i was reading parts of Das Reebot where the DFB (German soccer federation) made some tweeks to help Bundesliga clubs invest more in homegrown talent. One of the biggest changes they made was to give an annual award to the best youth club that produced the most players to the German National team. So one year, Schalke received something like a $500,000 bonus (can’t remeber the exact amount). We can do something similar to make it the most objective: 1). USSF gives $50,000 to a USSDA club for everyone player that gets more than 10 caps to the senior national team. The player would have to spend a minimum of 4 years with their academy. If a player gets more than 30 caps, then the club gets an additional $100,000. Something like this...it doesn’t have to be the exact amount like this but you get the idea. Under this plan, PA Classics would be soon be getting $150,000 for Pulisic. Seattle Sounders $150,000 for Yedlin, FC Dallas $150,000 for McKennie, etc etc 2). Every USSDA club gets evaluated every year by an independent committee of coaches from outside the US - Let’s say UEFA licensed coaches as an example. Every club receives a grade which is publicly available for everyone to see. Talented teenagers can then use this grading system to choose which club they want to join. This is just an Example: FC Dallas: A+ Real Salt Lake: A New York Reb Bulls: A- Seattle Sounders: B Chicago Fire: C DC United: D New England Revolution: F I think under a system like this, you wouldn’t have to worry about pay-to-play. It would just take care of itself if clubs are held publicly accountable. And the clubs that continue to charge would never get the best players and would never get the financial awards. This also addresses the issue of clubs getting no transfer money for players that spent years in their academy and then just leave. FC Dallas will now get something for putting so much time and money into McKennie. NYCFC will most likely get some money now for Giovanni Reyna.
I doubt it would fix pay to play given how rare it is for a player to get to the national team, but that definitely sounds like it would help out the MLS teams that develop talent.
If a USSDA club was given an F rating for charging and publicly shamed, don’t you think they would be embarrassed and stop charging? Companies don’t like bad PR. Also, let’s say I’m a really talented 15 year old from DC. RSL is giving me a free private school HS education and free top tier academy coaching. Why would I pay DC money for the same thing and argueably worse academy setup
Because I'm a 15 year old and my parents have jobs in DC not SLC. They're not moving across the country, uprooting the other kids too, and they're not sending their 15 year old to live in a boarding situation all on his own. I don't agree with DC's pay to play situation and applaud RSL but that's not going to work for every kid they try to recruit. Because of our size, population and land mass, the USSF cannot pump a half a billion dollars into club soccer across the continent each year. Why do you think they've made it a requirement for MLS teams to have academies? To get someone else to foot the bill. Now the USL clubs are joining in. Things are slowly getting better but anyone looking for ptp to end anytime soon are in denial.
I'm not sure but I believe there's already something like the grading system. I was more agreeing with the monetary supplements, but those wouldn't be enough to get rid of pay to play except for a few, very rare cases.
If they stop charging, how will they make money? DAs cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to run (and that would be at the low end - the MLS academies cost a million+). TarHeel's point was that money from training compensation would be far too little to run an academy on. So if the choice is bad PR or going out of business, I'll take the bad PR.
Suprisingly many parents with the insistence of their 15 yr olds are sending their kids into boarding situations for soccer and all kinds of sports and other competitive endeavors. The requirement wasn't just to have others foot the bill its because without connection to a first team football club real development doesn't exist. It all happens with the goal of first team play. PTP has a role in US but hope it takes a reduced role as we grow the game and development.
Easy fix would be to make sure that the team that develop the player gets the big bucks it he goes across to Europe. One good deal can fund an academy for years... And you will have an economic incentive to produce world class players As I understand the sale of player goes to MLS not to the club, so what is the incentive here?
If BVB sell Pulisic this summer for the $50 million rumored offer from Tottenham, PA Classics would be set to make $450,000 from that sale alone under normal FIFA guidelines. Think about what that kind of payday can do for a program. Facilities, uniforms, equipment. That would motivate any club to prioritize player development.
And you would be wrong. https://www.mlssoccer.com/league/official-rules/mls-roster-rules-and-regulations
There once was a grading system that was publicly released. I believe the USSDA put it out for two seasons, but that was a few years ago. It's either not done or not publicized any more.