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[Southend soccer mom]

From DOS and GRFC websites: GRFC and DOS FC are in discussions about the possible merger of the two neighboring RCL clubs to provide better opportunities for the premier level soccer players in the greater Renton and Kent areas.  Both clubs focus their training at the Starfire Soccer Complex and share an extensive border.  Washington Youth Soccer has offered administrative support to the clubs during these discussions.  GRFC and DOS FC are beginning the process of providing merger details to their respective associations as both clubs are dedicated to their long term relationship with their Association.  Additional information will be provided after each club's respective board meeting in December.

Thoughts?

[Islander]

Puts a little pressure on HPFC and FWU to some extent.  I still like the idea of a Dos/GRFC/HPFC merge.

[Southend soccer mom]

How does it usually work with mergers? Do the teams keep intact or do they try to blend teams together and create better teams? If they blend the teams, then would they be able to remain in their divisions? Isn't there an RCL requirement that certain number of players need to remain on the roster in order to keep your division level?

[ThiKuBC]

The purpose would be to share resources (including players) I imagine. Otherwise it makes no sense. That's what happens here with mergers anyway....

I assume they'd keep their division level simply by saying "we would still be fielding a team fo 18 players who were RCL div 1 the previous season" even if the teams became blended....that would make sense to me.

It's always nice when things are streamlined, but my question about these mergers is "who gets kicked off the board, which technical director/director of coaching gets the leadership position" etc etc.....teams and uniforms, crests and colours, really are the more minor issues in actuality. Budgets, boards, constitutions etc are the more critical pieces.

[EWSoccer64]

Look to see the associations merge too, in the future.

The RCL will keep the new teams in the old slots, any rules regarding player numbers kept will be waived.

[Der Kaiser]

Is NWN & FC Alliance next? It would seem to me that any mergers would need to be made public, board approved, and concluded at least 60 days before next tryout season.

[mhall]

Does anyone know what this does to the number of players within the combined organization.  Does it now meet the required number of players for the RCL?  I wonder what Federal Way does considering that they have been grandfathered for a period of time because they do not meet the minimum number of players to be in the RCL.

[Der Kaiser]

Here is the current DOS & GRFC team records in RCL for U-11 thru U-14. Should be very competitive with a merger.

B11 GRFC 5-7-2
B11 DOS 7-4-2
B12 GRFC 5-6-3
B12 DOS 5-5-4
B13 GRFC 7-6-1
B13 DOS 3-10-1
B14 GRFC 2-10-2
B14 DOS N/A

G11 GRFC 6-6-2
G11 DOS 5-5-4
G12 GRFC 13-0-1
G12 DOS 4-5-5
G13 GRFC 8-3-3
G13 DOS 4-6-4
G14 GRFC 6-4-4
G14 DOS N/A

[MarkyMark]

What is the point of this other then to create teams that can compete with Crossfire? Is the quality of training going to improve? I doubt it. This Merger is all about winning trophies and gives parents one less option for soccer.

[mhall]

The merging is all about meeting the requirements of the RCL so the clubs can stay in the RCL.

[ImaginThat]

Look to see the associations merge too, in the future.

The RCL will keep the new teams in the old slots, any rules regarding player numbers kept will be waived.

What about the 2 teams per age / gender 

[Old Dog]

Puts a little pressure on HPFC and FWU to some extent.  I still like the idea of a Dos/GRFC/HPFC merge.

I agree with you islander, I think we will see HPFC join them sooner than later.

[ThiKuBC]

@MarkyMark - why would playing opportunities be restricted? Won't they simply develop an A and B team at each age group?

[tripleplay]

@MarkyMark - why would playing opportunities be restricted? Won't they simply develop an A and B team at each age group?

These clubs already have around 2 teams per age group. Very tough for a club to sustain 4 teams.

[lester]

A Dos and GRFC merger would do nothing to achieve RCL requirements, it would eliminate one more RCL club from the South Sound.   Even if Dos got the whole Kent Association to merge with GRSA they wouldn't have the 4000 needed players.
As I posted on the NWN thread, Dos didn't spring from an association, its a stand alone entity.  It doesn't matter where they call home or where their players come from.  In the last two years they have affiliated with the 1500 member Kent Association to have an association to charter them.   Dos doesn't bring a player population with it, their coaches, like GRFC's, have always been free agents, they don't have control of any fields.  Their only transferable asset is the reputation of their name.   

Dos existed because they were Dos, a girls' club, and built a reputation of quality and success that girls wanted to play for.

Consolidating the teams from the two clubs won't even save money, just less spent; only half the coaches and half the practice field time will need to be paid for because there will still only be an A and B team in the new club.   
If Dos A players wanted to be on B teams they had 6 clubs close by to choose from, same with the GRFC A players.  We all learned form the FC United's absorption of the UP Blasters that taking two middle of the pack D1 teams into one club results in one middle of the pack D1 team and a bunch of lost players.

Dos' best bet to survive and thrive is to become the go to club for US Club in the South Sound.  They'd have to compete with the Slammers but they could be the SSC Elite of the West and not have to lose their identity.   Disassociate from WYS, the Kent Association, and drop the guys side.  Go back to what made it a great club.

Its time for Malia to look around and see what the RCL really is and where girls fit into it.

That's my opinion.

[EWSoccer64]

The 2 A teams and the 2 B teams will keep the slots that they can fill, initially.  They might even request some downward movement for their lower teams.
The lower seeded old A team, now officially the B team (after tryouts) would keep its slot in the lower division or likely drop down a division if it were in the same division as the new A team.   The higher seed of the old B teams would now become the new C team. 
Yes, I too find it unlikely that combining the four squads will yield 4 new teams.  There will be extra attirition.

That's how I see it working out.   They will not keep all the current players.  The overall numbers will go down.

[tripleplay]

The merging is all about meeting the requirements of the RCL so the clubs can stay in the RCL.

Do you have any evidence to support that statement?

Some relevant info. Public school attendance
Renton: 14000
Tukwila: 3000
Kent: 27000

Note: Association boundaries don't always follow school district boundaries, so these are an approximation. It looks like some of Kent is in GRJSA along with Tukwila. Similarly about 4000 from Issaquah SD are in GRJSA. Population-wise, a combination of GRJSA and KYSA (14+3+27+4) would be about double Lake Washington YSA and about 50% bigger than Eastside YSA. The premise that the region has too many soccer clubs for the population does not seem right.

[Southend soccer mom]

I might be wrong but aren't RCL clubs suppose to have at least one team in each age group? I think that is where DOS is falling short. They don't really have any teams above U13 on the boys side. They have teams U13 and below but those teams are borderline and wouldn't function without guest passes. GRFC seem to have more teams so that wouldn't be their motivation for merging.

[yote19]

A Dos and GRFC merger would do nothing to achieve RCL requirements, it would eliminate one more RCL club from the South Sound.   Even if Dos got the whole Kent Association to merge with GRSA they wouldn't have the 4000 needed players.
As I posted on the NWN thread, Dos didn't spring from an association, its a stand alone entity.  It doesn't matter where they call home or where their players come from.  In the last two years they have affiliated with the 1500 member Kent Association to have an association to charter them.   Dos doesn't bring a player population with it, their coaches, like GRFC's, have always been free agents, they don't have control of any fields.  Their only transferable asset is the reputation of their name.   

Dos existed because they were Dos, a girls' club, and built a reputation of quality and success that girls wanted to play for.

Consolidating the teams from the two clubs won't even save money, just less spent; only half the coaches and half the practice field time will need to be paid for because there will still only be an A and B team in the new club.   
If Dos A players wanted to be on B teams they had 6 clubs close by to choose from, same with the GRFC A players.  We all learned form the FC United's absorption of the UP Blasters that taking two middle of the pack D1 teams into one club results in one middle of the pack D1 team and a bunch of lost players.

Dos' best bet to survive and thrive is to become the go to club for US Club in the South Sound.  They'd have to compete with the Slammers but they could be the SSC Elite of the West and not have to lose their identity.   Disassociate from WYS, the Kent Association, and drop the guys side.  Go back to what made it a great club.

Its time for Malia to look around and see what the RCL really is and where girls fit into it.

That's my opinion.

Lester Malia has done some great things with that club...managemetn and how they work with the local association, no so much.  It was definately 180

[Islander]

I have no idea or inside information as to why these two clubs are merging.  Okay that's my disclamer, but:

Look at the numbers at tryouts between these two clubs compared to the numbers EFC and Crossfire draw.  Both EFC and Crossfire are filling 2 teams per age group if not more. Equals $$$
The talent then to draw from is much more competative thus creating more competative teams.  More competative teams equals greater club success. Equals $$$

[ThiKuBC]

Program sustainability and for neighbours to work together. Makes perfect sense....happens here all the time.

[tripleplay]

I have no idea or inside information as to why these two clubs are merging.  Okay that's my disclamer, but:

Look at the numbers at tryouts between these two clubs compared to the numbers EFC and Crossfire draw.  Both EFC and Crossfire are filling 2 teams per age group if not more. Equals $$$
The talent then to draw from is much more competative thus creating more competative teams.  More competative teams equals greater club success. Equals $$$

This merger will:
A.Reduce the number of teams, throwing kids out of soccer
B. For 5 or 10 top kids in an age group  who now have 3 choices: go south and play for WPFC A, go north and play for Crossfire A, or stay and play on their local A team, the merger will give them a better 3rd choice.
C. Do nothing to address the root problem, 27000 kids in Kent and only 1500 playing soccer (from Lester's post) As a start the Association should be disbanded for non-performance. It isn't RCL club's jobs to bring people into soccer. They are  irrelevant in that regard.

[Pops]

I have no idea or inside information as to why these two clubs are merging.  Okay that's my disclamer, but:

Look at the numbers at tryouts between these two clubs compared to the numbers EFC and Crossfire draw.  Both EFC and Crossfire are filling 2 teams per age group if not more. Equals $$$
The talent then to draw from is much more competative thus creating more competative teams.  More competative teams equals greater club success. Equals $$$

This merger will:
A.Reduce the number of teams, throwing kids out of soccer
B. For 5 or 10 top kids in an age group  who now have 3 choices: go south and play for WPFC A, go north and play for Crossfire A, or stay and play on their local A team, the merger will give them a better 3rd choice.
C. Do nothing to address the root problem, 27000 kids in Kent and only 1500 playing soccer (from Lester's post) As a start the Association should be disbanded for non-performance. It isn't RCL club's jobs to bring people into soccer. They are  irrelevant in that regard.

Some thoughts:
A. it won't necessarily reduce the number of teams, and certainly doesn't throw kids out of soccer. Some kids that are playing RCL B might end up in better select programs in Kent and GRJSA as a result, and the A and B teams in the merged club will be more even top to bottom, leading to better development for those players
B. Agree - easier to stay home with a stronger program for the top players
C. Kent is misleading - there is a very strong park and rec program in place, so their 1500 is almost all U10 and up. It's a bigger base than you'd think.

[MarkyMark]

HPFC just issued a press release saying they are not going to merge.
http://www.highlinesa.org/home.php

[tripleplay]

At older ages, soccer is often supply limited. Get rid of a supplier without adding a new one, numbers will go down. Basically you have 48000 kids and are restructuring programs for the benefit of around 100 of them, who already have good choices. Other areas also have park and recs programs (such as the two I mentioned) yet manage to create bigger WYS numbers than Kent.

What percentage of DOS/GRFC activity is actually at Starfire?

[EWSoccer64]

HPFC just issued a press release saying they are not going to merge.
http://www.highlinesa.org/home.php

Don't you just love how HPFC identifies all the various stakeholders - but does not include the players as stakeholders?
That tells me alot about the club right there.

[anyudes]

Don't you just love how HPFC identifies all the various stakeholders - but does not include the players as stakeholders?
That tells me alot about the club right there.

Look at the age group gaps EW. Then look at DOS. Very similar. Then look at all of the Kentwood & Tahoma kids & where they play club...

[Der Kaiser]

EW- I agree, HPFC's statement reads like it was written by a dry humored CPA for the club. Big words- strategic, fresh, stakeholders, leadership, etc.

A lot of clubs in the Pacific Northwest are doing a disservice to the Youth Soccer Game. What about good coaching, good training, keeping costs down, different player format/competition (i.e. Premier, Select, Rec). The need to teach over winning at the younger ages.

Any Youth Club that puts "players first" and keep costs down will do well to reap the rewards. Too many political egos to the detriment of the game. Without players, you have nothing!

[MarkyMark]

When does a merger ever lead to lower cost for the consumer? The Reason for these mergers is to pay for the people at the top and not for the benefit of the kids. It's just like when a professional sports team demands a new publicly funded stadium with the argument that it will hold ticket prices down which it never does. Ticket prices still go up and the players and the owners get richer. Dos and GRFC seem to be doing just fine so what is in it for the average player and the parents?

[Southend soccer mom]

Fewer options for kids = higher fees

Unless parents choose other options such as PSPL or Div 3.