PART 3: PARADIGM SHIFT or ILLUSION?

The term "paradigm shift" has found uses in many contexts, representing the notion of a major change in a certain thought-pattern — a radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems or organizations, replacing the former way of thinking or organizing with a radically different way of thinking or organizing.

WEST MICHIGAN SOCCER

The landscape of youth soccer in West Michigan has changed over the last 17 years.  That shouldn't be too surprising.  Most things do change over time.  Change comes to us all eventually.

The question I have raised is simple. 

Are we really making progress in West Michigan or is it just an illusion?

Tryouts were just held and although it will be sometime before it is all official, some things are clear.

Grand Rapids Crew

The Grand Rapids Crew team count will be somewhere in the area of 90-95 teams.  This is up from last years count of about 75-80 total teams.  They will have teams playing in the National League (NL), The Michigan Developmental League (MDL), the Midwest Regional League (MRL), the Michigan State Developmental Soccer League (MSDSL), Michigan State Premier Soccer Program (MSPSP), Grand Valley Soccer Association (GVSA) and they are trying to get Youth recreational programs going that will be a distinct feeder system separate from the local AYSO and City Rec programs. 

Some of the growth this year came from absorbing a local GVSA community club called Kentwood.  There are many indications that it didn't go completely as planned.  The first year of any merger can be interesting and this one is compounded by the fact that the Kentwood DOC (he helped to orchestrate the merger, and is also the Varsity Soccer <Boys & Girls> Head Coach at the local high school) went to work at the Crew.

Those who equate a clubs success with teams that are successful at the national level point to the current U18 team and comment on how it really isn't a "Crew" team.  It started with Fabio Mendes at the Flying Kick (3 years), moved to GVP with Rich O'Keefe (3 years) and then to the Crew with Remco Bergsma (3 years) and culminated in a National Title at U17.  The team was managed and run by some of the parents until this past year when the Crew management stepped in and forced a showdown which resulted in the curious decision to replace a coach who had just won a National Championship (he didn't want to go).  Those that will talk will tell you that the decision was made that since the boys were 17 going on 18 and their college plans were all made, they just accepted the decision because it was only for another year and didn't matter.

Those who equate a clubs success with a large number of teams and players...all playing at a high level with skill and showing good behavior....showing well in tournament...in various nationally run leagues....with name recognition form college coaches....name recognition for the club and West Michigan from the national soccer community....increasing the numbers of players to advance to play in college...all the while providing a stable, reasonably consistent product....will point to all of that happening after 5-6 short years.

Our local high schools are now present in the MSHAA playoffs.  That isn't an accident.

The Crew has become the benchmark for all clubs. 

The big question is whether or not they can continue to provide all of that while they continue to show signs that they want to continue to become larger.  The sad and simple fact is that it costs money for all of this and that revenue can't be coming from the relatively small number of elite teams.  It must come from the large number of B-F GVSA teams. 

SIDEBAR:  This is very similar to the ongoing discussion in our country today about taxing the 1%    

Rangers SC / Michigan Fire

The attempt to absorb the Rangers failed and a couple of things came about.  The Rangers BOD decided to reinvent themselves and apparently decided that standing alone in the world was not the way to go.  They affiliated with the MLS club in Chicago, the Chicago Fire.  This affiliation resulted in a name change (Michigan Fire Jrs), a new block of Asst DOCs (to spread the responsibility and the control of the club out of one persons hands), and help from the parent MLS club in the form of English imports to provide some immediate excitement and credibility, something the local staff  can't provide.  Some of the local staff, for better or worse, has a long history of bouncing around from club to club over the last 10 years.

Many have asked what is the point of this?  I say it doesn't matter. 

The success of the Grand Rapids Crew has forced the Rangers BOD to work harder at getting better.  They have decided that they way to go is to bring in outside help.  The fact that the outside help is a MLS team with all that that entails bodes well for the children of West Michigan.  We do not know how it will ultimately turn out since we don't know what deal was made with the Fire to enter back into a market that didn't go so well for them the first time.  If they had to give up too much local control, it may eventually not go the way they think it should but only time will tell.  What we do know is that they will be doing everything in their power to make is successful.

Muelensteen Academy

The second thing that happened out of the failed Crew/Rangers merger is that it freed the former Rangers DOC to pursue his real passion...creating a large, successful training organization.  Most soccer coaches who grew up in and advanced through some sort of European system (England, Netherlands, Germany etc) complain loud and incessantly about the flaws of the current US Club system.  For several years, he and another individual had been working on a business (on his own time and outside of his responsibilities to the Rangers) that would bring something new to the US.  This was something called Sports Partners USA.  The other individual working with him had been involved in the original West Michigan Premier Club, Grand Valley Premier (GVP), was behind the scenes in the GRASA/GVP merger, and has maintained a presence on the GVSA BOD for a number of years.

Following the failed Crew/Ranger merger, he turned his energies 100% to this venture.  There were some at the Rangers coaches and parents who did not appreciate and accept the fallout from the failed merger and as a result, the Grand Rapids Crew allowed him to form an affiliate organization based in the Grandville area.  Curiously, it is called Crew West Muelensteen Academy.  While technically, not a new club due to how GVSA accepts new clubs, it operates as if it is a new club and actually calls itself a new club in its press releases and information; "...The Meulensteen curriculum is the second reason our club will differ from others...".  In short order, the Kalamazoo Kingdom was on board as the North American headquarters of Muelensteen and the had adopted the program.  The Kingdom is one of the two main clubs in the Kalamazoo area, the other being TKO.

This is where it gets interesting.

Kalamazoo:  TKO & Kingdom

Two days before tryouts on June 16, information began leaking into the system and the TKO BOD hastily published announcements to the effect they were affiliating with the Columbus Crew.  This affiliation is supposedly distinct from the Grand Rapids Crew and won't be anything more than a name change.  Time will tell.

The interesting part of this is that now the two largest and successful clubs in Kalamazoo now have connections to the Crew.  TKO has the name and Kingdom has adopted and become part of the Muelensteen program run by the individual who is now part of the Grand Rapids Crew running his own "club" called Crew West. The Kingdom has run Y league teams and many of the players and coaches are GR Crew players and coaches using the Kingdom to play in the Y League.

NOTE:  The Muelensteen program and its curriculum is currently being marketed to clubs throughout Michigan for the annual cost of $50.00 per player.

Many have asked what is the point of this?  Again, I say it doesn't matter.

The success of the Grand Rapids Crew in Grand Rapids, the Portage Soccer Club announcing it will be taking a more formal position on forming Premier teams, the Kingdom aligning with Muelensteen, the success of FC Elite in Kalamazoo area...all contributed  to force the TKO BOD to do something more than what they were doing to become better.  This is all good for the children in West Michigan.

Alliance FC

No discussion of soccer in West Michigan can be close to complete with involving the Alliance FC. 

Like many organizations, it was started out of turmoil. (DISCLOSURE: I was President of GVSA when this all happened).  Those today may be surprised but there was a time not so long ago (2002) when there was only one club in the Grand Rapids area that was doing premier.  GRASA and its DOC wanted to do Premier without going through GVSA so, using the system, they managed to sponsor a team through an MSYSA league they set up through the Forest Hills YMCA.  A group of coincidental happenings created some issues and GRASA and the DOC parted company.  The DOC was coach of a U10 team and wanted to take the team and himself away from GRASA and become part of a different GVSA club.  This was not allowed.  The DOC and the team dropped out of GRASA anyway and affiliated themselves with a new national entity, US Club Soccer, and played games and tournaments in the Chicago area.

This team was the beginning of the Alliance FC.

The owner of the Alliance has been working non stop since then and through sheer will, determination, skill and a little bit of luck has built an organization that has survived and grown.  It wasn't easy nor was it without some casualties.  One long term GVSA club (Panthers) went way after its DOC left them and went to the Alliance.

He formed a US CLUB soccer league (Champions League) that spanned the state and forced the State association (MSYSA) to revamp many of its procedures and policies.  It lasted 6 years and while it lasted it provided some of the best soccer competition available.

He found his MSPSP sponsorship through an MSYSA league in the Upper Peninsula.

He runs summer camps and programs throughout the state for other organizations and schools. 

His club offers a youth rec program, GVSA select teams, MSPSP teams, MRL teams, the Super Y program and is working on other options for the future.

His coaching staff has consisted primarily of himself and two others which has been both good and bad for the club.  The coaching provided by the three individuals is the highest quality available in the state but they have been spread very thin.  This has created some issues prior to last year as parents came for the quality but were disappointed by what they perceived to be a lack of organization.  This particular issue has been addressed over the past year with addition of additional coaches and individuals to manage the day to day of the club.

Every action on his part, taken to make his club better, has forced other clubs to look at themselves and forced them to work harder to become better

This is all good for soccer.

PASS and SCOR

With apologies to many people, I have put these two in the same discussion.

PASS FC started as a labor of love by two Northview parents.  At the time, there were not many reasonable alternatives available to parents on the NE side of Grand Rapids who wanted their children to play soccer.  They believed that there should be.  As it grew and the skill level of the players grew and choices in West Michigan became even more fragmented, they decided to bring in the Detroit area club, Wolves / Hawks, thinking the name affiliation and conduit into the program would attract the Elite players from West Michigan.  For a time it did, but eventually, the individuals who were tasked with making soccer based decisions were found to be not up to the task and growth stagnated.  Without a clear vision, few enterprises succeed.  Eventually, as in all situations like this, a decision had to made as to club direction and it was decided that the affiliation wasn't helping.

Today the club is stronger than it has ever been. 

Their Friday night youth training programs have 200+ children (ages under 10), strong tryouts and they are forming B Teams in most age groups for the first time.  They have formed as many premier teams under PASS FC as they did under the Wolves / Hawks.  Of course, there was fallout this year but that is natural when members of your coaching staff leave.

SCOR has been a consistent GVSA club for many years.  Everyone knew what to expect.  SCOR was designed for Rockford players.  Teams were coached by Rockford area parents and coaches.  Teams were formed based on the fact that the players went to Rockford.  This led to solid, athletic select teams consisting of solid, athletic players.

They had DOC's who wanted to do things differently but the BOD's wouldn't let them.

The Elite players went elsewhere for their training.

This all changed a little over a year ago with the hiring of a strong, capable DOC who was tasked with building a new model.  The difficulty of this is apparent.  A club, for many years had costs associated with it and people, for the most part were happy.  The Elite players knew what the costs were associated with high level training because they had been going elsewhere but the solid, athletic players would be solid athletic players no matter what the costs.  Most of them were simply trying to make the High School team.  Bring in a professional and tasking him to build a new model (which includes higher expectations and higher costs) upset the apple cart..   

The first year results were mixed as some teams did very well but others did not.  Moving from the very small pond of West Michigan GVSA to the somewhat larger pond of Michigan and MSPSP is a cultural shock.  Some don't handle it well.  many don't want to do the work necessary to get there and then stay there,

The two clubs (PASS and SCOR) share a geographical connection that has players moving back and forth simply because they are neighbors.  This makes life more difficult than it needs to be but can't be helped.