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[sounderfan]

http://goalwa.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/highline-premier-selects-michael-murphy-as-its-first-executive-director/

Interesting development. Michael Murphy was on the board during the creation of Seattle United, has been a force at Westside FC...and now is the first-ever Executive Director at Highline FC.

Is some sort of West Seattle area club merger next?

"Stuart Mathews, President of Highline Premier, added “Michael brings a comprehensive understanding of where we are going as a club and a background in getting systems, processes and personnel in place to strengthen youth soccer organizations in growth phases. Our program’s oversight on both the execution of its strategic plan and the daily club operations could not be in better hands with Michael’s history of documented success at the youth levels. Michael has become one of the state’s emerging talents in helping structure new youth soccer services organizations."

[EWSoccer64]

Good.

Let's see HPFC present a different model from the MegaClubs.  If anyone can do it successfully, they have hired the right guy with the right beliefs.

[Islander]

I'm with you and with Weaver as DOC it will be interesting.

[sounderfan]

More news expected out of Highline Premier FC today...

 

[Southend soccer mom]

Soundersfan - you can't be teasing us like that... Spill the beans! 

[2 CENTS]

More news expected out of Highline Premier FC today...

 

Is Highline leaving the RCL ?

[Islander]

You may have hit the nail on the head

  not even close 

[Southend soccer mom]

Seems like this is the news:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEATTLE (December 12, 2011) --  Highline Premier FC, the advanced development club of the Highline Soccer Association, and Crossfire Premier Soccer Club, Washington State’s largest premier level soccer institution for boys and girls under 19 years of age, have announced an exciting new affiliation between the two clubs.  The announcement launches a relationship that will offer benefits to both clubs’ players.

The affiliation between Crossfire Premier and Highline Premier is to collaborate and leverage the clubs’ strengths to foster players’ developmental and competitive opportunities, improving the overall youth soccer experience for both clubs’ players, coaches and families. Among the main goals of the affiliation are to create opportunities for players that would otherwise not be available to them and to establish more advanced player training programs.

Highline Premier FC Club President Stuart Mathews said, “Highline Premier Football Club is very excited to be affiliating with Crossfire Premier, the most widely recognized premier level youth soccer institution in the Northwest.  Both clubs have carefully structured this relationship in ways to maintain what is unique to each but to benefit their membership. It will mean more top caliber youth players capable of competing at the highest national levels and showcasing that talent coming out of the Northwest.”

Crossfire Premier Coaching Director Bernie James added, “I have been an admirer of Highline Premier’s approach to developing their players.  Alex Weaver’s recent hand-selection by the English Football Association (“The FA”) as one of only sixteen (16) coaches globally to attend their prestigious inaugural FA Elite Coaching License Course affirms he is a top national-level youth soccer educator.  This relationship reflects mutual respect and both clubs’ willingness to affiliate in ways that benefit the players and truly provide them the best opportunities available.”

Highline Premier is committed to delivering not only a first-class player development environment, but also in establishing and executing personalized player development roadmaps that meet the unique and varying needs of its players.  This affiliation translates into access to more high-quality outlets for development, competitive play and tournament showcase opportunities at the highest levels for Highline Premier’s most capable players.  It provides for supplemental opportunities throughout their development that will permit them to continue local instruction within the club at the younger ages with periodic participation in supplemental activities.

Highline Premier Coaching Director Alex Weaver noted, “In a relatively short period of time, Crossfire Premier’s management team has raised the club to become one of only eight ( 8 ) clubs throughout the US (and the only club in the Northwest) with national “top 25” rankings for BOTH its boys and girls programs.  Crossfire’s vision and the high standards they have met for competitive play have substantially improved the national-level opportunities for more players in the Northwest.”

[Islander]

bam

[sounderfan]

And there you go!

[sounderfan]

The FAQ page is interesting:

http://hpfc.cornerkicksystems.com/page/show/424473-faq-for-highline-crossfire-club-affiliation

Q: Is Crossfire Premier going to take Highline Premier’s top young players?
 
A: The intent of the affiliation is to provide Highline Premier’s top young players supplemental opportunities throughout their development that will permit them to continue local instruction within the club and periodic participation in supplemental activities through this affiliation.  In consultation with both club’s Coaching Directors and member families, a few older age players (U14+) across the club may qualify to register to Crossfire Premier top teams during each annual team formation process.  In turn, Crossfire Premier’s top players have access to its elite programs, including the US Soccer Development Academy program (men), the Elite Clubs National League program (ECNL) for women and to higher level exposure and training with Inter-Milan (F.C. Internazionale), one of the world’s top professional soccer clubs.

[Southend soccer mom]

It'll be interesting to see which clubs made the better choice - DOS/GRFC merging or HPFC affiliating themselves with Crossfire. My bets are with HPFC.

[Islander]

just read all of the questions/answers.  

Things that make you go "hmmmm."  

Time will tell.  

[Islander]

It'll be interesting to see which clubs made the better choice - DOS/GRFC merging or HPFC affiliating themselves with Crossfire. My bets are with HPFC.

Puts quite a bit more pressure on FWFC

Something for WPFC to think about with their ECNL affiliation.

[chicken wing]

The FAQ page is interesting:

http://hpfc.cornerkicksystems.com/page/show/424473-faq-for-highline-crossfire-club-affiliation

Q: Is Crossfire Premier going to take Highline Premier’s top young players?
 
A: The intent of the affiliation is to provide Highline Premier’s top young players supplemental opportunities throughout their development that will permit them to continue local instruction within the club and periodic participation in supplemental activities through this affiliation.  In consultation with both club’s Coaching Directors and member families, a few older age players (U14+) across the club may qualify to register to Crossfire Premier top teams during each annual team formation process.  In turn, Crossfire Premier’s top players have access to its elite programs, including the US Soccer Development Academy program (men), the Elite Clubs National League program (ECNL) for women and to higher level exposure and training with Inter-Milan (F.C. Internazionale), one of the world’s top professional soccer clubs.

Sounders Academy teams have quietly put together the best Academy program in WA (in USA) by NOT politically affiliating with any single club.  This announcement seems to be in a response to concerns about the future of the Crossfire Academy as well as the viability of HPFC.

[eastofthe206]

When you start thinking about all the hypothetical situations it can make your head spin.  Would be interesting to see this concept broken down into a flow chart.  Seems like there would be arrows pointing in every direction possible.  YET if it creates a path for those players at the top of the pyramid to continue to grow and develop, AND the stakeholders on both sides (stakeholders being a very fancy word for the PARENTS that write the CHECKS that PAY for all this), then I can see the general concept as advancing the game at the highest levels.  Still, that is a very big set of "IF"s and "AND"s.

Highline Soccer is where I played when I was a wee 'un, that was many many years ago: wishing HPFC success and I think this is gonna' be really interesting to watch.

[mudge]

I fail to see anything substantive in this "announcement," although clearly it is serving its purpose by generating discussion.

A better lead might have been "HPFC Announces New Commitment to Daily Press Releases."

Wake me up when there's real news.

[Squash]

I'm getting CrossTired 

I miss the beer at the coaches meetings though That was classy....or was it?

[windy90]

When you start thinking about all the hypothetical situations it can make your head spin.  Would be interesting to see this concept broken down into a flow chart.  Seems like there would be arrows pointing in every direction possible.  YET if it creates a path for those players at the top of the pyramid to continue to grow and develop, AND the stakeholders on both sides (stakeholders being a very fancy word for the PARENTS that write the CHECKS that PAY for all this), then I can see the general concept as advancing the game at the highest levels.  Still, that is a very big set of "IF"s and "AND"s.

Highline Soccer is where I played when I was a wee 'un, that was many many years ago: wishing HPFC success and I think this is gonna' be really interesting to watch.

There are no arrows, directions or anything!

This is just a marketing agreement designed to help grow both programs, or fund one.  Any agreement with Crossfire will ultimately benefit their club financially.  

Do you think the InterM affiliations has an arrow pointing to this club, directing the highest achieving players towards professional contracts?

Crossfire will take any player who can financially afford the Academy and can play.  You don't have to play for HPFC to get into Crossfire... this is just a joke!  Crossfire wants to create an illusion that they only deal with certain kids from certain clubs who play for certain coaches.... This type of soccer marketing is a total farce, and a bit shameful.  How Bernie was talked into this is incredible.

[windy90]

UPdate:

If HPFC was serious about player development, they'd fire nearly all their coaches, change their training schedules to 4 days a week minimum, and allow all their membership to train with Crossfire teams immediately.  If Crossfire was serious, they fire the HPFC board and directors, either replace them or simply take over the administration.

Any dumb parent that believes their DK/S playing for HPFC will lead to a conduit at Crossfire should have their kid play another sport.  There has to be a financial arrangement in the announcement that benefits Crossfire!  Who will get a better look at Crossfier, a U15 kid at Eastside FC that kicks Crossfire Arse or a U15 kid at HPFC who's team brags about some measured success against a Crossfire C team?

This announcement is a crack in the armor at Crossfire/LWYSA.

[windy90]

Update 2:

Crossfire Challenge:  I challenge Crossfire, sometime in the very near future, to promote a player on their website, who played for HPFC and then made a Crossfire ECNL or Academy team.

[letemplay]

Update 2:

Crossfire Challenge:  I challenge Crossfire, sometime in the very near future, to promote a player on their website, who played for HPFC and then made a Crossfire ECNL or Academy team.

Check your info before you make the challenge...a player that was brought through the HPFC training program was picked up this year for the Crossfire ECNL 97 team.  Is that near future enough for you?

[anyudes]

Check your info before you make the challenge...a player that was brought through the HPFC training program was picked up this year for the Crossfire ECNL 97 team.  Is that near future enough for you?

Only because her HPFC team broke apart. Now they have no team at that age group. Some went to GRFC too. I speculate that player you speak of went there for the ECNL program considering she was a state ODP forward & would have made any team in the state. Kind of a no brainer for her being without a team...

[EWSoccer64]

Hmmm.
I am withholding comment until more details come out.

[windy90]

Update 2:

Crossfire Challenge:  I challenge Crossfire, sometime in the very near future, to promote a player on their website, who played for HPFC and then made a Crossfire ECNL or Academy team.

Check your info before you make the challenge...a player that was brought through the HPFC training program was picked up this year for the Crossfire ECNL 97 team.  Is that near future enough for you?

That's my whole point.... some desperate political agreement act by HPFC doesn't guarantee their players anything.   This former HPFC player, excellent obviously, made the ENCL on their own ability to play.  Crossfire is NO conduit to anything, with the exception of cashing your check.

Crossfire will recruit a kid for 3 reasons.  1. The Kid can play.   2.  Taking the player away from the competition, thus eliminating the players ability to challenge them.  3.  The Kid can pay.

Tell me one thing HPFC has to offer Crossfire?  HPFC sending a ton of talented players to Crossfire?

Tell me one thing Crossfire benefits from HPFC?  HPFC get into Crossfire Challenge for Free?

Mr. James had to be on some new medication to approve this deal.... seriously.

[EWSoccer64]

Let's see whose next to sign a feeder deal with another major club.
The Spokane Shadow deal fell apart.
The Vancouver Mega Club Merger fell apart.
Evergreen was absorbed because they basically went broke through allowing their DoC unsupervised control.  But everything was not happy up there.
Seattle United is arguably a success story, but the only one in the mega club category.

Going off into the wilderness has not really worked out well, just ask Dead Club Walking (aka ECFC).

These "partnerships" are so much easier to get into than to get out of......

[chicken wing]

Update 2:

Crossfire Challenge:  I challenge Crossfire, sometime in the very near future, to promote a player on their website, who played for HPFC and then made a Crossfire ECNL or Academy team.

Check your info before you make the challenge...a player that was brought through the HPFC training program was picked up this year for the Crossfire ECNL 97 team.  Is that near future enough for you?

That's my whole point.... some desperate political agreement act by HPFC doesn't guarantee their players anything.   This former HPFC player, excellent obviously, made the ENCL on their own ability to play.  Crossfire is NO conduit to anything, with the exception of cashing your check.

Crossfire will recruit a kid for 3 reasons.  1. The Kid can play.   2.  Taking the player away from the competition, thus eliminating the players ability to challenge them.  3.  The Kid can pay.

Tell me one thing HPFC has to offer Crossfire?  HPFC sending a ton of talented players to Crossfire?

Tell me one thing Crossfire benefits from HPFC?  HPFC get into Crossfire Challenge for Free?

Mr. James had to be on some new medication to approve this deal.... seriously.

Wrong! 

Crossfire and HPFC agreement gives Crossfire teams access to Starfire Complex, the home of the Sounders Academy.

[Squash]

Any team has access to Starfire....as long as you pay your bills. 

[lester]

Maybe its just to allow Alex Weaver to coach a Crossfire team while remaining DOC of HPFC?

[chicken wing]

Any team has access to Starfire....as long as you pay your bills. 

True, but it could be very a sweet deal if HPFC was reserving and paying for your field access and time.