Reply to My Gripe with Arlington Soccer Association (ASA)

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So here's the deal, it was recently brought to my attention that Arlington Soccer Association (ASA) is actively recruiting kids from neighboring soccer clubs for the higher level/older ASA travel soccer teams, and these recruits are displacing many, and in some cases most of the Arlington kids. These are Arlington kids who’ve worked and trained hard for years, and as Arlington’s best players, (I would say) have earned the right to play for Arlington’s travel soccer team.

I know, I know, par for the course, and from what I hear anecdotally,[b] I understand most clubs do some poaching for their older, higher level teams. The ethics of doing so are debatable because it’s essentially a zero sum game,[/b] but that's not what's got me irked.  It appears that at the older/higher levels it's gotten to the point at ASA where due to excessive recruiting and the success of the ASA program, the majority of the kids on some ASA teams (up to 60-75%) aren't even from Arlington.

I'm fine with allowing some kids from around the NOVA area to try out for and make the Arlington travel teams, it adds to the competition and some local areas don't have competitive clubs of their own, but I think that there should be some sort of limit - a minimum set percentage of the kids (e.g., 50%, 60% or 70%) who must come from the clubs home turf.

As it currently stands, [b]we have Arlington kids who’ve been playing ASA travel soccer successfully for 6-8 years and whose parents have spent $10K+ in travel soccer dues, and through hard work and dedication are arguably some of the best players in Arlington,[/b] only to get bumped off their travel teams, not by the normal cycle of some kids getting better and others not keeping up, but instead by groups of kids ASA management and coaches are recruiting and bringing over “in mass” from neighboring clubs.

[b]When ASA management is asked about this policy, they've repeatedly blown parents off, stating that ASA is a private club and since they are not affiliated with Arlington County, ASA can do whatever it wants.  ASA management is correct, but also shortsighted.  [/b]

The residents of Arlington County pay considerable taxes to maintain the dozens of soccer fields that ASA uses for their programs.  These fields are a valuable county asset which cost millions each year to build and maintain (the new Long Bridge turf fields being a prime example) and given this huge contribution by the county that makes the ASA travel soccer program possible, I think ASA owes the county some concessions in return. At minimum, I think that at least a majority of each team - at minimum -  should concsist of Arlinton residents.  I’m guessing the residents of any other county would expect the same.

What are your thoughts?  Is it an unreasonable expectation that at least a majority of players on any given Arlington Travel Soccer team be from Arlington?  And if you there should be a minimum, what is appropriate?  [In case you’re wondering, my kids are younger and haven’t had to face this yet.]
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I think this is a really interesting post OP, and though I don't agree that clubs should have a minimum percentage of local players, I do think you've raised some points that you should continue to address with the Arlington management.  A few thoughts on the bolded parts above:

I agree with others who have said that there is nothing wrong about a club recruiting kids at the older ages.  I don't think "poaching" is a fair way to describe it, and I don't think it's a zero sum game.  For example, I've learned from DCUM that Vienna has a community-oriented program, and their mission is not to become a premiere club that can produce teams that compete at the highest levels.  If they happen to produce a kid who can compete at that level and that kid goes to Arlington to get more college recruiting exposure, it doesn't really harm Vienna much (though his teammates may be sad to see him leave), but it does help the soccer reputation of both Arlington and the kid.

I don't think that any parent should expect that paying fees to a club for travel soccer over any period of time will guarantee them a spot on a top team at a club that is (or seeks to be) premiere.  Those fees buy training/coach salaries, field time, and league and tournament entry.  If the club is doing the job properly, each child whose family pays those fees will end up having learned the skills necessary to compete at the best of that child's abilities, and will have had a lot of fun, made a lot of friends, and learned a lot of life lessons about discipline and other things along the way.  Whether the kid makes any top team at the older ages has to come down to talent, work and aptitude.  It would not be fair to the kids who have those things to stock their team with legacies who make it harder for them to compete.

If Arlington management is completely blowing off parent concerns that entire teams are being brought in from elsewhere to replace all the homegrown players, that is not good (though are you sure that's really the case with the board and technical directors as a whole?).  I would definitely want to know why the club is failing to develop a significant number of top players in-house, as I'm sure player development is one of their core values.  The team my son plays for (Bethesda) has kids from all over VA and Maryland (like from Stafford up to Baltimore and beyond), but the vast majority of kids on my son's team and on the other teams in his age group have played for Bethesda (or Olney, our newly affiliated club) for many years, which seems to be the ideal.  I will say that the two Arlington teams we are familiar with, the boys U14 and U15 teams, both seem to have retained a core group of players for many years as well, and both these teams are very impressive.

I'd note that in general it's a challenging time for a lot of area clubs these days with the ascendance of the Development Academy and ECNL, and other factors like the tensions between USYSA and US Club soccer, which sanction most of the youth leagues in the country.  It is good to be aware of the pressures clubs face in trying to stay competitive when you are evaluating what actions they take with their teams.  You might want to attend a board meeting or two if you have not already done so (assuming they are open to the public).[/quote]

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