Canlan has both competitive and non competitive flights and they seem to be managed well. doesn't seem that clubs are all in however. Just some scattered teams here and there - which sort of is an expansion on the discussion - maybe a seperate thread in so much as whether clubs are thinking that competitive play is not valuable anylonger? Nonetheless Canlan seems well run since they came in and aquired the property from the bank. I know that FCB no longer has full rule over there which has opened up space for other parties. Sort of took awhile since most these places struggle to make money - I mean why block the ability to create more lines of revenue because the home team - which has no part in the business wants you to? I was on the Lifezone site and they have multiple partners that bring with them other business experiences that seem to play nice with the indoor soccer concept. I heard the wood fire pizza (as an example) is really quite good. We may check that out if they have any open play time that my kid can join. TheMac is odd too me - not as a business but more so as a location. I don't know that much about it and would love to know if there was another reason other than the assumed cost based on location as to why the original developer decided on that site. It's located between northern Crystal Lake and Woodstock and unless you are in either of those areas, sort of a bitch to get to - especially from the south. Plus at the time (I am guessing - maybe someone can add here), that the only club in the area with numbers was Crystal Lake Force. Were they similar to an FCB at Canlan from the start???
I'll add that Rec play seems to be down in the area as well. Kits (now closed) probably picked up the majority of teams in the area. Canlan only has a BASA rec league - which means you have to join the Barington Area Soccer Association in order to play but I believe they take whole teams like Kits and not just individually registered players. I never understood why more rec teams were not out there - the walls (whether you like them or not) seem to provide for added fun for these players and especially parents. Another topic I guess.
Heard a rumor last night that the Rush will be making a major push on the North Shore. Word is they have lined up two directors from FCU to lead that branch.
Wow... I would imagine that would require some integration with FC1 and Spartan at the least? They would get the players who failed to make GDA at FCU and did not want to truck it to Sockers I suppose. Some questions down the road. CSA seems to be developing some incredible teams - how do they move forward? There is that and is anyone going to have a go at leading the way out in the NW burbds?
CSA has taken over that far west burbs, tri-cities area. Campton is pretty much nonexistent on the girls side at the small sided ages. CSA has teams at the top of the A division in all those ages which is what Campton used to have. Galaxy is still the top girls club in the west but CSA is closing fast. Fire West and Team Chicago seem to be having similar struggles at the 7v7 levels. NSA is almost done at the younger ages. Always changing landscape out west.
You don't agree that the galaxy is the top club in the far western suburbs ? Or that CSA is closing on them, especially at u8-u14?
Both Using u8 to u10 as a factor of how good a club is, is wrong. Kids leaves clubs all the time in that time frame. Parents usually pick the closest club instead of the best place to teach your kid soccer at that age. CSA didn't hurt Campton that much but they destroyed TCSA. TCSA only has 7 teams in the IWSL. It was such a strong club a few years ago.
I believe CSA is hurting Campton at the very youngest ages, but whether that will translate in to the older ages over time is yet to be determined. Campton did well in the three most significant age brackets for state Cup on the girls side, and on the boys side they have "mini" DA status (younger age groups only) and older boys top teams play MDL. I agree with Incolnpk that judging a club by the youngest ages winning games is just wrong. I think TCSA set themselves up to be destroyed when they created the "premier" tier. I give TCSA lots of credit in the Rec and travel tiers. (Travel tier being low fee Parent coached approximately IWSL C level, NISL Bronze level type teams). Before the Premier level kids who outgrew the Travel level would move to Campton or Strikers. Unfortunately the TCSA board viewed that as Campton or Strikers "stealing" their best players so they created TCSA Premier. I believe they should have stuck to the original purpose of TCSA for very low cost Rec soccer and very affordable travel soccer. Their Premier level has been a revolving door crapshoot of coaches including the Director of CSA who left TCSA Premier.
I always felt there was need for a club to just develop kids u10 and under and then send them off to a bigger club. Make these kids technically sound and move on. No pressure to make the MRL ODP yadda yadda. We have to stop making u10 and under a serious game.
Campton does not have a strong suit from 05 down from what I see - CSA does. While most the kids came from TSCA, their are top players from Campton moving over to CSA because the parents are not willing to make the distance to Eclipse or Sockers. I always held Galaxy in high regard but they can be hit or miss. TC seems more consistent in terms of strong teams. That said I would have loved to have a Galaxy/TC/Sockers/CSA options out my way when my daughters were younger. What we have is garbage for the girls unless you want to put your daughter at Sockers MCH and have her play with the boys - which I would prefer but most girls do not carry the confidence at 8 years old to walk on as the only female - knowing no one.
Kits in Lake Zurich has been aquired by ELA Soccer Club. Nice addition for them but that place needs a TON of work!
Not really my neck of the woods, but from everything that has been written on here TC is a big club so this could turn out to be interesting for other clubs down in that area. PN hired by CUP in Cincinnati. http://www.cincinnatiunitedsoccer.com/phil-nielsen-hired-as-cup-girls-technical-director
The club was informed about 4 weeks ago. http://teamchicagoacademy.teampages.com/clubs/256/announcements/1340155
CUP is a massive club that competes national at almost every age group for both genders. There are only a few of the types of clubs in Chicago and it is hard to see any of them giving out that type of role unless you have a lot to offer ( like a whole boys program). Big step up the ladder for PN
The eclipse brought in the guy from inferno because he handed them an entire boys program and the guy from Fire south that brought with quality girls teams to allow them to compete in DA/ECNL/USYSA. A lot of the directors at the other DA clubs are entrenched and eclipse already has an agreement to funnel players in from TC. It didn't seem like there was an easy path for PN to get the same level job he landed in Ohio if he stayed in IL. Pure speculation
Gotcha... Not sure how much of a lock DD is at Eclipse though. He still has a multitude of Inferno boys teams - 1 girls team and intends to build that end. One would think it would be an all or nothing from the Eclipse perspective.
Claims to DA that his boys are the greatest and they should be looking their direction as opposed to other current clubs.
Heard a rumor Eclipse was going to be taking over Team Chicago. Is this just gossip because Phil Nielsen is leaving for Ohio or is there any truth to this?
I think that would be pretty bad if true. TC does not need to be taken over by any club - they can certainly stand on their own.