all reasons. ECFC would hold clinics and camps, coaching clinics, and at one time ran the City Tournament and awarded MVP. To me, it seemed SYSA viewed that as more of their elitism despite they fact that they asked for it."
What would you like to see ECFC and SYSA do now?
Coach Y: "Merge. Find a way to merge with SU (Seattle United.) It's silly to throw away the ECFC brand name (even though it has degraded). Many of the SU coaches are former ECFC coaches anyways. By merging and keeping the ECFC moniker it kills all the stupid PDL/RCL discussions regarding whether SU is 'qualified' or not. It keeps the kids that are in the ECFC program (including the U11-U13 teams that would be most affected) ECFC would be crazy to not allow SYSA to fully get behind their efforts. That is what they always wanted anyways."
Would you go back to ECFC today?
Coach Y: "No, I would not go back. Fields are still one of the main headaches with ECFC. There is no community. It is a fight for fields. One day you are training in Shoreline, the next in Rainier Valley, or Seattle Memorial. There is no sense of community. Every other club I am familiar with with the exception of Eastside has some home bases fields. Two or three fields where everyone trains. This builds community and a more enriching club experience for coaches and players."
Any final thoughts?
Coach Y: "ECFC has met and tried to meet the needs of the top players in Seattle for over 30 years. With numerous presidents, coaching directors and iterations. They have produced one national champion and one finalist, I believe, and countless state champions. They are not the same program they used to be. SU is trying to develop what EC already has in place. The sad part is that SU seems gleeful about 'taking down' Emerald City."
Comments
I guess the courage award goes to Alex Weaver. I'm disappointed Coach Y and X choose to remain anonymous. Retaliation and retribution must be very real.
Fields are always a problem. That's why we call it turf wars. Maintaining and developing fields is the Timbers Army Outreach, so I assume some of the proceeds from tonight will find its way to Portland soccer fields? I hope so.
It is gratifying that every soccer club has an outreach now. Even the fan clubs. They're no longer asked if they do outreach work, but what their outreach is.
Agreed that it is very sad that these coaches feel they can't use their real names because of possible retribution. So political. Too political. Let's just play ball.
Good job on hearing from the "other side." Of course that also makes the whole thing just that much sadder.
what the f?
US Club Soccer is built on the belief that:
•Soccer clubs are the key to player development in the U.S., and while the State Associations play an important role, as the vast majority of their players are at the recreational level, rules that foster equal playing opportunities have been their priority.
•We have spent too much time governing competitive soccer rather than encouraging its growth. The business of the day to day development of top youth players rests with the competitive soccer club. A business-friendly environment must be created to develop programs and services which assist the competitive club and player, provide a minimum of rules and regulations to assure basic fairness, and allow clubs the flexibility to build programs that meet their needs. For example, in all US Club Soccer sanctioned competitions, players will be allowed to “play up” in age if their club so chooses, and travel permissions will not be required to attend events in other states.
•C
Did Emerald City just take their ball and go home?
So SYSA suspends ECFC, and ECFC defaults to US Club Soccer? Just how far will this destructive power play between these two go?
Congrats to ECFC, this is the right move for any top level club in the state. US Club soccer is set up for the top level players and future top level players.
I, especially, hope all the Eastern Washington clubs follow and join US Club soccer.
For the good of the game!
How does this affect their PDL status? Is the PDL going to affiliate with US Club and dump WYSA?
Footie fan, it appears to be the other way around. PDL voted 17-1 to follow with the state into the new Regional Club League (RCL). So, ECFC will no longer be in the PDL, and the PDL may convert over to the RCL.
CORRECTION: The PDL voted to 'talk more with the State' about RCL. No changes yet.
Thanks David. I'm still confused. If the PDL stays as is, can ECFC come in as a US Soccer affiliate? If the PDL joins with WYSA, that would seem to be a problem for ECFC as the US club PSPL (?) is decidedly weaker, right?
Right. My understanding is that ECFC can not play in the PDL if it is a US Club Soccer member. Yes, that would be a level of play blow for them.
Seattle United's (and now SYSA's) plan was and is to make way for a new system by destroying a 30 year institution. Too bad they had no use for that institution's experience, expertise, operational know-how and ECFC's nationally recognized club name.
Imagine the reaction to Adrian Hanauer had he and the ownership group abaondoned the name and legacy of Sounders, going with Seattle Seaducks instead, telling Roger Levesque and Brian Schmetzer to take a hike.
Fans, welcome your new Seattle United!
Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
bizarre. does anyone understand the levels of play, the club affiliations? No. we're talking about children, people!!!
JP, it takes two to tango. My understanding is that ECFC had chances to cooperate, but decided not to. Also, as Coach Y says above, it looks as if there were indeed times before 2004 when SYSA didn't want to work with ECFC. Let's hope both clubs move on to better pastures for the sakes of the players.
David, What ECFC had a chance to do was be lorded over by an ineffective SYSA who couldn't muster a decent plan on their own, and then had to depend on a handful of upstarts (how appropriate that they're described by one of the coaches a teabaggers) who had it out for ECFC. They had a weak plan with giant holes in it. That plan was ratified by a group of club repreosentatives who've only ever run recreational soccer, who had been listening to various plans for years without movement. They were tired and wanted something to happen. I don't blame them but it was short-sighted.
This is a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
US Club will benefit as teams & clubs reject WYS forcing them into the RCL pyramid. League placement will be by the whim of the elite - not determined on the field as it was when we had LPTs. You want proof? Just ask WYS to give out the formula for CAP placement. They won't tell you, because it has a built in bias for certain clubs.
JP,
1. Your comments that there are "giant holes" in the SYSA plan are unsubstantiated.
2. Jimmy Maclister is no upstart.
3. The plan called for ECFC to continue to field older age teams for the next 3 years with their own board intact. That's 20 or more teams a good size club by anyone's standards. Not exactly "hostile takeover" and certainly they weren't "destroyed"
I am sorry the ECFC leadership destroyed our club. They could have had so much more in this process.
I can appreciate your passion but your comments are just emotional.
I expect Seattle United will soon be in US Club Soccer too like most Clubs who are dual affiliated. To spin going to US Club exclusive is better for the kids is just spin and disingenuous. Both organizations have much to offer and neither is perfect. Excluding yourself from one for the other reduces good opportunities for the kids.
ECFCDad: Jimmy McCalister is a recent addition, and a good one. However, it requires an organization to be a premier level club. While execs at ECFC may have misstepped, the arrogance shown by SU and the continuous, shameful misrepresentation of events by SU is reprehensible.
They most recently published information which characterized PDL member clubs as having voted against ECFC -- when in fact they voted that among the most important points of resolving PDL into a statewide organization was an amicable resolution to the SYSA and ECFC situation, including ECFC's continued participation. Further, SU stated that SU would field teams at the PDL level in 2010. No such resolution was agreed to PDL member participants.
The Seattle United founders could have found far better methods to creating a new structure in Seattle if they didn't operate in such an underhanded manner, misrepresenting at every turn in order to create the illusion that SU is Seattle's future.
Scummy.
JP
Here is a direct quote from SYSA President in communique:
"SYSA's premier club, Seattle United, is expected to be a member of this league,(RCL) with teams playing against current PDL teams in the state from Crossfire, Washington Premier, Northwest Nationals"
That doesn't sound like your claim that and I quote:
"Further, SU stated that SU would field teams at the PDL level in 2010. No such resolution was agreed to PDL member participants."
JP as I said nothing you say here is credible. Emotional but not credible. The only people misrepresenting facts are the ECFC leadership. They were called out on that by the WSYSA directly. Now they are suspended. The amicable resolution that the PDL requested was already conducted by the WSYSA already in a mediation and it failed. ECFC leadership has acted reprehensibly, has destroyed our club and let down or kids.
Pathetic
Let's move on, you two. For the sake of our players both clubs need to prosper.
I will continue to cover Seattle United's growth and will also follow with interest to see what the new transitions will bring for ECFC.
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