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Post by gtreferee on Oct 31, 2024 9:18:25 GMT -5
The 2024 Fall state cup and presidents cup elite 8 stage starts this weekend in Colombus, but most of the age groups on both M and F do not have 8 teams which means if you applied you got in. I think U17F has 2 teams, there is no F presidents cup at all, and boys presidents cup has max 4 teams per age group... Yet this tournament still matters hugely in the eyes of Georgia Soccer and the Georgia SRC. Its sad to see something that used to matter and is still used to evaluate up and coming referees in the state be lost to the US club alphabet soup and the chance to go to a national playoff.
I knowthe decline of USYS and Georgia Soccer + the growth of US Club is largely to blame for this. Yet it is still a good option for non Atlanta based team in smaller cities for less travel, I have heard all the arguments and sides. But the fragmented nature of youth soccer that truly prevents best on best competition and would be best for developpement is sad and this is a flashing sign example of it.
Youth soccer has too many stakeholders in this country that do not try to improve it and have such diverse and clashing interests.
State Cup used to mean so much more and I wish it could again for both the players and for the match quality for evaluating officials. I feel like it should, getting to be state champion should matter in this winning obsessed youth soccer environment. Congratulations to the teams going and good luck.
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Post by soccerforprofit on Oct 31, 2024 10:54:44 GMT -5
Yea, lets be honest its kind of joke when you have teams competing in nationals in their leagues, when they really are the 4-5th best team even in the state.
back in the day, state cup meant something, win and go to regionals.
No more -- all this happened around the same time as the age mandates and then US Club soccer expansion to micro regional leagues etc.
State ran soccer organizations are dead on arrival now
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Post by Soccerhouse on Oct 31, 2024 13:55:04 GMT -5
I've said this for years -- as i scream at the clouds:
the state organizations had their opportunities to unite and make a change, instead they all applaud Sunati and kissed his a** on the way out.
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darp
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Post by darp on Oct 31, 2024 15:06:11 GMT -5
I've said this for years -- as i scream at the clouds: the state organizations had their opportunities to unite and make a change, instead they all applaud Sunati and kissed his a** on the way out. Serious question and generally curious to learn. What were the problems, and what changes could have been made? |
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Post by triffling on Oct 31, 2024 17:00:56 GMT -5
Virginia has revamped their State Cup and are now doing it in conjunction with US Club Soccer which looks very promising in terms of offering a platform to determine true state champions. Hopefully more states can start doing this going forward. www.vysa.com/thevastatecup/It is a problem for referee development in Georgia that the official training opportunities in Georgia are still tied to State Cup and Presidents Cup when most of the higher-level youth play is not supported with structured referee development and training. |
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Post by gtreferee on Oct 31, 2024 17:36:17 GMT -5
Virginia has revamped their State Cup and are now doing it in conjunction with US Club Soccer which looks very promising in terms of offering a platform to determine true state champions. Hopefully more states can start doing this going forward. www.vysa.com/thevastatecup/It is a problem for referee development in Georgia that the official training opportunities in Georgia are still tied to State Cup and Presidents Cup when most of the higher-level youth play is not supported with structured referee development and training. Exactly the 2nd part, the more challenging game situations with more crucial decisions are more decentralized and it is on the local assignor to ask the state for referee mentors or to do it themselves from mentors they know |
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Post by Soccerhouse on Nov 1, 2024 9:39:55 GMT -5
the writing was on the wall and states just sat back --
age group mandate and confusion on how old certain age groups were for small sided vs 11v11.
perfect chance to say, hey wait, DA has calendar year, lets just keep everything else as school year - makes more sense.
The entire change was to benefit the top .01% who don't even play youth soccer, they are homegrowns and play on mls 2 or pro teams etc, they don't play u15 soccer etc.
RPL was a disaster, inconsistencies from requirements and allowing teams to earn spots with ecnl teams etc. Some agegroups only played 8 games a season.
Every season they were giving more reason for US Club to take over, honestly something even as simple as when registered with states you needed permission to travel out of state. It was the dumbest thing I've ever had to do.
States needed to come together to figure out what the future could be for youth soccer -- work together for a solution, vs loosing hold every season.
ODP is another example - decades ago it was the best of the best, if you didn't play on your state odp team, you basically had very little chance of playing at a d1 institution, especially when there was no internet to send film. ODP needed and still needs a makeover, for one it should have always been free etc.
Not all states were great, but Georgia had a good thing going. All players basically besides ecnl girls and a very small subset of boys players were registered through the state. youth soccer became all about local tournaments and paying DOCs vs growth of the game. Mega clubs took control and there was no turning back.
I'll be very honest, my kids started playing in the situation like we described above, every boy but a handful of DA players were registered with the state. ECNL had the girls monopoly and still do, once u13 hit, these girls all left for ecnl and competed in the US club eco system. Another topic, but at this time girls ecnl refused to expand and allow tophat or ufa in. This all fed the beast we are in today.
WE ARE NOT IN A BETTER SPOT THAN WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO. WE HAVE GONE BACKWARDS. TOO MANY ALPHABET LEAGUES. TALENT IS SPREAD OUT IN TO MANY LEAGUES. TOO MUCH FIGHTING WITHIN LEAGUE. EVERYTHING IS CLUB BASED VS ALLOWING A QUALITY TEAM IN A COMPETITIVE LEAGUE.
many of us remember the glory years, i think it was a 2000-2001 girls roswell team, who went from Athena C to RPL, it was the run of the century, they eventually fell apart, but man that team was good. No more. That team could and did compete with every ecnl team in the age group.
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Post by bogan on Nov 1, 2024 10:01:21 GMT -5
the writing was on the wall and states just sat back -- age group mandate and confusion on how old certain age groups were for small sided vs 11v11. perfect chance to say, hey wait, DA has calendar year, lets just keep everything else as school year - makes more sense. The entire change was to benefit the top .01% who don't even play youth soccer, they are homegrowns and play on mls 2 or pro teams etc, they don't play u15 soccer etc. RPL was a disaster, inconsistencies from requirements and allowing teams to earn spots with ecnl teams etc. Some agegroups only played 8 games a season. Every season they were giving more reason for US Club to take over, honestly something even as simple as when registered with states you needed permission to travel out of state. It was the dumbest thing I've ever had to do. States needed to come together to figure out what the future could be for youth soccer -- work together for a solution, vs loosing hold every season. ODP is another example - decades ago it was the best of the best, if you didn't play on your state odp team, you basically had very little chance of playing at a d1 institution, especially when there was no internet to send film. ODP needed and still needs a makeover, for one it should have always been free etc. Not all states were great, but Georgia had a good thing going. All players basically besides ecnl girls and a very small subset of boys players were registered through the state. youth soccer became all about local tournaments and paying DOCs vs growth of the game. Mega clubs took control and there was no turning back. I'll be very honest, my kids started playing in the situation like we described above, every boy but a handful of DA players were registered with the state. ECNL had the girls monopoly and still do, once u13 hit, these girls all left for ecnl and competed in the US club eco system. Another topic, but at this time girls ecnl refused to expand and allow tophat or ufa in. This all fed the beast we are in today. WE ARE NOT IN A BETTER SPOT THAN WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO. WE HAVE GONE BACKWARDS. TOO MANY ALPHABET LEAGUES. TALENT IS SPREAD OUT IN TO MANY LEAGUES. TOO MUCH FIGHTING WITHIN LEAGUE. EVERYTHING IS CLUB BASED VS ALLOWING A QUALITY TEAM IN A COMPETITIVE LEAGUE. many of us remember the glory years, i think it was a 2000-2001 girls roswell team, who went from Athena C to RPL, it was the run of the century, they eventually fell apart, but man that team was good. No more. That team could and did compete with every ecnl team in the age group. The clubs/leagues took advantage of an opportunity: Many parents want (willing to pay for) their kid to be “elite.” Was talking to a former Blackburn Rover player years ago when all this “premier” and “elite” stuff started and he called it “utter bull💩.” |
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Post by atlien on Nov 1, 2024 10:53:58 GMT -5
the writing was on the wall and states just sat back -- age group mandate and confusion on how old certain age groups were for small sided vs 11v11. perfect chance to say, hey wait, DA has calendar year, lets just keep everything else as school year - makes more sense. The entire change was to benefit the top .01% who don't even play youth soccer, they are homegrowns and play on mls 2 or pro teams etc, they don't play u15 soccer etc. RPL was a disaster, inconsistencies from requirements and allowing teams to earn spots with ecnl teams etc. Some agegroups only played 8 games a season. Every season they were giving more reason for US Club to take over, honestly something even as simple as when registered with states you needed permission to travel out of state. It was the dumbest thing I've ever had to do. States needed to come together to figure out what the future could be for youth soccer -- work together for a solution, vs loosing hold every season. ODP is another example - decades ago it was the best of the best, if you didn't play on your state odp team, you basically had very little chance of playing at a d1 institution, especially when there was no internet to send film. ODP needed and still needs a makeover, for one it should have always been free etc. Not all states were great, but Georgia had a good thing going. All players basically besides ecnl girls and a very small subset of boys players were registered through the state. youth soccer became all about local tournaments and paying DOCs vs growth of the game. Mega clubs took control and there was no turning back. I'll be very honest, my kids started playing in the situation like we described above, every boy but a handful of DA players were registered with the state. ECNL had the girls monopoly and still do, once u13 hit, these girls all left for ecnl and competed in the US club eco system. Another topic, but at this time girls ecnl refused to expand and allow tophat or ufa in. This all fed the beast we are in today. WE ARE NOT IN A BETTER SPOT THAN WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO. WE HAVE GONE BACKWARDS. TOO MANY ALPHABET LEAGUES. TALENT IS SPREAD OUT IN TO MANY LEAGUES. TOO MUCH FIGHTING WITHIN LEAGUE. EVERYTHING IS CLUB BASED VS ALLOWING A QUALITY TEAM IN A COMPETITIVE LEAGUE. many of us remember the glory years, i think it was a 2000-2001 girls roswell team, who went from Athena C to RPL, it was the run of the century, they eventually fell apart, but man that team was good. No more. That team could and did compete with every ecnl team in the age group. The clubs/leagues took advantage of an opportunity: Many parents want (willing to pay for) their kid to be “elite.” Was talking to a former Blackburn Rover player years ago when all this “premier” and “elite” stuff started and he called it “utter bull💩.” I don’t blame ECNL for not letting in Tophat. Why would anyone want to let those vampires in anywhere? |
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Post by Soccerhouse on Nov 1, 2024 10:59:39 GMT -5
The states offered a decent platform the goal at u9 to u12, allow clubs to be flexible and determine their own academy schedules and be more hands off with this age group.
let the clubs try to schedule competitive games to ensure top teams are playing top teams, B teams are playing B teams etc.
Atlanta is unique, enough competition locally, that there isn't a need to travel much. one thing boys ecnl actually did a good job at was creating a southeast division which was tenn, SC, Georgia and Birmingham. This now is just Georgia and South Carolina. It does get boring playing the same teams annually so even the ecnl at younger ages should get rid of showcases and just have something like 2 cross conference games, where you play teams from North carolina and tenn for example -- these games wouldn't count towards standings but count like the showcase games do for your playoff rankings etc.
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Post by bogan on Nov 1, 2024 11:14:45 GMT -5
The states offered a decent platform the goal at u9 to u12, allow clubs to be flexible and determine their own academy schedules and be more hands off with this age group. let the clubs try to schedule competitive games to ensure top teams are playing top teams, B teams are playing B teams etc. Atlanta is unique, enough competition locally, that there isn't a need to travel much. one thing boys ecnl actually did a good job at was creating a southeast division which was tenn, SC, Georgia and Birmingham. This now is just Georgia and South Carolina. It does get boring playing the same teams annually so even the ecnl at younger ages should get rid of showcases and just have something like 2 cross conference games, where you play teams from North carolina and tenn for example -- these games wouldn't count towards standings but count like the showcase games do for your playoff rankings etc. The only problem I have, per se, with ECNL is that it’s only North Atlanta (other than an odd ball team). Makes it hard /impossible for great players in the rest of the state to participate. But I guess that’s just the nature of it. |
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Post by terimakasih12 on Nov 1, 2024 11:36:19 GMT -5
The states offered a decent platform the goal at u9 to u12, allow clubs to be flexible and determine their own academy schedules and be more hands off with this age group. let the clubs try to schedule competitive games to ensure top teams are playing top teams, B teams are playing B teams etc. Atlanta is unique, enough competition locally, that there isn't a need to travel much. one thing boys ecnl actually did a good job at was creating a southeast division which was tenn, SC, Georgia and Birmingham. This now is just Georgia and South Carolina. It does get boring playing the same teams annually so even the ecnl at younger ages should get rid of showcases and just have something like 2 cross conference games, where you play teams from North carolina and tenn for example -- these games wouldn't count towards standings but count like the showcase games do for your playoff rankings etc. The only problem I have, per se, with ECNL is that it’s only North Atlanta (other than an odd ball team). Makes it hard /impossible for great players in the rest of the state to participate. But I guess that’s just the nature of it. Doesn’t CF have a second team out of Columbus for some age groups? But yes, ECNL is basically focused on North and Northeast Atlanta since that is where the $ is (outside of a few parts of Fayette and Coweta Counties). Don’t think the system will ever change but I really liked the old Classic I/Athena A divisions. There were new teams every year unlike in ECNL and RL. I remember some smaller clubs climbing from Premier A to Classic I in two seasons and earning the right to compete with the best teams. Maybe outside of SCCL, that doesn’t happen anymore. I think a large state tournament would be great to allow for teams in different leagues to play each other. Not sure the clubs want that, nor do I think GA Soccer is competent enough to manage it. |
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Post by playfromtheback on Nov 1, 2024 12:07:42 GMT -5
The only problem I have, per se, with ECNL is that it’s only North Atlanta (other than an odd ball team). Makes it hard /impossible for great players in the rest of the state to participate. But I guess that’s just the nature of it. Doesn’t CF have a second team out of Columbus for some age groups? But yes, ECNL is basically focused on North and Northeast Atlanta since that is where the $ is (outside of a few parts of Fayette and Coweta Counties). Don’t think the system will ever change but I really liked the old Classic I/Athena A divisions. There were new teams every year unlike in ECNL and RL. I remember some smaller clubs climbing from Premier A to Classic I in two seasons and earning the right to compete with the best teams. Maybe outside of SCCL, that doesn’t happen anymore. I think a large state tournament would be great to allow for teams in different leagues to play each other. Not sure the clubs want that, nor do I think GA Soccer is competent enough to manage it. Has the SCCL Cup become this to an extent or could it be. Let's get beyond the fact that it is a fall preseason tournament. I know i saw some non SCCL teams playing in it this year? |
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Post by playfromtheback on Nov 1, 2024 12:15:14 GMT -5
Being on the north side of town and having had a child play for a club that was part of GA Soccer I can say it was horrible. Having to go to Athens, Savannah, Valdosta, Macon, Peachtree City, Columbus, Euharlee for games the travel was horrible. I don't mind traveling if you have to travel for a competitive match. However, having to travel because you are stuck in a dying league was horrible
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Post by Soccerhouse on Nov 1, 2024 13:03:50 GMT -5
Very valid point -- we northerners forget about the southside kids all time!
The northside bias is real!
That's where the mega clubs phenomenon takes its bite -- afc vs concorde south
is concorde south still a thing?
Joking but not joking I naively thought AU would bring balance to the youth soccer scene and help develop a pyramid with a common goal, I couldn't have been more wrong.
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Post by terimakasih12 on Nov 1, 2024 14:02:49 GMT -5
Doesn’t CF have a second team out of Columbus for some age groups? But yes, ECNL is basically focused on North and Northeast Atlanta since that is where the $ is (outside of a few parts of Fayette and Coweta Counties). Don’t think the system will ever change but I really liked the old Classic I/Athena A divisions. There were new teams every year unlike in ECNL and RL. I remember some smaller clubs climbing from Premier A to Classic I in two seasons and earning the right to compete with the best teams. Maybe outside of SCCL, that doesn’t happen anymore. I think a large state tournament would be great to allow for teams in different leagues to play each other. Not sure the clubs want that, nor do I think GA Soccer is competent enough to manage it. Has the SCCL Cup become this to an extent or could it be. Let's get beyond the fact that it is a fall preseason tournament. I know i saw some non SCCL teams playing in it this year? I think it could become something like this. There were some RL and pre-ECNL teams in the tournament this year at the lower ages. Would love to see more at the older ages. Unfortunately, I don’t see how this would happen since my understanding is that ECNL and GA teams typically attend their own tournaments and showcases. |
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rpsoccer
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Post by rpsoccer on Nov 1, 2024 15:50:44 GMT -5
Has the SCCL Cup become this to an extent or could it be. Let's get beyond the fact that it is a fall preseason tournament. I know i saw some non SCCL teams playing in it this year? I think it could become something like this. There were some RL and pre-ECNL teams in the tournament this year at the lower ages. Would love to see more at the older ages. Unfortunately, I don’t see how this would happen since my understanding is that ECNL and GA teams typically attend their own tournaments and showcases. They come to the SCCL tournaments and at the same time the big clubs block other, smaller, clubs from joining ECNL or GA, they do not want to share the "pay to play" $$$ =] |
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Post by terimakasih12 on Nov 1, 2024 16:54:27 GMT -5
I think it could become something like this. There were some RL and pre-ECNL teams in the tournament this year at the lower ages. Would love to see more at the older ages. Unfortunately, I don’t see how this would happen since my understanding is that ECNL and GA teams typically attend their own tournaments and showcases. They come to the SCCL tournaments and at the same time the big clubs block other, smaller, clubs from joining ECNL or GA, they do not want to share the "pay to play" $$$ =] True, that’s probably the biggest reason. Who wants competition, right? It’s much easier to set up barriers to entry and snag all the best players from good mid-size clubs (Ambush, Roswell). It keeps the big 5 on top and the other clubs below them. |
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Post by randomparent on Nov 1, 2024 18:27:31 GMT -5
The 2024 Fall state cup and presidents cup elite 8 stage starts this weekend in Colombus, but most of the age groups on both M and F do not have 8 teams which means if you applied you got in. I think U17F has 2 teams, there is no F presidents cup at all, and boys presidents cup has max 4 teams per age group... Yet this tournament still matters hugely in the eyes of Georgia Soccer and the Georgia SRC. Its sad to see something that used to matter and is still used to evaluate up and coming referees in the state be lost to the US club alphabet soup and the chance to go to a national playoff. I knowthe decline of USYS and Georgia Soccer + the growth of US Club is largely to blame for this. Yet it is still a good option for non Atlanta based team in smaller cities for less travel, I have heard all the arguments and sides. But the fragmented nature of youth soccer that truly prevents best on best competition and would be best for developpement is sad and this is a flashing sign example of it. Youth soccer has too many stakeholders in this country that do not try to improve it and have such diverse and clashing interests. State Cup used to mean so much more and I wish it could again for both the players and for the match quality for evaluating officials. I feel like it should, getting to be state champion should matter in this winning obsessed youth soccer environment. Congratulations to the teams going and good luck. What stood out to me was you said the tournament was in Columbus and no one registered and GA soccer is in decline. Certainly it was in decline before all of this but Columbus... great location that makes everyone unhappy except Concord South clubs. I don't like to travel and spend money on hotels for tournaments but when I do I want to at least get funnel cake in Gatlinburg, a shrimp basket in Florida, or some BBQ in North Carolina. |
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Post by bogan on Nov 2, 2024 5:08:03 GMT -5
The 2024 Fall state cup and presidents cup elite 8 stage starts this weekend in Colombus, but most of the age groups on both M and F do not have 8 teams which means if you applied you got in. I think U17F has 2 teams, there is no F presidents cup at all, and boys presidents cup has max 4 teams per age group... Yet this tournament still matters hugely in the eyes of Georgia Soccer and the Georgia SRC. Its sad to see something that used to matter and is still used to evaluate up and coming referees in the state be lost to the US club alphabet soup and the chance to go to a national playoff. I knowthe decline of USYS and Georgia Soccer + the growth of US Club is largely to blame for this. Yet it is still a good option for non Atlanta based team in smaller cities for less travel, I have heard all the arguments and sides. But the fragmented nature of youth soccer that truly prevents best on best competition and would be best for developpement is sad and this is a flashing sign example of it. Youth soccer has too many stakeholders in this country that do not try to improve it and have such diverse and clashing interests. State Cup used to mean so much more and I wish it could again for both the players and for the match quality for evaluating officials. I feel like it should, getting to be state champion should matter in this winning obsessed youth soccer environment. Congratulations to the teams going and good luck. What stood out to me was you said the tournament was in Columbus and no one registered and GA soccer is in decline. Certainly it was in decline before all of this but Columbus... great location that makes everyone unhappy except Concord South clubs. I don't like to travel and spend money on hotels for tournaments but when I do I want to at least get funnel cake in Gatlinburg, a shrimp basket in Florida, or some BBQ in North Carolina. Macon would be more central (to everyone in the state) but I don’t know if they have the facilities. To many people in North Atlanta , life ends at I-20. Seriously though, they should rotate it throughout the state. I never understood why only Columbus for all those years and now it’s back there but perhaps it has to do with the 3 teams playing in it… |
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Post by randomparent on Nov 2, 2024 8:52:15 GMT -5
What stood out to me was you said the tournament was in Columbus and no one registered and GA soccer is in decline. Certainly it was in decline before all of this but Columbus... great location that makes everyone unhappy except Concord South clubs. I don't like to travel and spend money on hotels for tournaments but when I do I want to at least get funnel cake in Gatlinburg, a shrimp basket in Florida, or some BBQ in North Carolina. Macon would be more central (to everyone in the state) but I don’t know if they have the facilities. To many people in North Atlanta , life ends at I-20. Seriously though, they should rotate it throughout the state. I never understood why only Columbus for all those years and now it’s back there but perhaps it has to do with the 3 teams playing in it… I have to disagree, us north siders have to go south of I-20 to get to the beach and Disney, we just don't want to go that far for soccer. If 90+% of the team's are in Atlanta, they should have the tournament there. For some reason that ruffles feathers, but that is the truth. Since most people probably have no idea Ga Soccer is even a thing anymore, the best chance would be to have it in ATL and maybe teams to register for it if its local, but they will always do it in Columbus or Macon, especially now that GA Soccer isn't as relevant as it was for so long. I am not sure if it qualifies for a "nationals" event, but maybe the states could come together and make another nationals event that first time soccer parents could get excited about. Maybe host it in Vegas so the parents can have some fun, let the kids play in the desert. That could be for like the first two games, then they could rotate the next two games to Maine, then the semi's in Houston, and then maybe have the final's for the national event for all 50 states in Macon year 1, Memphis year 2, Detroit year 3, Little Rock year 4, and Cleveland year 5. That would keep the finals location fresh and exciting. |
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Post by bogan on Nov 2, 2024 9:33:33 GMT -5
…so you are saying you don’t want to go south of I-20 more than 1-2 times a year… I get it…but I spent 20 years or so going north of I-20… for soccer…a lot. But I enjoyed it…
Edit: I’m not hating on you either…i was just commenting on the prevailing sentiment of folks from the N Side. Cheers!
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Post by randomparent on Nov 2, 2024 10:20:18 GMT -5
…so you are saying you don’t want to go south of I-20 more than 1-2 times a year… I get it…but I spent 20 years or so going north of I-20… for soccer…a lot. But I enjoyed it… Edit: I’m not hating on you either…i was just commenting on the prevailing sentiment of folks from the N Side. Cheers! I always feel better going north for games. Even on the northside it feels better going further north. Today I get to go north on 400 for a game, it just feels better than heading south towards massive interstates, confusing interchanges, and bad traffic. |
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Post by bogan on Nov 2, 2024 10:35:06 GMT -5
…so you are saying you don’t want to go south of I-20 more than 1-2 times a year… I get it…but I spent 20 years or so going north of I-20… for soccer…a lot. But I enjoyed it… Edit: I’m not hating on you either…i was just commenting on the prevailing sentiment of folks from the N Side. Cheers! I always feel better going north for games. Even on the northside it feels better going further north. Today I get to go north on 400 for a game, it just feels better than heading south towards massive interstates, confusing interchanges, and bad traffic. I won’t argue with that…but I have to say (from my vantage point) that if Jot ‘em Down Road isn’t the end of the earth…you can see it from there 🤣. |
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Post by oraclesfriend on Nov 2, 2024 12:28:31 GMT -5
I always feel better going north for games. Even on the northside it feels better going further north. Today I get to go north on 400 for a game, it just feels better than heading south towards massive interstates, confusing interchanges, and bad traffic. I won’t argue with that…but I have to say (from my vantage point) that if Jot ‘em Down Road isn’t the end of the earth…you can see it from there 🤣. Hey now! People trashing on your neck o’ the woods so you gotta trash on someone else’s? 😉 Seriously though. It is nice up in north Forsyth and it is nice is south of the city. The problem is always the traffic THRU Atlanta. I know south side battle it more often than north side ppl do. But the soccer scene is so fragmented and it is sad to see. It is good to see the facilities improving and the cooperation between the clubs that I see at the academy ages. I wish it would extend to the older ages. |
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Post by bogan on Nov 2, 2024 12:36:10 GMT -5
I won’t argue with that…but I have to say (from my vantage point) that if Jot ‘em Down Road isn’t the end of the earth…you can see it from there 🤣. Hey now! People trashing on your neck o’ the woods so you gotta trash on someone else’s? 😉 Seriously though. It is nice up in north Forsyth and it is nice is south of the city. The problem is always the traffic THRU Atlanta. I know south side battle it more often than north side ppl do. But the soccer scene is so fragmented and it is sad to see. It is good to see the facilities improving and the cooperation between the clubs that I see at the academy ages. I wish it would extend to the older ages. 🤣agreed. …and I hope your team is doing well. |
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Post by gtreferee on Nov 2, 2024 15:03:31 GMT -5
Macon would be more central (to everyone in the state) but I don’t know if they have the facilities. To many people in North Atlanta , life ends at I-20. Seriously though, they should rotate it throughout the state. I never understood why only Columbus for all those years and now it’s back there but perhaps it has to do with the 3 teams playing in it… I have to disagree, us north siders have to go south of I-20 to get to the beach and Disney, we just don't want to go that far for soccer. If 90+% of the team's are in Atlanta, they should have the tournament there. For some reason that ruffles feathers, but that is the truth. Since most people probably have no idea Ga Soccer is even a thing anymore, the best chance would be to have it in ATL and maybe teams to register for it if its local, but they will always do it in Columbus or Macon, especially now that GA Soccer isn't as relevant as it was for so long. I am not sure if it qualifies for a "nationals" event, but maybe the states could come together and make another nationals event that first time soccer parents could get excited about. Maybe host it in Vegas so the parents can have some fun, let the kids play in the desert. That could be for like the first two games, then they could rotate the next two games to Maine, then the semi's in Houston, and then maybe have the final's for the national event for all 50 states in Macon year 1, Memphis year 2, Detroit year 3, Little Rock year 4, and Cleveland year 5. That would keep the finals location fresh and exciting. The finalists in each age group for both state and presidents cup qualify for USYS regionals and pcup regionals. They move every year between exciting locales like Greer SC, Greensboro, and Shreveport. |
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Post by weltzumerr on Nov 4, 2024 0:43:16 GMT -5
Doesn’t CF have a second team out of Columbus for some age groups? But yes, ECNL is basically focused on North and Northeast Atlanta since that is where the $ is (outside of a few parts of Fayette and Coweta Counties). Don’t think the system will ever change but I really liked the old Classic I/Athena A divisions. There were new teams every year unlike in ECNL and RL. I remember some smaller clubs climbing from Premier A to Classic I in two seasons and earning the right to compete with the best teams. Maybe outside of SCCL, that doesn’t happen anymore. 3dtrcek.com/en/I think a large state tournament would be great to allow for teams in different leagues to play each other. Not sure the clubs want that, nor do I think GA Soccer is competent enough to manage it. piktid.com/Has the SCCL Cup become this to an extent or could it be. Let's get beyond the fact that it is a fall preseason tournament. I know i saw some non SCCL teams playing in it this year? Seeing non-SCCL teams participate this year definitely added a new dynamic |
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Post by playfromtheback on Nov 4, 2024 8:56:18 GMT -5
I always feel better going north for games. Even on the northside it feels better going further north. Today I get to go north on 400 for a game, it just feels better than heading south towards massive interstates, confusing interchanges, and bad traffic. I won’t argue with that…but I have to say (from my vantage point) that if Jot ‘em Down Road isn’t the end of the earth…you can see it from there 🤣. I have to say, I agree with you. I live in Forsyth county and Lainerland feels like it is in another state at times. They are nice fields with that said I wish they got used more than some of the other fields in the county. |
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darp
Jr. Academy
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Post by darp on Nov 4, 2024 16:27:29 GMT -5
I won’t argue with that…but I have to say (from my vantage point) that if Jot ‘em Down Road isn’t the end of the earth…you can see it from there 🤣. I have to say, I agree with you. I live in Forsyth county and Lainerland feels like it is in another state at times. They are nice fields with that said I wish they got used more than some of the other fields in the county. I find it very amusing reading all the posts from you Atlanta folks about the burden of having to travel within the greater Atlanta area. I would absolutely kill to have that problem  . It's rough for the rest of the state. |
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. It's rough for the rest of the state. 