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[pondhopper]

After watching recent developments, I am raising a question for comment.

Is the Starfire Sports facility the Switzerland of youth soccer in WA state?

Two items make me ask this question.

1) Tournaments.  Apparently as a private entity, Starfire Sports has no obligation to go through DIstricts to sanction their non-WYS tournaments (this refers to tournaments such as Memorial Day Cup, Sounders FC Cup, Xtreme Cup, Labor Day Cup, VW Adidas Junior Masters Tournament, FieldTurf Cup but not to club-run tournaments such as the WA Games, SeaTac Cup and the Seattle United Cup since those do get sanctioned).  Sanctioning was intended, in part, to ensure clubs that host tournaments would have a fair shot of getting a return on their efforts by ensuring a number of tournaments are not held on the same weekend, unnecessarily suppressing the income generated by a hosting club for its efforts.

2) Training.  Various RCL clubs in WSYSA train at Starfire in a location that is outside their geographic boundaries.  While WSYSA RCL clubs are required to honor geographic boundaries in WA state or get agreements between each other on field usage outside their areas, Starfire Sports as a private entity appears to be a situation where any club could train there without consequences.  Is this correct?  Does it apply to any rented facility?  Is there some condition that all these RCL clubs meet and others do not that permits training outside of their geography?  If a certain RCL club or two start getting pressured due to their continued involvement in the PSPL at younger ages and their ongoing geographic protection is threatened by their governance entity desiring them to vacate USCS/PSPL, would these RCL clubs be able to move some of their team training to Starfire Sports as both a logistics effort for training and also a marketing/recruitment effort to put their brand in front of hundreds of extremely well-qualified, pre-screened potential customers nightly that operate at that location ... without any consequences from the governance entity since the precedent has already been well established that Starfire is Switzerland for youth soccer?

Just curious.

[Rock27]

Fields - as far as I know all clubs pay for their field use no matter where it is. Very few clubs "own" their own fields.  Some agreements allow use if they maintain the fields so the parks dept. doesn't have to. We are from further north, what you would say is out of the area, but have rented fields at Starfire in the past (needing lights or trying to get a scrimmage together with a team from the south).  They will rent to anybody willing to pay for it, not to mention pay to park, etc.

[ThiKuBC]

I would pay to train and have exhibition games at facilities like Starfire if such a facility was available to me. Makes sense unless the commute is brutal. IE, over 30 minutes.

[Soccer Wonk]

After watching recent developments, I am raising a question for comment.

Is the Starfire Sports facility the Switzerland of youth soccer in WA state?
...

It has been reported before in this forum that when the Starfire facility was brought online, a letter was secured from the local association allowing teams from other associations to use the facilities.

IMO, there is nothing about Starfire's status that makes it a rule-free zone for WYS participants. If that were the case, you would be seeing blatant recruiting from the touchlines during games and fistfights between coaches.

[EWSoccer64]

After watching recent developments, I am raising a question for comment.

Is the Starfire Sports facility the Switzerland of youth soccer in WA state?
...

It has been reported before in this forum that when the Starfire facility was brought online, a letter was secured from the local association allowing teams from other associations to use the facilities.

IMO, there is nothing about Starfire's status that makes it a rule-free zone for WYS participants. If that were the case, you would be seeing blatant recruiting from the touchlines during games and fistfights between coaches.

It was reported that the local association gave a permanent waiver to teh WSSYA rule that for a team or club to have an "activity"  (Practice, host a game, etc.) outside their association boundary, they must first recieve the permission of the association within the boundary the event will take place.

Add to that the fact that Starfire is not under the control of any club or association, and yes it is a unique venue in the state.  "Switzerland" is a little strong, since you can still be extradited out of Starfire!

[kameharem]

maybe we will see Starfire Chocolates for sale soon.

[onthebench]

After watching recent developments, I am raising a question for comment.

Is the Starfire Sports facility the Switzerland of youth soccer in WA state?

Two items make me ask this question.

1) Tournaments.  Apparently as a private entity, Starfire Sports has no obligation to go through DIstricts to sanction their non-WYS tournaments (this refers to tournaments such as Memorial Day Cup, Sounders FC Cup, Xtreme Cup, Labor Day Cup, VW Adidas Junior Masters Tournament, FieldTurf Cup but not to club-run tournaments such as the WA Games, SeaTac Cup and the Seattle United Cup since those do get sanctioned).  Sanctioning was intended, in part, to ensure clubs that host tournaments would have a fair shot of getting a return on their efforts by ensuring a number of tournaments are not held on the same weekend, unnecessarily suppressing the income generated by a hosting club for its efforts.

2) Training.  Various RCL clubs in WSYSA train at Starfire in a location that is outside their geographic boundaries.  While WSYSA RCL clubs are required to honor geographic boundaries in WA state or get agreements between each other on field usage outside their areas, Starfire Sports as a private entity appears to be a situation where any club could train there without consequences.  Is this correct?  Does it apply to any rented facility?  Is there some condition that all these RCL clubs meet and others do not that permits training outside of their geography?  If a certain RCL club or two start getting pressured due to their continued involvement in the PSPL at younger ages and their ongoing geographic protection is threatened by their governance entity desiring them to vacate USCS/PSPL, would these RCL clubs be able to move some of their team training to Starfire Sports as both a logistics effort for training and also a marketing/recruitment effort to put their brand in front of hundreds of extremely well-qualified, pre-screened potential customers nightly that operate at that location ... without any consequences from the governance entity since the precedent has already been well established that Starfire is Switzerland for youth soccer?

Just curious.

Starfire is a World Class facility, many teams want to train and play at the very same location of our Seattle Sounders. In stead of whinning about Starfire why don't you call Teddy Mitalas for the answer's you are looking for.