Post by spectator on Dec 2, 2013 12:37:57 GMT -5
Combining Athena and Classic in all age groups, the stats are as follows:
CLUB | No of Champions | No of Finalists | TOTAL |
| NASA | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| SSA | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| UFA | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| AFU | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| GSA | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Norcross | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| YMCA | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| South Georgia | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Augusta | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Roswell Santos | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Concorde | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| AFC Lightning | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| CFC Red Star | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Ambush | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Georgia FC | 2 | 1 | 3 |
27 other clubs had 1-2 Champions/Finalists in the mix. Overall there were 42 different clubs with teams that were Champions/Finalists.
A few observations on these stats:
1. The larger clubs (NASA, UFA, SSA) did well but we'd have to compare the champions/finalists against total number of teams each club had to get a true sense of the depth. Those three clubs were consistent across both Athena and Classic.
2. Nice to see some of the clubs outside Atlanta finishing strong (South GA, Augusta).
3. YMCA numbers were mostly for boys/older ages - leftover age groups from the heyday of the Y being more about competitive soccer than rec. They need to revamp at younger ages to sustain the programs.
4. "City" clubs did OK (Roswell and Ambush). A handful of good teams may keep them going for a few more years but they need to start developing younger talent, too.
5. Concorde was a disappointment. I always felt this club was stronger than they showed.
Finally, for all the Top Hat and Rush love on forums - Top Had only had two champions - U13 and U14 Athena A. They have strong top teams but their lower teams are underperformaing big time! (Edited to add, from U15 up, the Top Hat Gold team is RPL but they still have multiple teams in lower Athena levels) And Rush only had on champion U15 Athena C and one finalist U17 Classic II - it's a strong program nationally but I'm not sure they'll ever take off here in GA based on the strength and depth of other clubs.
