Bethesda Premier Cup - What a joke

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know what the rationale was for including so many teams but development was not a major part of the discussion.

Tournaments have nothing to do with development. They are huge fundraising events for the hosting clubs. That's it. The motivation to provide a good experience is only because it's a competitive market. With the sheer number of tournaments being offered now, teams have many options. But it is all about making money, and there's nothing wrong with that. The clubs are non-profits, so after paying the operating expenses (including sometimes professional tournament directors), they have to pour that $$ back into the clubs.

Where does it go? Some goes for training and equipment, which offsets costs for the players. A lot of it also goes into field improvement, including providing funding for more turf fields, many of which have been paid for by public-private partnerships between soccer clubs and local governments.

It would take a lot of bake sales and car washes to come close to the amount of money that can be raised from a tournament with hundreds of teams playing $900-1200 each.

And yet Bethesda has been having this tournament at Muldoon's for years. Exactly what field improvements have been made form the money?

It's not their field, they rent it from the farm, which uses it for polo as well. There's nothing there to improve, unless you turn it into turf fields, which isn't going to happen.
Which is why Bethesda needs to find other fields to use both for tournaments and regular season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We enjoyed the Columbia Fall Classic for boys this past weekend - fields were adequate at Western Regional Park, not too far away.

Agreed. No major weather issues even on grass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know what the rationale was for including so many teams but development was not a major part of the discussion.

Tournaments have nothing to do with development. They are huge fundraising events for the hosting clubs. That's it. The motivation to provide a good experience is only because it's a competitive market. With the sheer number of tournaments being offered now, teams have many options. But it is all about making money, and there's nothing wrong with that. The clubs are non-profits, so after paying the operating expenses (including sometimes professional tournament directors), they have to pour that $$ back into the clubs.

Where does it go? Some goes for training and equipment, which offsets costs for the players. A lot of it also goes into field improvement, including providing funding for more turf fields, many of which have been paid for by public-private partnerships between soccer clubs and local governments.

It would take a lot of bake sales and car washes to come close to the amount of money that can be raised from a tournament with hundreds of teams playing $900-1200 each.

And yet Bethesda has been having this tournament at Muldoon's for years. Exactly what field improvements have been made form the money?

Muldoons is fine if the weather holds. When it gets rainy everything falls apart. It’s also used all season long for league games.

Former BSC parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Muldoons is fine if the weather holds. When it gets rainy everything falls apart. It’s also used all season long for league games.

Former BSC parent

Not sure what you mean by weather holding, but it is not reasonable to expect it not to be rainy this time of year. There are a couple of fields at Muldoons that may be ok if there isn't too much rain. That pretty much never happens but certainly the back row and all of Summerhill aren't playable this time of year. That goes for the last month of so of regular season games when they are used anyway, not just the tournament. And none of the Muldoons (or Summerhill) fields have the drainage necessary to hold up to the extensive use they get with tournaments three weekends in a row on top of the rain. It seems every year the club blames the poor condition of the fields on receiving more rain than expected. When you say that every year, maybe it is the expectations that should be adjusted.

Also BSC parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Muldoons is fine if the weather holds. When it gets rainy everything falls apart. It’s also used all season long for league games.

Former BSC parent

Not sure what you mean by weather holding, but it is not reasonable to expect it not to be rainy this time of year. There are a couple of fields at Muldoons that may be ok if there isn't too much rain. That pretty much never happens but certainly the back row and all of Summerhill aren't playable this time of year. That goes for the last month of so of regular season games when they are used anyway, not just the tournament. And none of the Muldoons (or Summerhill) fields have the drainage necessary to hold up to the extensive use they get with tournaments three weekends in a row on top of the rain. It seems every year the club blames the poor condition of the fields on receiving more rain than expected. When you say that every year, maybe it is the expectations that should be adjusted.

Also BSC parent

Yes, exactly. We've had three rainouts of regular season games this season at Muldoon when fields were open nearly everywhere else in the region.
This is a field that, due its low lying location (nice alliteration!), get unplayable far too quickly. Everyone knows this, and they keep scheduling game there.
Not good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know what the rationale was for including so many teams but development was not a major part of the discussion.

Tournaments have nothing to do with development. They are huge fundraising events for the hosting clubs. That's it. The motivation to provide a good experience is only because it's a competitive market. With the sheer number of tournaments being offered now, teams have many options. But it is all about making money, and there's nothing wrong with that. The clubs are non-profits, so after paying the operating expenses (including sometimes professional tournament directors), they have to pour that $$ back into the clubs.

Where does it go? Some goes for training and equipment, which offsets costs for the players. A lot of it also goes into field improvement, including providing funding for more turf fields, many of which have been paid for by public-private partnerships between soccer clubs and local governments.

It would take a lot of bake sales and car washes to come close to the amount of money that can be raised from a tournament with hundreds of teams playing $900-1200 each.

And yet Bethesda has been having this tournament at Muldoon's for years. Exactly what field improvements have been made form the money?

Muldoons is fine if the weather holds. When it gets rainy everything falls apart. It’s also used all season long for league games.

Former BSC parent

Muldoon's is never fine. It is not an appropriate location for soccer period. At best it is a un-level, clumpy long grass at worst it was this past weekend. It is literally only good for picnics and horse riding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know what the rationale was for including so many teams but development was not a major part of the discussion.

Tournaments have nothing to do with development. They are huge fundraising events for the hosting clubs. That's it. The motivation to provide a good experience is only because it's a competitive market. With the sheer number of tournaments being offered now, teams have many options. But it is all about making money, and there's nothing wrong with that. The clubs are non-profits, so after paying the operating expenses (including sometimes professional tournament directors), they have to pour that $$ back into the clubs.

Where does it go? Some goes for training and equipment, which offsets costs for the players. A lot of it also goes into field improvement, including providing funding for more turf fields, many of which have been paid for by public-private partnerships between soccer clubs and local governments.

It would take a lot of bake sales and car washes to come close to the amount of money that can be raised from a tournament with hundreds of teams playing $900-1200 each.

And yet Bethesda has been having this tournament at Muldoon's for years. Exactly what field improvements have been made form the money?

Muldoons is fine if the weather holds. When it gets rainy everything falls apart. It’s also used all season long for league games.

Former BSC parent

Another BSC parent here, and I disagree that Muldoons is fine. If dry, I get what you are trying to say, but Muldoons is simply not meant for soccer, even when it is in its best condition. It is consistently the worst field that our kids play on for soccer, and you always hear opposing teams' parents talk poorly about the field quality. As others have noted on this thread, the ball rarely rolls true, which makes it incredibly difficult for kids to dribble or connect passes. You frequently see possession lost because of a bad bounce, and we have seen very "soft" goals scored by balls that take terrible bounces over a keeper's hands. Our BSC teams usually play much better soccer on "away" trips when they are on fields that are meant for soccer and not as lumpy as Muldoons.

I echo the sentiment from an earlier post that I have never understood why the U12 and under BSC teams play on such a sub-standard field, while MSI teams and other similar teams play their games at the SoccerPlex, which is superior in every way to Muldoons/Summer Hill and is a much closer drive for nearly all of the kids on BSC rosters.

As for the tourney, BSC should have been aware that Muldoons was in bad shape due to all of the rainouts in September, the condensed number of games played at Muldoons during October, coupled with the additional rain in October and November. Those fields were in as bad a shape as I have ever seen them in late October, and BSC parents were talking at that time about how there was no way the fields would be playable for the boys and girls tournaments in November. As this thread has illustrated, this has not been a good week or so for the club's reputation, and it is embarrassing for those of us with kids in the program. Hopefully BSC fixes some of these issues for next season and next year's Premier Cup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know what the rationale was for including so many teams but development was not a major part of the discussion.

Tournaments have nothing to do with development. They are huge fundraising events for the hosting clubs. That's it. The motivation to provide a good experience is only because it's a competitive market. With the sheer number of tournaments being offered now, teams have many options. But it is all about making money, and there's nothing wrong with that. The clubs are non-profits, so after paying the operating expenses (including sometimes professional tournament directors), they have to pour that $$ back into the clubs.

Where does it go? Some goes for training and equipment, which offsets costs for the players. A lot of it also goes into field improvement, including providing funding for more turf fields, many of which have been paid for by public-private partnerships between soccer clubs and local governments.

It would take a lot of bake sales and car washes to come close to the amount of money that can be raised from a tournament with hundreds of teams playing $900-1200 each.

And yet Bethesda has been having this tournament at Muldoon's for years. Exactly what field improvements have been made form the money?

Muldoons is fine if the weather holds. When it gets rainy everything falls apart. It’s also used all season long for league games.

Former BSC parent

Another BSC parent here, and I disagree that Muldoons is fine. If dry, I get what you are trying to say, but Muldoons is simply not meant for soccer, even when it is in its best condition. It is consistently the worst field that our kids play on for soccer, and you always hear opposing teams' parents talk poorly about the field quality. As others have noted on this thread, the ball rarely rolls true, which makes it incredibly difficult for kids to dribble or connect passes. You frequently see possession lost because of a bad bounce, and we have seen very "soft" goals scored by balls that take terrible bounces over a keeper's hands. Our BSC teams usually play much better soccer on "away" trips when they are on fields that are meant for soccer and not as lumpy as Muldoons.

I echo the sentiment from an earlier post that I have never understood why the U12 and under BSC teams play on such a sub-standard field, while MSI teams and other similar teams play their games at the SoccerPlex, which is superior in every way to Muldoons/Summer Hill and is a much closer drive for nearly all of the kids on BSC rosters.

As for the tourney, BSC should have been aware that Muldoons was in bad shape due to all of the rainouts in September, the condensed number of games played at Muldoons during October, coupled with the additional rain in October and November. Those fields were in as bad a shape as I have ever seen them in late October, and BSC parents were talking at that time about how there was no way the fields would be playable for the boys and girls tournaments in November. As this thread has illustrated, this has not been a good week or so for the club's reputation, and it is embarrassing for those of us with kids in the program. Hopefully BSC fixes some of these issues for next season and next year's Premier Cup.

BSC has a new Executive Director and a new Operations Manager. I hope every single parent in BSC and every single parent at the tournament emails them and lets them know that this is unacceptable. Brad Roos, the tournament director, is a BSC lifer...don't think you'll get anywhere appealing to him.

[Anonymous]

Someone should email a link of this thread to Brad, the new Executive Director, and the BSC board members. It would be worth the read and may open some eyes.

[Anonymous]

Fyi, U14s were also forced to play in, non-level, patchy (grass where present), mud. The rain brought in the mud, which still doesn't account for how unfit the polo grounds and farmland are for a "prestigious" event.

The playing fields are not fit for soccer. Period. Organizers know this.

It is sheer and pure negligence on behalf of BSC leadership to expose children to this environment. Parents just being thankful that your child didn't suffer a gruesome ankle or leg injury is all we had: Hope that our kids didn't get hurt.

They will not receive any support from our club ever again. Nor will we recommend it to any respectful soccer club or player.

And we are local.

BSC are a bunch of thieves!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know what the rationale was for including so many teams but development was not a major part of the discussion.

Tournaments have nothing to do with development. They are huge fundraising events for the hosting clubs. That's it. The motivation to provide a good experience is only because it's a competitive market. With the sheer number of tournaments being offered now, teams have many options. But it is all about making money, and there's nothing wrong with that. The clubs are non-profits, so after paying the operating expenses (including sometimes professional tournament directors), they have to pour that $$ back into the clubs.

Where does it go? Some goes for training and equipment, which offsets costs for the players. A lot of it also goes into field improvement, including providing funding for more turf fields, many of which have been paid for by public-private partnerships between soccer clubs and local governments.

It would take a lot of bake sales and car washes to come close to the amount of money that can be raised from a tournament with hundreds of teams playing $900-1200 each.

And yet Bethesda has been having this tournament at Muldoon's for years. Exactly what field improvements have been made form the money?

Muldoons is fine if the weather holds. When it gets rainy everything falls apart. It’s also used all season long for league games.

Former BSC parent

Muldoon's is never fine. It is not an appropriate location for soccer period. At best it is a un-level, clumpy long grass at worst it was this past weekend. It is literally only good for picnics and horse riding.

This place has the worst fields I’ve seen, period! It’s a sham and a shame that BSC or other clubs uses this place for soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fyi, U14s were also forced to play in, non-level, patchy (grass where present), mud. The rain brought in the mud, which still doesn't account for how unfit the polo grounds and farmland are for a "prestigious" event.

The playing fields are not fit for soccer. Period. Organizers know this.

It is sheer and pure negligence on behalf of BSC leadership to expose children to this environment. Parents just being thankful that your child didn't suffer a gruesome ankle or leg injury is all we had: Hope that our kids didn't get hurt.

They will not receive any support from our club ever again. Nor will we recommend it to any respectful soccer club or player.

And we are local.

BSC are a bunch of thieves!

BSC has a Facebook page. All of us need to go there and post all of our comments there instead of this forum and expose them to the world!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fyi, U14s were also forced to play in, non-level, patchy (grass where present), mud. The rain brought in the mud, which still doesn't account for how unfit the polo grounds and farmland are for a "prestigious" event.

The playing fields are not fit for soccer. Period. Organizers know this.

It is sheer and pure negligence on behalf of BSC leadership to expose children to this environment. Parents just being thankful that your child didn't suffer a gruesome ankle or leg injury is all we had: Hope that our kids didn't get hurt.

They will not receive any support from our club ever again. Nor will we recommend it to any respectful soccer club or player.

And we are local.

BSC are a bunch of thieves!

BSC has a Facebook page. All of us need to go there and post all of our comments there instead of this forum and expose them to the world!!

Yeah right...the loudest whiners are too cowardly to do anything in a forum that isn’t anonymous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fyi, U14s were also forced to play in, non-level, patchy (grass where present), mud. The rain brought in the mud, which still doesn't account for how unfit the polo grounds and farmland are for a "prestigious" event.

The playing fields are not fit for soccer. Period. Organizers know this.

It is sheer and pure negligence on behalf of BSC leadership to expose children to this environment. Parents just being thankful that your child didn't suffer a gruesome ankle or leg injury is all we had: Hope that our kids didn't get hurt.

They will not receive any support from our club ever again. Nor will we recommend it to any respectful soccer club or player.

And we are local.

BSC are a bunch of thieves!

BSC has a Facebook page. All of us need to go there and post all of our comments there instead of this forum and expose them to the world!!

Yeah right...the loudest whiners are too cowardly to do anything in a forum that isn’t anonymous.

You realize that anyone can create a fictitious name and create a FB account, right?

Unless you are BSC parent, why be fearful??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know what the rationale was for including so many teams but development was not a major part of the discussion.

Tournaments have nothing to do with development. They are huge fundraising events for the hosting clubs. That's it. The motivation to provide a good experience is only because it's a competitive market. With the sheer number of tournaments being offered now, teams have many options. But it is all about making money, and there's nothing wrong with that. The clubs are non-profits, so after paying the operating expenses (including sometimes professional tournament directors), they have to pour that $$ back into the clubs.

Where does it go? Some goes for training and equipment, which offsets costs for the players. A lot of it also goes into field improvement, including providing funding for more turf fields, many of which have been paid for by public-private partnerships between soccer clubs and local governments.

It would take a lot of bake sales and car washes to come close to the amount of money that can be raised from a tournament with hundreds of teams playing $900-1200 each.

And yet Bethesda has been having this tournament at Muldoon's for years. Exactly what field improvements have been made form the money?

I think BSC helped pay to put in the turf fields ar Wooten and Montgomery.