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Regional Tier 3 League

Regs

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Soccer Coach

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Exciting times ahead. Love this new concept and it's much needed. I've been saying for years and years that we need a top premier men's division to be played through the summer months. Actually have a chance to get crowds out and showcase the best products of top clubs. Have the top HPL players have a better pathway and continue playing post 18 years old.
I don't see why the budget needs to be so high per team. 70k is a lot of money.

And what do the clubs get if their their 3 player moves on to tier 2 or above? Do they get to sell the player? We do need free enterprise. Or what is the benefit of the clubs producing top talent. What does the club get?

We need to work on the culture of the game. 15 year Olds should want to play for their clubs first team. And have goals of cracking it. Or get excited on a call up to the clubs u21 team when 16. Hopefully this keeps more top talent in soccer with an end goal of playing "semi pro or pro" soccer. With more avenues and options.

The clubs themselves have to set this culture up. BC soccer would have to promote this league as well. As well as rugby does with their league.

Surrey United vs Metro ford on a Saturday night in summer would or should be a big local match that brings 100's of each clubs memberships to watch.
If you are a soccer family and your boy plays for surrey United at age 7. Why would you not go watch that game and put those local top players on a pedestal. The same guys he is watching is perhaps coaching Him in the club the next week. Kids make a connection, Looks up to these local semi pros. All positive for our game.

As good as vmsl premier soccer is. We play in the coldest and most wet time of the year. It's tough for soccer crazy folks to even stand through some of the weather to watch top level local soccer. Have the fields suck and are so slick that most through balls or long diagonal switch balls just skip off the turf out of bounds or in to the goalies hands.
Playing at the same time as the rest of the country and MLS just makes sense.
The excuse that people are too busy in the summer is shite. If you don't want to commit through those months and rather be on a boat then so be it. Your not a footballer. Period. These November/December/January cold wet months is for taking off to Mexico or Hawaii or studying or putting your head down and making money.

So clubs spend the 70k. Develop great youth players that get selected to these team . But what do they get in return? Ticket sales at their home Park?
The players who play at this level should not pay a penny. Clubs should get a kick back or be able to sell them off to other clubs or higher league clubs. That is how it works world wide! Why can we not get there here? You Want this player we developed to play whitecaps2? 20k please.
Then we will see clubs developing players and not developing over paid club positions to manage rec clubs with no pathways.


Hope this works out and soccer families support their district teams and show our future footballers we actually have a pathway to semi pro or pro soccer in our own country. I could see a surrey United get 1000 people to watch and 80% of that their own membership. If they promote it right and and create that internal club culture.

I'm all over the map here. Some rum in the sun styles.
Well said.
I hope that it works but it also has integrated competitiveness (relegation and promotion). Without the threat of relegation then there is no real competitive soccer. It becomes a farce (i.e. No wonder Comte and so many European and Latino coaches are critical of the MLS) if teams, players and coaches do not fear relegation, they as a group do not evolve.

As for the financial incentive, you are very correct. Clubs should have the right to sell/buy the contracts of players. This is where they have the financial incentive to develop them. Without this incentive, you are just relying on good will and this is not enough. We all know that is nice principle but the dollar principle is what moves the world. Sales of players is what bring money for most clubs that develop top talent.

As I mentioned before, there is no need to complicate things to much. We just a little of common sense and simplicity it could be working. A league with three divisions run by BC soccer allowing the payment of players at the discretion of the clubs (this to avoid accusations or a black market). In this league you could have teams representing post-secondary associations (i.e. UBC, SFU, Langara), ethnic/religious communities (Sikh/Temle; Chinesse Associations; Iranians, etc); neighbourhoods (West-side); municipalities (Norvan, WestVan, Coquitlam, etc); vocational groups (i.e. Teachers, Engineers, etc); youth clubs (VAFC, VUFC, etc). In summary, the way is done in most cities in the world. You let "people" and "organizations" to get together and structure their teams and clubs according to the needs of their own groups, and then they compete to move up. This ways is organic. The community and their own financial structure and funding brings the team to compete to BC soccer.
Glad that something is been tried.

However, having said this, the free market is what would make the contract and the development efficient. If there is restrictions, caps, or too much regulation it will simple damper it. If you look at the top countries that send players away (i.e. Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay); it is a complete pandemonium, but free market forces make the work have good effects.
 

LION

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What is the benefit for the club to have a tier 3 team? And shelling out 70k a season?

Yes promotion relegation would be ideal. 2-3 divisions for sure!
 

Jigsaw

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I was texting with a friend and local high-up club exec yesterday- sounds and smells like Balls- and we both agreed it was an interesting concept that clubs like Surrey United have to have a hard, serious look at, and not a lot of time.

Basically, two decisions for clubs like SU, CMF, et all:
  1. Is this concept viable, and is it right for our club?
  2. Can we as a club justify financing $70K / year to this endeavor?
If the answer to those two questions is yes, then the real work begins, paramount a fundraising / budget plan, because membership will not accept simply forking out $x increase to club dues just to fund this campaign.

The failure of the VMSL / VISL / FVSL to get together years ago and essentially create this will now haunt them. Those mens leagues will not become irrelevant- older players will still need a place to play- but they would presumably be watered down of young talent. You'd suspect that, upon establishment of the Tier III league, that it would be granted a certain number of Provincial Championship berths. Eventually, you'd see the league expand it's number of games into what would otherwise be a full season of 18 matches plus Cups (Provincial, Amway), played over late Spring / Summer / Early fall, to match the rest of the country.

Basically, this is an endeavor to correct a longtime wrong. It's an endeavor to fill in the cobblestones of a broken pathway. Anyone who truly believes the big three leagues are part of a cradle-to-grave pathway are fooling themselves. Some clubs are trying to integrate, and good for them for doing so, but essentially, if you find yourself in playing Premier in any of the three leagues, you are on your last stop. That's OK, there is nothing wrong with that. We have some good quality football being played in those leagues...but it's still the last stop.

Here is the huge irony...we may yet see a team from the Valley win Provincials, but that team will not be a FVSL team, it'll be a Tier III team.

@LION, you've been conspicuously quiet. What say you?

It sounds like a great idea, to boost the level & professionalism of soccer.
How many applications do you think they will get?
If history is anything to go by, clubs will fold, after the first year or two, after losing money, if they get enough teams to get it off the ground.
Then we are back to square one.
If BCSA were to subsidize the league for a number of years, until the league becomes "established", it might have a chance.
Then the question is "where does the money come from to subsidize it"?
I would suggest that the general membership pay, through registrations.
That might upset a few people, as they will say that we pay enough already.
But, how do we get established?
I think the same problems will occur with the new CPL, when it gets going.
Investors might stay in for a longer time than in the past, but after they have lost a lot of money, they will have to re-consider if they should stay in the program.
If CSA subsidized the league through registartions, it has a better chance to keep going until clubs build a base & become fiscally responsible.

Your thoughts??????
 

Regs

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I recall that the CSA asked the provincial bodies many moons ago to increase the membership fee collected for the CSA up a couple of bucks to fund a league and it was shot down overwhelmingly.

No official body related to soccer has EVER been able to subsidize anything properly... business-wise, they are ill equipped to do anything in this area if past performance is to go on.

Just look at the current BCPL.

Tommy Guns?

WTF?

EA Sports from what I heard gives very little cash to be sponsor.

But I know nothing and contribute nothing so take that for what it's worth.

:)
 

Soccer Coach

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It sounds like a great idea, to boost the level & professionalism of soccer.
How many applications do you think they will get?
If history is anything to go by, clubs will fold, after the first year or two, after losing money, if they get enough teams to get it off the ground.
Then we are back to square one.
If BCSA were to subsidize the league for a number of years, until the league becomes "established", it might have a chance.
Then the question is "where does the money come from to subsidize it"?
I would suggest that the general membership pay, through registrations.
That might upset a few people, as they will say that we pay enough already.
But, how do we get established?
I think the same problems will occur with the new CPL, when it gets going.
Investors might stay in for a longer time than in the past, but after they have lost a lot of money, they will have to re-consider if they should stay in the program.
If CSA subsidized the league through registartions, it has a better chance to keep going until clubs build a base & become fiscally responsible.

Your thoughts??????
I am glad that you are into improving and finding new ways to develop and help players guys. kudos to you. To make the point again, the financial burden should be taken existing organizations that have already budgets and represent an already existent group of people. For example a college/university/ or trade school, or a professional/religious organization or a municipality.
The point is that an already existing and functioning organization enters the team (i.e. not just private investor because if not the investor does not see the social value or return and only will see the absolute dollar). For example, a religious organization might be willing to have a team at a loss because the team gives an activity to its members and also is publicity.

In other words, the organization is not only seeing the dollar value of the team but also the social value of the team.
 

Soccer Coach

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I got interrupted, but I wanted to ellaborate. Where I see things going wrong here is where the money is required from private investors, who are traditional investors. If this is the case, the league and teams will fail because an regular investor will see a higher rate of return somewhere else.

I, as an investor, for sure rather put money in a Chinese factory or a Colombian mine than in an amateur or semi-pro soccer team in Vancouver, Canada. If the league follows this paths it will fail for sure.

The investors has to be an organization who sees not only the monetary return, but also sees the social return on the investment. This is why religious, post-secondary schools, professional organizations, community organizations should be the ones that should be invited and encouraged to put teams forward.

To make the case in point, someone here said I do not see the point of the Saudis investing in a team. Of course, they are not looking for the monetary return, but their social and political return on their investment. The team has given a focal point and something to be proud for many of the international students that they sent away.
The long term investors should be organizations that valued and see the social aspect of development. I know that it seems odd for some of you guys here. But in many countries the amateur and semi amateur teams are an extension of other cultural and sporting organization. (i.e. some times a drama or art school decides to fund a team, or a professional basketball club decides to expand with an semi pro-soccer team, sometimes a vocational institute decides give students and faculty something to watch and socialize by entering a soccer team where they can attend their matches to have fun and relax, or a municipality sees kids and teens going into crime and sets up a team to attrack the youth to better behaviour).
If BC soccer targets existing organizations (not only soccer clubs), then they will create long and stable clubs that will be okey with experiencing losses once in a while or indefenetly because they see other gains.

I am not proposing or pointing out something new. This is the way that happens in most parts of the world. The soccer team is just the face of an already existing organization or social group. It is not the other way around. It is not first the team and then people come.
 

Gurps

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Kinda like when the Sikh Temples used to sponsor soccer teams...

or Portuguese Club of Vancouver...

Or Croatia SC....

Or Italian Canadian Sports Federation...

Or SfU Clan Alumni...

Or Sporting Club..


Lots more that I did not list.

This is what the VMSL used to look like years ago. Maybe you were not around then.

Many fans and supporters did come out from the respective communities. These teams and clubs were a extension of the community. Many of the games had fans a few feet deep.

They were sponsored in large part by their respective communities and had a social branch.

However, in the last generation that has pretty much ended.

The first generation immigrant kids who were born here played for these "social ethnic" teams. Mainly due to fact that the immigrant dads has strong community ties.

However, once that second generation hit, that was pretty much it. The connection has been lost and that is normal when the second generation comes of age.



There are/were also lots of club based teams and regional teams as well.

Metro Ford
Richmond
Surrey
Westside
WestVan
Norvan

These tended to be kids of parents with more established roots and hence focused on playing with the buddies they grew up with and went thru youth soccer with.


That is now where the second generation "immigrant" kids are now at.
 
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Dude

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I recall that the CSA asked the provincial bodies many moons ago to increase the membership fee collected for the CSA up a couple of bucks to fund a league and it was shot down overwhelmingly.

No official body related to soccer has EVER been able to subsidize anything properly... business-wise, they are ill equipped to do anything in this area if past performance is to go on.

Just look at the current BCPL.

Tommy Guns?

WTF?

EA Sports from what I heard gives very little cash to be sponsor.

But I know nothing and contribute nothing so take that for what it's worth.

:)

LOL emoji.
 

Dude

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It sounds like a great idea, to boost the level & professionalism of soccer.
How many applications do you think they will get?
If history is anything to go by, clubs will fold, after the first year or two, after losing money, if they get enough teams to get it off the ground.
Then we are back to square one.
If BCSA were to subsidize the league for a number of years, until the league becomes "established", it might have a chance.
Then the question is "where does the money come from to subsidize it"?
I would suggest that the general membership pay, through registrations.
That might upset a few people, as they will say that we pay enough already.
But, how do we get established?
I think the same problems will occur with the new CPL, when it gets going.
Investors might stay in for a longer time than in the past, but after they have lost a lot of money, they will have to re-consider if they should stay in the program.
If CSA subsidized the league through registartions, it has a better chance to keep going until clubs build a base & become fiscally responsible.

Your thoughts??????

I am of the mind that the new CPL certainly stands no chance w/ out subsidization. Zero.

This, perhaps it does.

One of the above posts stated "you just take from existing budgets". Paraphrasing.

Ummm...no. That's not the way business planning works, or new venture planning. A new budget needs to be created (BCSA has provided a proforma), and then the organization needs to plan a way of paying for said budget. Or, a sales budget, and a financial budget.

Way easier said than done.

Surrey United is a huge club, the biggest in BC (I believe, correct me if wrong). I am not on the inside like Babyballs is, but I can tell you that a $70K budget would not make it past the radar. It'd need to be vetted appropriately and I believe voted on by the executive committee. It's a major decision.

One other thing Regs wrote, "I'm not sure it was officially but I had a couple of conversations with others over the last 18 months that said this was coming down the pipe (including Big Vic)."

Which makes me wonder, if Big Vic was all about this, and obviously all about the CPL, then I wonder how hard he has been lobbying for subsidization?

Where's my tinfoil hat at?
 

Soccer Coach

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Kinda like when the Sikh Temples used to sponsor soccer teams...

or Portuguese Club of Vancouver...

Or Croatia SC....

Or Italian Canadian Sports Federation...

Or SfU Clan Alumni...

Or Sporting Club..


Lots more that I did not list.

This is what the VMSL used to look like years ago. Maybe you were not around then.

Many fans and supporters did come out from the respective communities. These teams and clubs were a extension of the community. Many of the games had fans a few feet deep.

They were sponsored in large part by their respective communities and had a social branch.

However, in the last generation that has pretty much ended.

The first generation immigrant kids who were born here played for these "social ethnic" teams. Mainly due to fact that the immigrant dads has strong community ties.

However, once that second generation hit, that was pretty much it. The connection has been lost and that is normal when the second generation comes of age.



There are/were also lots of club based teams and regional teams as well.

Metro Ford
Richmond
Surrey
Westside
WestVan
Norvan

These tended to be kids of parents with more established roots and hence focused on playing with the buddies they grew up with and went thru youth soccer with.


That is now where the second generation "immigrant" kids are now at.

I have heard that those were great times and that they had very good football too. I have no doubt about it.
Too bad that it was let die without appropriate replacement.

BC Soccer is sitting in a gold mine and might not know it. We currently have one of the wealthiest foreign born communities living in the city. The should be approaching Chinese and Asian organizations so they can run and sponsor a couple of teams to represent their communities or associations. There is tons of money and investors in these communities, and soccer is becoming really popular in China. I do not know if you heard but Tevez was transfered from Boca to China a few days ago for a record sum of money.

I know that people get upset here when I start to talk about social, economic, ideological, and political issues, because for some reason that escapes me, people are almost program to detach and think that the game exist in isolation. However, this is not the case. A soccer team is simply an expression of an already existing group in society.

BC Soccer also could be approaching labour unions and professional associations. A soccer team sponsored and run by one of them would give to their members a place to socialize and run activities (i.e Firefighters, Hospital workers, Police, teachers, etc).

They could approach UBC, SFU, Langara and have the institution or student union or alumni association to run a team. Beleive or not even many private colleges or schools could be running a soccer team.

As you pointed out, religious organizations would also well suited to run a team.

The point is that the 'investor', that BC soccer targets, has to see a social rate of return and not only a monetary rate of return.

As for the VMSL, it is tragic that they let it die this way. If they want to save the premier league, they should be putting all their games in the most covenient time, and at a place where people can bring families for activities and also have beer for sale. Nobody wants to go and watch a game on Friday night at cold temperatures with no alcohol or things to do for the kids. It is simply stupid.

They already have the advantage. It is not that difficult. You know. They could advertise games with the local youth clubs. Charge $5 entrance and have some sort of mini games for the kids or fun activities and then give the parents the options to drink a couple of beers.
Kids would love it (watching soccer and the same time having an activity to do).

I was watching the BC Cup Final after our B cup final. I had a couple of beers some food, people were having fun, kids were running around and playing. I thought to myself; why the VMSL does not run something like this every weekend or every second weekend?
 

LION

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I have heard that those were great times and that they had very good football too. I have no doubt about it.
Too bad that it was let die without appropriate replacement.

BC Soccer is sitting in a gold mine and might not know it. We currently have one of the wealthiest foreign born communities living in the city. The should be approaching Chinese and Asian organizations so they can run and sponsor a couple of teams to represent their communities or associations. There is tons of money and investors in these communities, and soccer is becoming really popular in China. I do not know if you heard but Tevez was transfered from Boca to China a few days ago for a record sum of money.

I know that people get upset here when I start to talk about social, economic, ideological, and political issues, because for some reason that escapes me, people are almost program to detach and think that the game exist in isolation. However, this is not the case. A soccer team is simply an expression of an already existing group in society.

BC Soccer also could be approaching labour unions and professional associations. A soccer team sponsored and run by one of them would give to their members a place to socialize and run activities (i.e Firefighters, Hospital workers, Police, teachers, etc).

They could approach UBC, SFU, Langara and have the institution or student union or alumni association to run a team. Beleive or not even many private colleges or schools could be running a soccer team.

As you pointed out, religious organizations would also well suited to run a team.

The point is that the 'investor', that BC soccer targets, has to see a social rate of return and not only a monetary rate of return.

As for the VMSL, it is tragic that they let it die this way. If they want to save the premier league, they should be putting all their games in the most covenient time, and at a place where people can bring families for activities and also have beer for sale. Nobody wants to go and watch a game on Friday night at cold temperatures with no alcohol or things to do for the kids. It is simply stupid.

They already have the advantage. It is not that difficult. You know. They could advertise games with the local youth clubs. Charge $5 entrance and have some sort of mini games for the kids or fun activities and then give the parents the options to drink a couple of beers.
Kids would love it (watching soccer and the same time having an activity to do).

I was watching the BC Cup Final after our B cup final. I had a couple of beers some food, people were having fun, kids were running around and playing. I thought to myself; why the VMSL does not run something like this every weekend or every second weekend?[/QUOT


Cause it rains and is cold every second week of the season. What 8 year old is enjoying a night in pissing rain in late October. Or early December. Or January.
switch to summer months. No game cancellations. March - October. With every long weekend being a bye week for the league. So you could still go away 2 weeks in the summer months and not even miss a match. The entire season would be perfectly mapped out with zero cancellations etc.

Back to back, side by side games at empire on sunny Sundays or Saturdays could be a hit.
Beer garden and all. Create a damn culture around it! Make people want to play and watch the games. Simple enough to me.

Winter would be perfect for futsol leagues and playing indoor for that team during the off season.

I love the game and it's hard for myself to get off the couch to coach at 9pm on a freezing wet night. When half the guys can't make it cause of one excuse or another.

Also. Get the game back to grass March - October.
The game is meant to be played on grass. Period. Better for our atheletes as well.

This wet beat down turf soccer sucks some nights. Makes for some ugly soccer. And destroys bodies.
 

bulljive

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I think it would be great to see a proper summer run league at the top end. 50-100 fans may be more realistic, it least to start with. We are the diehards so I think we are quickly excited by the prospect of 4-600 people at local matches, especially Lion. Nice weather and a professionally run league will help greatly.

Is this actually a U23 league? So essentially will be university players and the White Cap development players that don't make residency ? Still great because lots of guys blossom late and it keeps them playing the game at a proper level for longer.

I saw the season was May-June-July. So essentially after the Mens season and if it's u23, 99% will most likely end up in the local leagues by 24.
I'm not sure if this really effects the local leagues that much.
 

djones

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Here is a snippet of what League1 Ontario have accomplished and have been posting lately. I can't say that the 3 leagues combined in BC can come close to matching that.

Sigma's Nanco Is Third League1 Player Picked Up In MLS SuperDraft 2017
http://www.league1ontario.com/news_article/show/747631?referrer_id=2309049


Over Fifty League1 Ontario Players Sign Professional Contracts Since Fall 2014
http://www.league1ontario.com/news_article/show/741002?referrer_id=2309049

Hopefully, a Tier 3 league in BC will start to generate scouts to scan this league in the future.
 

LION

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50-100 people would just be friends and parents of the players. 40 kids combined on each team. Doesn't take much to get a their parents to come watch and there is 80 right there.
I'm saying if clubs promote it and get behind no reason it can't hit 500 people. Lots of soccer families out there that would come watch for little to zero cost.

I've seen winter games with 50 to 100 folks at them when it comes to some teams out of Newton or a team like Croatia etc.
I've seen 50-100 people watch that lower level multicultural league.
Lots of culterals out there just need some sun to come out and watch some soccer with some pints in hand. Doesn't take much. We have a huge Latin and East Indian community that could latch on to this with the correct teams in this league.
Especially if some of these teams were culturally based. Could be huge.
Italian league used to bring out hundreds as well. Summer sun and competitive football will do some magic.
Chile could bring a couple hundred Latinos out In a Saturday night match up at Burnaby lake. Easy. And imagine if they even promoted it properly through social media and in the local Latin paper.

I've seen youth HPL games with close to 100.
100 is a gimme in the summer. 100 is parents and siblings of two teams. 40-50 people behind each team would be the bare minimum.
Come on bulljive.
Would take a little marketing and someone with some passion promoting it through the club. Easy peasy.
 

Soccer Coach

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oh well @LION, I could not agree with you more. The beer gardens, the back to back games, the grass, and the creation of a culture of socializing around the VMSL events, are all excellent ideas. It should not be very difficult to implement.

The issue is that I do not see it happening. Although the current board members have done an excellent job in many aspects, I do not see them trying to integrate the VMSL Premier League into the soccer and local communities as a priority. For example Mr. Azzi and Ruben are in their last legs.

It will take commitment from the board to make this a priority. It is not difficult; I just do not see the desire or will to pursue it. In many aspects, it is a pity because the VMSL could be offering so much to the soccer community. Having top games scheduled late at night and in remote locations is a waste. The game is to be played, but also to be watched to the delight of those witnessing. This seems to have been forgotten at the VMSL.

As for @Dude comments, he is very correct. There no way that soccer teams will survive without subsidization. Around 60% of professional and amateur (even more) well established soccer teams experience losses. Starting teams from scratch is a guarantee for initial losses.

Perhaps were him and others are going astray is in treating it as a straight business enterprise. Soccer teams and clubs have significant positive social rates of return and externalities that are not captured in traditional revenue and cost accounts. Only existing organizations, with potential known customers, and aware of the social benefits might be willing to absorb the costs and integrate the teams in their budgets. I was not around, but I can see why organizations like the Sikh Temple would be having successful soccer teams.

The one thing that still surprises me from BC Soccer and the VMSL is the reluctance to not tap into the Chinese market. China's economic growth is unprecedented and will not stop. They are investing like crazy on soccer. We are lucky to have a very significant population with ties to this country. I would be surprised if a wealthy investor would not be willing to spare a million or two to run a team geared to this community.

BC soccer could also be making calls to the Chinesse Super League clubs or even perhaps some of the European Soccer Clubs. They have youth satellite academies. Can you imagine if they make a deal with the Barca Academy or a Chinese professional team? This would be huge for this U23 high calibre amateur league.
 

Soccer Coach

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oh well @LION, I could not agree with you more. The beer gardens, the back to back games, the grass, and the creation of a culture of socializing around the VMSL events, are all excellent ideas. It should not be very difficult to implement.

The issue is that I do not see it happening. Although the current board members have done an excellent job in many aspects, I do not see them trying to integrate the VMSL Premier League into the soccer and local communities as a priority. For example Mr. Azzi and Ruben are in their last legs.

It will take commitment from the board to make this a priority. It is not difficult; I just do not see the desire or will to pursue it. In many aspects, it is a pity because the VMSL could be offering so much to the soccer community. Having top games scheduled late at night and in remote locations is a waste. The game is to be played, but also to be watched to the delight of those witnessing. This seems to have been forgotten at the VMSL.

As for @Dude comments, he is very correct. There no way that soccer teams will survive without subsidization. Around 60% of professional and amateur (even more) well established soccer teams experience losses. Starting teams from scratch is a guarantee for initial losses.

Perhaps were him and others are going astray is in treating it as a straight business enterprise. Soccer teams and clubs have significant positive social rates of return and externalities that are not captured in traditional revenue and cost accounts. Only existing organizations, with potential known customers, and aware of the social benefits might be willing to absorb the costs and integrate the teams in their budgets. I was not around, but I can see why organizations like the Sikh Temple would be having successful soccer teams.

The one thing that still surprises me from BC Soccer and the VMSL is the reluctance to not tap into the Chinese market. China's economic growth is unprecedented and will not stop. They are investing like crazy on soccer. We are lucky to have a very significant population with ties to this country. I would be surprised if a wealthy investor would not be willing to spare a million or two to run a team geared to this community.

BC soccer could also be making calls to the Chinesse Super League clubs or even perhaps some of the European Soccer Clubs. They have youth satellite academies. Can you imagine if they make a deal with the Barca Academy or a Chinese professional team? This would be huge for this U23 high calibre amateur league.
ps. and before you start to question, why I mentioned China, please remember that China and its people play better and know more about the game than Canadians.
 

Jigsaw

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Oct 30, 2002
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50-100 people would just be friends and parents of the players. 40 kids combined on each team. Doesn't take much to get a their parents to come watch and there is 80 right there.
I'm saying if clubs promote it and get behind no reason it can't hit 500 people. Lots of soccer families out there that would come watch for little to zero cost.

I've seen winter games with 50 to 100 folks at them when it comes to some teams out of Newton or a team like Croatia etc.
I've seen 50-100 people watch that lower level multicultural league.
Lots of culterals out there just need some sun to come out and watch some soccer with some pints in hand. Doesn't take much. We have a huge Latin and East Indian community that could latch on to this with the correct teams in this league.
Especially if some of these teams were culturally based. Could be huge.
Italian league used to bring out hundreds as well. Summer sun and competitive football will do some magic.
Chile could bring a couple hundred Latinos out In a Saturday night match up at Burnaby lake. Easy. And imagine if they even promoted it properly through social media and in the local Latin paper.

I've seen youth HPL games with close to 100.
100 is a gimme in the summer. 100 is parents and siblings of two teams. 40-50 people behind each team would be the bare minimum.
Come on bulljive.
Would take a little marketing and someone with some passion promoting it through the club. Easy peasy.

Try to get those people to pay, that's the problem.
Friends & Family will support their kids, but the amount of money to watch them play, if you have a family of 3-4 watching the cost adds up & they won't come.
Another problem is the stadium, most stadiums have a track, where people can walk or run around. If there is a game on, how do you stop them? You can't charge them.
These are problems that need to be looked at.
I've experienced this in PDL, municipalities won't stop "joggers" unless you pay for a "closed stadium" which will cost a fortune.
If the league is going to succeed, they have to be aware of these problems & have a marketing strategy to attract fans.
I'm not saying it can't happen, but it has to be thought out properly.
Thoughts???.
 

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