Sport For All in Ottawa: Creating a Culture of Inclusion
"Sport should be available and responsive to the needs of all Canadian residents who want to participate.
As an organization that strives to create and nurture sport environments that everyone can enjoy, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, culture, income level and ability, the Ottawa Sport Council is proud to focus its next Sport Summit on the topic of inclusivity."
Putting the "evangelical on". Local and regional politicians and business leaders. "Mud sticks" so I am sure more than one will question the local soccer governing bodies wrong-doing, policies and lack of action and become a convert and spread the word.
ReplyDeleteOntario Soccer needs to take over the district asap
ReplyDeleteWhy?
ReplyDeleteMy guess is because the EODSA board members are corrupt. I guess not everyone thinks that a problem.
DeleteCorrupt means personal gain. Not sure it is that. Unprincipled is more like it. Just don't care about anything but their own clubs, and are using the EODSA as a tool.
DeleteI know corrupt implies personal gain - if you dig into how some of these individuals are compensated by the clubs, they have a personal financial stake in this. The larger the club gets, the more time they can justify when billing the clubs for their "consulting fees". To be in that position and then hijack a public organization (EODSA) is nothing if not corrupt. A couple of these clubs are nothing more than private businesses wrapped up in a not-for-profit organization.
DeleteNot just the EODSA board, the ED too looks like. What is Canadian Amateur Soccer Alliance?
Deletehttps://www.can1business.com/company/Canadian-Amateur-Soccer-Alliance
DeleteInformation & Intelligence gathering is gold. If you wish to know what the EODSA is up to please write and ask for the Board Meeting minutes as per your right as a member: Constitution --> article 11 --> 2 Minutes --> "c) Copies of minutes of Board meetings shall be furnished to any Members upon written request".
DeleteThey used to post the minutes of the board meetings on the EODSA website, but stopped doing it around the time the OPDP clubs hijacked the EODSA board.
DeleteIs there any way someone could post the minutes of the EODSA meetings here? I for one do like to keep abreast of what is happening, but fear reprisal from my children's club if they were to find out I asked for the minutes - I don't really know whether anyone at the EODSA can be trusted anymore and fear that my request will be passed on to the club (yes, a very healthy environment we have here in Ottawa).
DeleteHopefully there is some way to get access to these from the past couple of years, because it has been a very long time since the EODSA has made the minutes publicly available.
Members are clubs, not individuals.
DeleteJust add "on behalf of XYZ SC" minutes wanted.
DeleteCorrupt is a strong word. Wow. You don't hold back.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Gatineau has entered their boys teams in the ERSL (at least at U13 - U18). Odd that they're also been automatically allowed to enter in ever age group, even the ones that are based on promotion/relegation. I know Gatineau entered a bunch of teams in the Coliseum league this winter, but a little surprised they are passing on the AA/AAA leagues in Quebec.
ReplyDeleteAlso looks like Chelsea has entered some girls teams in the ERSL.
Could this possibly open it up for clubs to go the other way? I'm sure there would be interest from some of the stronger Ottawa teams to play in Quebec leagues. I could see OS opposing this though, since it would make OPDL significantly less attractive.
DeleteThat said, there seems to be a lot of change going on - Quebec teams playing in Ontario, the unsanctioned EDL league being allowed to operate, the OPDP clubs being allowed to operate an unsanctioned league, folding SAAC into OASL, the CSA's club licensing starting next year,...
I think letting Ottawa teams play in Quebec would be good for everyone. To be honest, even the OPDL clubs, who would oppose this, would be better off to leave OPDL and play in Quebec.
Additionally, important to note and to be fair to ALL the soccer clubs, people, for-profit, not-for-profit, individuals, community organizations, etc. here and everywhere (it is after all fairnessinottawasoccer.org) to be given the equal opportunity to compete (on the soccer field, commercial arena or the field of life); its that apparently "paid staff" (on commission, contract or otherwise) can under "legalese jargon" fully exploit joining any (sanctioned or unsanctioned) league they so wish to participate in. Large clubs are already taking full advantage of this new loophole in the "sanctioned soccer laws" so why not take advantage of it yourself and get together with the EDLs, Gatineaus, Chelseas, Coliseums, or any other EODSA club that has for years wanted to start their own House League and Youth component (but were prevented)? You give hours of (paid) work to your club then take control of your market share!
DeleteOPDP-EODSA, thinks smaller-rural clubs do not have "push or pull". They were already scared of the "private academies", just wait until these small-rural clubs realize that "staff" can start/join other PREMIER ELITE DEVELOPMENT leagues not under their control. Let real ELITE competition begin.
intriguing, leagues staff too?
DeleteI take it Hull is leaving their teams in the Quebec AA/AAA leagues? Are these Gatineau teams their AA/AAA teams, or are they just putting their A teams in the ERSL?
DeleteI don't think Gatineau's U14 team is playing in the ERSL. They're a pretty strong team and would benefit more from the competition in the Lac St. Louis AA league.
DeleteUnless they play up.
DeleteDoesn't seem that they're playing up. There is one Gatineau team listed in each division, except for U14 where they don't have one listed.
DeleteMakes sense for that one team to play in Montreal - they're definitely the strongest team that the club has and they can get good competition in Montreal without having to drive too far. The rest of their teams aren't great and may as well play locally.
Nice for their club to get to pick and choose where their teams will play. Ottawa clubs on the other hand are stuck with nothing.
Presumably OS and/or EODSA had to approve Gatineau to play in an Ontario league, which means they should allow Ontario clubs the option to play in Quebec (this is already allowed under OS regulations, but OS and EODSA have discretion to allow or deny). It would be hypocritical of OS/EODSA to deny any Ontario teams from playing in Quebec based on this. Not saying they won't deny it, just that it would be hypocritical of them. And we all know who we're dealing with here.
DeleteUnless Gatineau is putting their A teams (i.e., tier 2) in the ERSL, I wouldn't be surprised if they lose players to hull. Any player who is more serious would be better off playing Quebec AA and might just switch clubs. And if it's their A teams that are joining ERSL, it doesn't add anything to the overall level of play.
DeleteSaw them today in the Coliseum league. They have 2-3 guys who are pretty stellar. They got outmuscled today though. The better team did not necessarily win, but the more physically efficient one did.
DeleteI don't think anything is going to come of teams from the Outaouais joining ERSL. Looks like Gatineau's boys U14, U15 and U16 teams have pulled out. But at least they've given two spots in the U16 division to Hotspurs - seriously.
DeleteThat's nice - pretty much all of the Hotspurs U16 boys will be playing there.
DeleteFor anyone who has seen those teams play, there is no sound argument for Hotspurs being allowed to have 2 teams in the ERSL's U16 division. One of the teams would qualify because of their placing last year, but there is no basis for allowing their 2nd team there. Something fishy going on there.
DeleteWhat is going on there is a league that the EODSA is trying to kill doing what it can to stay afloat.
DeleteI can see that if the league needs teams, they might make exceptions to allow extra teams in, assuming the rules allow it. But what are Hotspurs thinking added a 2nd team in this division, when they struggled in the district division last season?
DeleteThat is probably what was an OPDP team last summer
DeleteThese are 2002's, not OPDP.
DeleteFrom the Internationals website, FAQ for girls competitive U9-12, commentary re fee increases and playing formats/their interpretation of a future EODSA league ("a much improved product option"):
Delete"11. Fee Increases
There are a few reasons for the increase this year as identified at your AGM:
1- Due to past financial issues such as HST not charged, over expenditures and accounting formula errors
,2- For 2018, our mini programs is offering a Travel Team whereby the season will be longer and have more development and games by participating in many festivals and some exhibition games. This program is more expensive than the League program which will be operated by the ERSL for the last year since all district teams will be moving to the EODSA League for 2019 which will then be a much improved product.option. "
So this festival approach may still cost more for T1 OPDP players even if they are discounting the cost for those clubs?
It only cost about $300 and change to register a team in the ERSL last year. Typical festival fees are around that (eg $290 for Icebreaker U9-12 this year). Hard to do 8 mandatory festivals and not have it a bit costly/team. The clubs make a lot of $$ from festivals, so there could be an impact financially if they discount their existing festivals for OPDP teams or have poor turnout due to competition with extra OPDP festivals.
Funny - the Internationals' website has a completely difference explanation for the fee increase (apparently $25 for boys). It says they introduced a new business system with electronic payment, and that the coach development budget and honorariums have increased. Could it be that they charged the boys HST but not the girls? Did the "accounting formula errors" only impact the girls? Or is this just plain incompetence? Or something else??? In any case, it doesn't give me a great feeling knowing that their VP for the girls side is also the EODSA VP of Administration. God help us.
DeleteOttawa City's website says players will be charged an extra $50 for all of these festivals, so sounds like it is nominal. My guess is that Internationals' fee for these festivals will also be nominal and the rest of the increase is for all these errors or whatever actually happened over there.
I get the sense that these 7 clubs will be playing for next to nothing and are looking to have any other clubs subsidize the costs.
"...a much improved product option..."; (PRODUCT: an article or substance that is manufactured or refined for sale). What is funnier is that by making these public statements they acknowledge as a matter of fact, that they operate within a service industry - commercial space. Amateurs playing grown-up real life games. Do they really think their other 6 "OPDP amigos" are really in for the communal experience? And that they won't "steal their kids" first chance they get? Well, since they market it as a service parents/players do have the Consumer Affairs, Consumer Protection & Competition Bureau for complaints about any false advertisement. I think it is a good time that FiOS collective start to gather and publisdh soccer pricing and services information for the public good; much like the site for gas prices around Ottawa. TBD...
DeleteAnyone know why OSU isn't entering teams in the ERSL U13 or U14 divisions? Is this part of their plan to undermine the ERSL and EODSA? Although they do have teams entered in the older age groups.
DeleteMaybe they just want to do tournaments and friendlies. I'd be cool with that.
DeleteFriendlies are very difficult to coordinate with any regularity in the summer season. You need to find other teams that aren't playing in a league. Also, these teams aren't the most attractive ones to play against.
DeleteLooks like they have entered their U14 team now. Maybe they're just late registering the team, but it's a sad state of affairs locally when people (understandably) have to assume there is some ulterior motive behind it.
DeleteGood club. They are a mix of good and bad like most clubs. Some age groups will do well. Will help strengthen the regional leagues now that 3 big clubs will eventually have their best talent in the OPDL.
ReplyDeletePlease elaborate on leaving OPDL being better. Do you mean playing against the Montreal teams?
ReplyDeleteYes, combination of playing against Montreal teams and reduced travel.
DeleteAny word on what Futuro is going to do to market their team better?
ReplyDeleteWill the Nepean Hotspurs be part of the "OPDP" this year?
ReplyDeleteQuite a few St Anthony Clubs in the ERSL this year. Now are they FUTURO, PARMAR etc...?
ReplyDeleteWho knows. If you look at St. Anthony's website, they don't even have any information about the summer season. It still only shows stuff about the winter season.
Delete“If a closed league, where teams pay to be promoted, is formally accepted, then I think it would be the end of football in Europe,” warns Silva. “Basically only 20 teams in Europe will survive, and hundreds would die because the others would form a super league. And football as it is, as an inclusive, open system, will die. It will only be a little private club of the 20 richest teams in Europe. And hundreds of teams, with their tradition, with their importance to the community, will disappear. If there isn’t an open system, football will disappear.”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/major-league-soccer-promotion-relegation-usa-mls-la-galaxy-close-shop-a8237506.html
Good article, any similarity with our reality in Ottawa it is a mere coincidence...OSA should put a stop to the discrimination set by the OPDP seconded by the EODSA board driven by the same clubs acting in OPDP
ReplyDeleteIn the other thread, someone kept indicating that Hotspurs would be part of the OPDP group, but from what I have heard from other clubs, they won't be. Can anyone confirm one way or the other? I know they were left out of JL's polar bear league this winter, which suggests to me that they won't be allowed in.
ReplyDeleteAs for the "festivals" that these 7 (or 8?) clubs are organising, I've heard they'll only be charging their own players a very nominal amount for these 7 festivals, which suggests to me that any club that is not part of the OPDP group will be gouged if they did want to participate. The other issue then becomes that these clubs will be paying an unreasonable fee, but will likely have their schedules manipulated in a way that they won't want to participate again.
In any case, I can't imagine many people being thrilled with giving up 7 whole weekend days in the summer (plus additional full weekend days for other more official festivals), just to play against the same teams they used to play against under the old ERSL development league. The group is actually weaker as noted previously, because Futuro is the one program they used to play against that is being excluded.
Their U10 team was strong. Unless some of their better players leave, this year will be a waste of time playing against teams who should not be playing them. Unless their stronger players go elsewhere this summer.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the U10 team is strong because of the competition they face externally, or because of their training?
DeleteDoes it really make sense for a strong player to go to another team for competition and lose the training that made them strong in the first place? Players are not fully developed at U10. They get competition inside the program already.
I don't disagree that the strongest teams should play each other, but I disagree regarding the implications above. Some parents put too much emphasis on their child's immediate competition level.
If they have a strong team at that age group, I can guarantee that OSU is having parents call and/or approach the Hotspurs parents about moving to them.
DeleteMaybe the stronger players from other U10 teams should move to Hotspurs instead? Or do you think it's a fluke that they have a good team and that those kids could be much better if they were coached by someone else?
DeleteI know this Hotspurs u10 team (08) very well. It's not a fluke that they have such a good team. I believe that team has been cultivated since u7-8 by their coaches, who are very smart and passionate guys. They are parent coaches, but not your typical parent who takes a weekend course. They actually have experience from playing/coaching and they seem to know what they're doing.
DeleteOf course, most of those players will be a OSU at u12-u13, but not because of JL, or recruiting, but because the parents will realize sooner or later that the Hotspurs are a joke, because they offer zero chances of promoting those players to a higher level.
It's good that they stay there until u12, because the coaching at OSU from u9-u11, is not great.
I've been wondering this for a while now, but does anyone know what the relationship is between OSU, Gloucester and the deal they have with Vancouver Whitecaps? OSU's website says they operate the Whitecaps "Ottawa Academy Centre", while Gloucester's website says their TD is supported by the Whitecaps and they offer programs in partnership with the Whitecaps. The Whitecaps website refers to a partnership with Gloucester and calls it the Ottawa Gloucester Academy Centre. I realize these are marketing arrangements that these clubs have with the Whitecaps, but what is the deal between OSU and Gloucester? Almost makes it seem like it's a single club operating under two different names.
ReplyDeleteGloucester is a mess these days, long-time staff and volunteers departing, the Dragons and Hornets parts not talking (maybe worse). A break-up seems like a real possibility.
DeleteI had heard they changed TD again rather quickly (I could be wrong), so the website may no longer be up to date in that regard?
DeleteIt is disappointing to me to hear that Gloucester is possibly having internal difficulties.
In my opinion, it is good for the kids to have numerous smaller clubs scattered around the city than to have a small number of giant clubs, each one registering 5-10 teams in the "league" per age level. There really is some sense in having teams represent locales, and you could do that with elite programs playing in top leagues and less elite programs playing in secondary leagues. Hockey does that (though I don't believe their system is perfect either, but it might be better). For the parents, it's less driving (except for games which might be comparable to now). For the players, the team experience is heightened - playing more different teams is fun. It's all part of the experience growing up playing, feeling they represent something meaningful to them, and though we know development is important, kids connecting with a team experience is very important also. OS has stressed development and removal of adult pressure from the game (even scores!), but to some extent, "development" can be an adult pressure in itself: the kids mostly want to play and compete with each other, and we hope they might learn something along the way. Obviously many of the very best players are keen to learn, but if we don't first give them something they can enjoy, they will find another sport.
In the past, mergers of clubs have been justified as "we need to be bigger to compete with other clubs" (those other clubs primarily being OSU). The resulting programs are large to administer and quality is not necessarily better. Sure economies of scale might be able to afford a more highly qualified TD, but if my kid hardly gets exposure to the TD on the field, that might not have much impact. I personally think having a large club is to have a large player pyramid in the hopes that the peak 1% of players might be better to select from... hardly development in my opinion. Never black and white, but there is an element of truth to this at least.
That approach is not necessary: look at the quality of Futuro teams/players in a program of only a few hundred kids, and most did not come there with anywhere near that level of playing ability. You can develop elite players if you spend time doing the right things with kids who want to learn.
So, all ranting aside, I hope Gloucester survives without further assimilating into OSU or some other giant club. I think it is good for local soccer.
Is their issue with Gloucester Dragons because Dragons allowed some Hotspurs teams to play this past summer, or is it more than that?
DeleteI think Gloucester is under pressure as far as registration numbers in the east because of population growth moving east towards Cumberland. To combat that, they've entered into these weird arrangements with OSU - but you need to be careful when you get in bed with the devil.
"...we continue to allocate power from this narrow stratum of the mediocre and the over-promoted, and let them degenerate into bullies".
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/18/football-politics-commerce-reflects-our-society
Gloucester had the luxury of being the EAST team for many years. No competition. It was a well run club with a lot of talent. Then came Cumberland and Cap U. and now FCB ESCOLA and the odd east ender going to Futuro. It is hard to compete against all of that. Some of their older squads seem to do o, but the young guys are unfortunately over their heads. The Assistant TD is an awesome guy and coach. Passionate and a former hornets kid. I played for his father who was the same. If he leaves, you might as well lock the door and hand over the keys to Cumberland.
ReplyDeleteI think it is also down to how expensive Competitive programs have become, and how money those programs need to funnel out of House league to make it work. The Dragons/Hornets structure just made what was happening obvious, but the same thing is happening everywhere. Youth registrations are in steady decline across EODSA, over 3500 lower last year than the year before. Clubs are just squeezing too hard.
DeleteIMHO the "historic" philosophy (with good intentions) was the development of players, only. Self funded, in a similar fashion to a cooperative financing and resources model. For years no one (in not-for-profifs) thought to develop (in parallel) a "soccer culture" extending, capitalising and monetizing around neighbourhood/community fans competitive loyalty, businesses, viewership, paying patrons... and much more. For vast majority of parents, soccer has just been an "equipment free, healthy mind in healthy body, away from PCs,TVs and devices, babysitting opportunity". Anyone here was around soccer in Ottawa in the 60s, 70s or 80s? Was it as convoluted?
DeleteCompetitive soccer has gotten more expensive, but the Ottawa teams have gotten stronger because of the more frequent training, better coaching and 12 months a year play (domes). It adds up.
Delete"...you can see people playing football in all kinds of settings, from a father teaching his child the basics in one of the city's parks, to an amateur championship in an abandoned factory turned improvised pitch, the city lives and breathes the game."
ReplyDeletehttps://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/sao-paulo-street-football-brazil-biggest-city-180318075806545.html
Hornets had one of the craziest teams this city has ever seen with that OYSL crew that ended up going to the Internationals (showing well deserved loyalty and homage to their coach). Hornets dropped the ball on that one. Badly.
ReplyDeleteI hear Futuro lost their ace player to OSU.
ReplyDeleteI've been hearing the local U13 OPDL teams have been struggling to attract new players this season and are more or less left with what they had from last summer. Should be interesting, as it sounds like this has been their least successful year for recruiting/poaching new players. I'm sure the addition of a third team hasn't helped the other two.
ReplyDeleteNumbers are there, but there are definitely quite a few kids that are just filling spots. Compared to when my 2002 boy was at U13, this year's crop overall seems to be at a lower level than in the past.
DeleteFuturo won't exist 5 years from now. Parmar training will but that's about it.
ReplyDeleteI take it you didn't watch the presentation by devos and nutt?
DeleteI've had kids in futuro for many years. In my opinion, the program is stronger now than it has ever been.
DeleteIt is always disappointing to lose a good player. In almost every case though, their development slows after leaving and other players in the academy catch up or surpass them. The program is about developing individual players more so than about creating winning teams. Your U14 team winning in OPDL is not what is going to propel you to the international level. Excellent coaching combined with your own individual work ethic might. This is something many parents do not get. Pro players did not just have "talent" from birth.
Of course it would really help if the soccer culture in Ontario didn't do all it can to prevent players from developing in the program of their choice.
This past summer some kids left, some because of the OPDP program and some because of OPDL - I have spoken to many of these parents and all have regretted their moves. Some have gone back, others can't go back because they've burned their bridges, while others are embarrassed to go back now. A number of them go around in secret looking for additional training.
DeleteI would echo the comment above about the program being stronger than ever.
Remember that when your kids are looking for a scholarship, trying out for a high level team (pro or whatever), they are trying out on their own, not with the support of the rest of their team (who might happen to have a couple of big/fast kids). Individual development is key.
The fiasco with the OPDP this summer has actually been a great promotion for Futuro, as it's really opened peoples eyes to how much better the training than elsewhere.
They talked about Futuro?
ReplyDeleteI think he's referring to the parts where they talk about treating all organizations equally, regardless of whether it's a not-for-profit club, private academy, or anything in between, and the part where they talk about how the academy system continues to grow because it offers something that not-for-profit clubs can't.
ReplyDeleteThat is a macro view. What is Futuro offering to their aces right now? Again, they just lost the biggest ace they ever had. That young lady is a hammer. You do whatever it takes to keep someone like that. Ball dropped.
DeleteThere's not much you can do when the OSA and CSA threaten to leave you out of provincial and national camps. This logic assumes that the training environment she was in since the age of 8 had nothing to do with her development over the years.
DeleteOh Canada (governing orgs and all the Nobel prize winners for innovation & fairness), did anyone notice Australia is doing a lot better in rankings? ...oh and Canada? Well like Nortel this looks a lot like a crashing stock: http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/associations/association=can/men/index.html
DeleteIn their desperation to keep the OPDL afloat, the OSA and CSA are playing around with kids development and considering what might be best for the players. If they're confident that she just happened to be (arguably) the best female player in Canada at her age (at least), and if they're confident that her training at Futuro had nothing to do with her development, and if they're confident that she'll be getting better training with an OPDL club, then everything should be fine. But that's too many "if's" to justify taking that chance.
ReplyDeleteFuturo got lit up in the winter league. Yeah, going strong with their what....200 players?
ReplyDeleteYeay! So why is everyone afraid of them...? Oh yeah they cut into a tiny sliver of the soccer mafia (not-for-profit) business.
DeleteReally? The team I'm most familiar with dominated all season in spite of many kids playing up a year. Perhaps you are thinking of a younger team that is earlier in the development process? I don't understand why parents would care much about the scores of those games... Everyone who understands soccer can see they are being asked to do things that they will mess up reasonably often at that age (learning process) but will help them control the game later on. Other programs let the kids kick the ball away at U9 and they're still doing it at U15... Instilling a fear to make mistakes at U9 is a terrible disservice to the kids.
DeleteHaving a huge number of house league players does not make your club great. If anything, being part of a giant club dilutes the exposure players get to quality coaching. There is nothing wrong with the size of futuro...
I can remember back at U9 and U10, there were some teams our son's team would usually beat, but sometimes if they were given something to work on, the game might not go the way it usually did (some of these teams also played with a player cherry picking and it was very obvious what they were trying to do). In any case, I remember the parents from one team looking like their faces were going to burst from delight after they won a game by a lopsided score. Our son's team hadn't played these teams in a couple of years after that because they played up, but ended up playing a friendly game against this one team last year - I saw those same parents and they were shell-shocked. It didn't even look like the two teams were playing the same sport anymore. This team is a good example of how kids as individuals can develop if they have been through the program for a few years. As for the team as a whole, the core of the team has been together for years and all play at that high level and it really is beautiful to watch kids that age playing with such skill and composure.
DeleteSome good arguments from both sides, FUTURO will have to find a different strategy for their pathway though with the current OSA rules about playing on provincial or national teams. Good club but something will need to be tweaked, if not they will continue to lose some good players.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a bigger problem for the national team programs. We live in a little fishbowl here, but I've been told by someone with the provincial program that they could probably put together a stronger team from unsanctioned leagues in Toronto - but they're not allowed to even consider those kids.
ReplyDeleteThe provincial program is useless and should instead be a national program, administered by the provinces to cover the various regions. The CSA could then run things the way they want, and if they want to overlook kids they can do so at their own risk.
Which winter league? Are you talking about the U9/U8/U7 team?
ReplyDeleteHaving 200 players (or whatever you say it is) is actually preferable to having 6,000 - 9,000. It makes a huge difference getting more personal attention, compared to what you see at other clubs.
I was told the U10s were in over their heads against the stronger teams. By the time some of them develop more, they'll have moved on to one of the big 3. Simple math.
ReplyDeleteI've been around the program for a while now, and it's usually by the summer of the U10 season that the Futuro teams really start to dominate. Obviously this can vary by year and it could be that the current U10's aren't as strong as some teams in the past, or it could be that other teams play long balls to cherry pickers - doesn't really matter. The first year and a half to two years is difficult to watch at times while the kids work through and get comfortable with the playing style, but I think you're going a little overboard about moving to other clubs.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with some of the comments above about the current state of the program - in the years I've been there, this is definitely the strongest I've seen the program and I love what I'm seeing every day in training.
They also need better facilities for the price they are charging.
ReplyDeleteNot sure how the facilities are any different than anyone else's. If anything, I would say they are better. They even have the option of going indoors in the summer at the drop of a hat in the event of lightning, etc.
DeleteI would say other clubs need to improve their playing development models for the prices they are charging.
Who needs better facilities? Futuro? The kids train all winter at University of Ottawa in the dome. That is the best dome in the city. The facilities are great! I feel we get great value in that regard.
ReplyDeleteWhy are people outside of Futuro so keen to try to make up stuff about why the program might not be great? Some people will be happy with a program and others not. If you want a cheap program, find a cheap program. Players/parents should have the opportunity to find a program that meets their needs, and within reasonable criteria, various teams of similar level should be able to play each other ("fairness in ottawa soccer"). Simple no?
I think those people are trying to make themselves feel better about their own decisions. The reality is that they don't realize how much more training and instruction the Futuro players get, and that it's provided by full-time professional coaches. It's night and day. That said, everyone does have to find what they feel is right for them. I just think these people are trying to justify their own decisions by criticizing a program they seem to know very little about.
DeleteBest way to see the difference is to come out for a trial during practices. After a few sessions they could make an informed decision.