Protecting One's Own Turf - BCSPL and White Cap's Showcase

Metro Dad

Member
Jan 25, 2016
22
The White Caps refuses to let any teams outside BCSPL participate in their showcase tournaments, to the detriment of soccer in this province. My son's Metro team has now proven repeatedly that they stack up well against just about any BCSPL team. Within the last two months this team has played 3 exhibitions against 2 SPL teams. Tied twice against a top-three team, and decisively beat a bottom rung team. And they did this with from two to four underage players filling in their roster due to injury/absence.

I can say without any hesitation that there are players on this Metro team who are better than some of the boys who make the provincial team at this age group each year. However, none of these boys are considered for the BC provincial team - regardless of what BC Soccer may claim.

This elitist, "protect one's own turf” attitude hurts soccer in this province. Let's scrap BCSPL and return to a relegation system that promotes the best teams and which will give good players the exposure they are due.
 
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easoccer

Established Member
Aug 27, 2015
862
They should. Especially if they can improve by scouting the talent on your sons team.
 

TKBC

Established Member
Aug 21, 2015
1,256
This is why Dalla Pace's twitter habit of writing #pathway is a joke.
 

scissor

Member
Dec 2, 2016
9
Where to start? ( coached for way too many years in metro and div soccer both girls and boys)
BCSPL is an elite soccer league created on the backs of over eager parents and their $$ to get their kids into what is perceived as the best soccer in the province. Some of it is great soccer! Some of it...

1) "its all about development".. why is it that BCSPL promotes the limit sub rule? We all know this gives the WIN WIN WIN coaches a free pass to bench! This league is so elite they are the only league that doesn't evaluate every year and actually has some substantial player movement. The only movement I have ever seen is when spots become available because the kid quits soccer altogether. (Was this league created to make the lives of the whitecaps program easier to find kids and run them into the ground before 18 yrs old?)

2) Why do so many teams fold? Fraser Valley recently folded another team ( along with another WAVE team)... it was amazing watching all these players scatter to all places across the lower mainland trying to find a team. Good thing Fusion's program was unpopular so these kids had a home. Nothing like travelling to Richmond from Abbotsford. Reminded me of the unpopular 'Mountain' program uprooting North Shore kids to SUS.

3)Its all about soccer and fun! No its not. Its the main reason why so many talented players are not in BCSPL. Want to play another sport? There is a bench for that. Can't commit to year round soccer? Too bad. Don't have 5 grand. Too bad. I'll admit the attitude is changing slightly with the two major clubs... you know who they are.

4) The coaches are paid talented professionals. LOL... I will admit that some clubs are waking up to their disastrous coach pics over the years. Certification is lazy way justifying qualifications. Anyone can graduate from something but that doesn't make you qualified. Most of these coaches ride their success on the backs of coaches who actually taught these kids something. Give them a Div. 3 or 2 team and they wouldn't know where to start! I'd love to share some examples but I have noticed that BC soccer runs like a fine tuned mafia so I would expect to be demonized. ( Props to the new the development stream program... great group of coaches!)

5) "We treat all our program equally" No you do not! The clubs that have BCSPL teams treat their metro programs like a nuisance. Especially the clubs that have partnerships. All hands on deck when BCSPL is playing. Its like a who's who of technical directors and assistants all out on the field. Metro its crickets. No support, no technical staff absolutely nothing! Follow the money in that scenario to figure out why. This leads to #6...

6) "Pathways" what a load of garbage! If you asked any metro coach how many times the BCSPL coach contacted them, worked with them, had a great relationship with you would be left with a very quiet room. The ELITIST attitude of the the BCSPL coaches is nauseating. I believe that attitude comes from above them and trickles down. They truly believe the gap between BCSPL and Metro and so massive they would rather steal players from other associations than work with their respective metro teams. The provincial winning team in Metro could take out the lower half of the standings of any BCSPL age group no problem. Proved time and time again. (relating to the above post)

7) Success! Really? If this league is working then why aren't there more teams? Every year more and more kids join soccer in BC. Increased numbers mean increased talent which should translate into more teams. Unless... this really is an ELITIST league... oops I meant an elite league, sorry where are my manners.

Cheers
 

LosBlancos

Member
Aug 15, 2017
21
Wow, thank you for that read. Very interesting. I'm just seeing the tip of it so far, but many of the points you make already ring so true. It's such a shame.
 

southsloper

Active Member
Aug 25, 2015
148
A note concerning what @scissor wrote in his bullet #7 about "Increased numbers", I have heard mentioned during a club exec meeting that for 2 lower mainland clubs (1 being our club), registrations declined this past season. The other club was one of the bigger clubs in the Vancouver area. And, apparently #'s are down across BC, so concerning a trend that BCSA is working to address the problem (I have no info on what they intend to do).

Tonite I found an article that claims #'s are down the past TWO years in Ontario (written in May 2016).
CUDDY SHARK: Soccer grapples with declining numbers at registration tables

Where to start? ( coached for way too many years in metro and div soccer both girls and boys)[deletia]
7) Success! Really? If this league is working then why aren't there more teams? Every year more and more kids join soccer in BC. Increased numbers mean increased talent which should translate into more teams. Unless... this really is an ELITIST league... oops I meant an elite league, sorry where are my manners.

Cheers
 

TKBC

Established Member
Aug 21, 2015
1,256
BCSPL is an elite soccer league created on the backs of over eager parents and their $$ to get their kids into what is perceived as the best soccer in the province.

1) "its all about development".. why is it that BCSPL promotes the limit sub rule? We all know this gives the WIN WIN WIN coaches a free pass to bench! This league is so elite they are the only league that doesn't evaluate every year and actually has some substantial player movement.

2) Why do so many teams fold? Fraser Valley recently folded another team ( along with another WAVE team)... it was amazing watching all these players scatter to all places across the lower mainland trying to find a team. Good thing Fusion's program was unpopular so these kids had a home. Nothing like travelling to Richmond from Abbotsford. Reminded me of the unpopular 'Mountain' program uprooting North Shore kids to SUS.

6) "Pathways" what a load of garbage! If you asked any metro coach how many times the BCSPL coach contacted them, worked with them, had a great relationship with you would be left with a very quiet room. The ELITIST attitude of the the BCSPL coaches is nauseating.

Cheers

The last thing I am is a BCSPL apologist. But some retorts. First, you speak as though you have intimate knowledge of all the programs in BCSPL. My guess is you do not. If you do...prove it. My point is, maybe don't speak so definitively about such a wide range of clubs and ages. Say what you like, but your credibility reduces when you make posts in this tone.

-I know how BCSPL began. It had nothing to do with exploiting people as you suggest. The intentions were pure. The idea was right. I agree we should have a top tier with just 6-8 teams. How the league seems to be running now definitely appears to need adjustment. But the idea of the league is right. (I have zero involvement in BCSPL - I coach super 8's, and am happy to stay coaching those ages).

-Limited sub rule? How does this work? The league said kids must play 30% over the course of the season. How is this enforced?
-No evaluations? Of course they should be evaluating the lower tiers all year and thus make adjustments through that rather than larger trial days.

-A FVP team folded? Which have already? Re: the Island - they've been putting their u17-18 teams in a u21 league on the Island for a while now haven't they? Did they have a different age team fold?
-Unpopular Mountain? Mountain has been a popular program since the SYL days - this has changed recently?

-I deleted your comment about the coaches. But you do make a point - when BCSPL made a decision that all coaches must have National B, most asked "and where are these coaches coming from?" Of course they didn't exist in large enough numbers who were fully professional (meaning they coach full-time and thus could coach multiple teams) everyone in BCSPL was now miraculously accepted into the National B program (I don't know what the pass-fail rate was - I do know some failed).

-Elitist? Others have gotten this same impression. Or at least I have. You are right. Do they communicate with the metro and gold coaches? No. Do they pick players from those leagues when the players themselves seek trials? Yes. So why not actively work with the coaches at those levels. There are plenty of talented players in gold and metro that could populate BCSPL - but haven't to date for many valid reasons. More of these kids would join BCSPL if the BCSPL coaches worked closely with the 2nd and 3rd tier coaches and built relationships.

-Something I've wondered - if a BCSPL franchise can't field at team, why isn't the league putting out a RFP for clubs to fill empty spots? I think we all know why....but for sporting merit you'd think this would occur.
 

TKBC

Established Member
Aug 21, 2015
1,256
A note concerning what @scissor wrote in his bullet #7 about "Increased numbers", I have heard mentioned during a club exec meeting that for 2 lower mainland clubs (1 being our club), registrations declined this past season. The other club was one of the bigger clubs in the Vancouver area. And, apparently #'s are down across BC, so concerning a trend that BCSA is working to address the problem (I have no info on what they intend to do).

Tonite I found an article that claims #'s are down the past TWO years in Ontario (written in May 2016).
CUDDY SHARK: Soccer grapples with declining numbers at registration tables

Sports registrations are declining in every sport apparently.
 
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