As long as it comes with a car magnet from a club that carries some weight at the next cocktail party... yes. It happens, a lot.
Indeed it does. Parent has two kids at a local club. One plays A league - has 3 training sessions per week and 3-4 tourneys per year. Coach has a C+ license. Second kid at the same club plays on the third team. E+ licensed coach, 1 -2 tourneys and 2 training sessions per week. Both kids cost $2200.00 to play soccer. What's that crap? Oh well those kids will never get better so they don't need to play as much and we'll just hire a few lame coaches to run that shit show along with a slew of other low level teams at the club.
I heard the Ricketts name brought up in a conversation about FC United last night, 2nd time I've heard that. I have no knowledge of it but it would be interesting.
lncolnpk mentioned months ago how the Fire were looking to dump their DA sponsorship. The Ricketts, have bought the right to put a USL franchise in Chicago, and they were planning to team up with a developer to build a new 20k seat stadium somewhere in the city. The USL is supposed to be the developmental league for MLS, I think. Hopefully Lncolnpk is lurking and connect the dots. The first thing that came to my mind was the story Daddy Ricketts shared of why he bought the Cubs for his son. "Son, I know nothing about baseball." "But dad, people buy every ticket to every game no matter how bad the club is." "That, son, is a business I can get behind." ...maybe they are just attracted to businesses where people line up with their checkbooks out regardless of the product.
Ricketts group approached Sockers too. Key figures in the group: John Dorn who would anything to screw over Fire, and Mike Magee former Sockers player. Watch this space over the next 6months.
So we have all just provided pretty useless information or insight into why the Ricketts family would have any interest in FCU, Sockers, or any other youth soccer organization. We know they have bought the rights to a USL franchise, but so what? What is the purpose of there being any chatter between them and local youth clubs at this stage? Maybe I'm just slow, but it seems like that would be putting the cart well in front of the horse assuming this has something to do with eventually pairing a youth club academy with an MLS/USL franchise. Is it as simple as that or is something else in the works?
Looks like this soccer dad is blowing against the wind... but I'm sure he got OrangeCard to click the link.
Meh. Set up votebot in support of Cahill. She’s good. Not ECNL or DA good, but MRL Premier 1 good. Rest are donkeys.
Still around. I would be guessing Ricketts is going to buy one of these clubs to set up an academy. With USL setting up 3 divisions ( No Po Rel though), he might be just thinking that.
lncolnpk, Does anyone in your crowd believe the USL could eventually lead to an NBA/ABA type merger ten years down the road? It seems like MLS has critical mass and isn't going away, so I'm confused why Ricketts wouldn't buy the Fire as well, develop MLS and USL franchises and just own every outcome. He can use Arthur Blank and Atlanta United as an example. I don't think MLS needs pro/rel to grow... it needs more fans. Atlanta has done an amazing job. I think the same could happen in Chicago, the only things in the way are current ownership (bad) and a sub-optimal location/stadium (worse).
I could not agree more. Between the three clubs I think on paper FCU is the only organization that is run even mildly as a successful buisness - and that's a stretch. Who is going to invest in a more centralized stadium to house Fire? Yeah I know (taxpayers right?). But honestly no one.
Volk, apparently you didn't see this... https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/5/9...ited-soccer-league-lincoln-yards-sterling-bay A centralized stadium is planned. Presuming a USL team at that location would be very successful with the backing of Ricketts, eventually resulting in a MLS expansion team or strong-arming the MLS to move the Fire there (potential sale of the Fire franchise to Ricketts?) Granted this is all years down the road.
I did not see that - thanks! Northwind Association? Just kidding - that's a pretty decent little club however. So why would they care about having a DA?
To populate their farm system, similar to most pro sports. We just get all confused by it since "DA" begins at such a young age... think more along the lines of high school age and above. In Europe I think kids are pulled into academies at very early ages for the purpose of developing into a pro whose rights are owned by the pro team... and whose rights can be bought and sold. This last part is not much different than what happens in other pro sports once a player is signed to a contract. We (BigSoccer losers) can't wrap our heads around this because most of our boys (and 99.9% of girls) are just looking for a path to play in college... and we are paying for the right for our little Landons and Mias to play in fancy clubs. Overseas, and in fully funded DA's here, the club pays for everything. I just checked and was actually amazed to find out that the average MLS salary in 2017 was > $325k!! The median is obviously a lot lower at just over $100k... but that is still considerably above where I thought it would be. I guess I haven't been paying attention.
No I get that but why own it? Why not just let Sockers, Fire, FCU do all that work and recruit with an army of scouts? Okay - yeah that's crazy but what are we talking about - boys and girls or just boys. If the latter - Sockers all the way. But if they are looking for more $$$ Fire have likley the most profitable model - 42 girls teams and an established boys side. FCU maybe a close second.
A few years ago the original Inferno was looking to do this player development program by having a PDL team, until the USL revised the league system effectively eliminating the 3rd level (below MLS and USL). Probably one of the many reasons Inferno ended up selling out to Eclipse.
Ricketts will start building his stadium soon. It is going to be at the old Finkl and Son steel site off of Clybourn and Cortland. I am hoping that the USL goes 3 division and pro rel and gives the MLS a run for the money. The weird thing is that MLS and Liga MX were is discussions to merge. The Fire are stuck in Bridgeview until 2032 unless they come up with $135 mil to break the lease.
Was just told the head coach of Sockers U14 and U15 DA has been let go, apparently took a job outside of soccer and couldn't manage the commitment. Hard time of the year to find a replacement...
'couldn't manage the commitment' That's very understandable. A day job on top of training two GDA teams would leave little time for anything else, even though they have probably only played four games so far this fall. It kind of begs the question: Do 14 and 15-year-old girls really need to practice four days a week for ten months out of the year? What kind of sacrifices are they having to make, and for what? They will find a good replacement I'm sure. Volk is gonna volunteer to be on the search committee, right?
TB was slated to leave at the end of last season but stayed on - this was completely expected. BC was added as an Asst Coach for GDA and has an A license already. JN was moved off the GDA roster as a coach so my bet is BC will take on the u14/u15 role while DR stays on the with older girls. RC stays on as the assistant coach. BC makes an excellent trainer for kids who are already developed. RC can develop players and provides great feedback to players and parents - something the club has always lacked overall. I think they will do well as a combined force but they need to recruit heavily.
According to Sockers DA website, which must have just been updated, RC is head coach and BC assistant. TB still listed as assistant, not sure what that means... Don't know much about RC. Looks like he's bounced around the club quite a bit in the last few years. I guess time will tell.