West Ottawa Soccer Initiative FAQ

Q: What's going on?

Introduction

In December of 2008, representatives from the soccer clubs in the west end of Ottawa-Carleton region (Almonte, Carleton Place, Goulbourn, Kanata and West Carleton Soccer clubs) met to discuss how the clubs could work together to improve soccer within their areas. The group quickly recognized that i) as clubs, we all had similar mandates, namely to provide an opportunity for players to participate in organized soccer at recreational and competitive levels, and to assist players, coaches and referees in reaching their potential through the delivery of appropriate programs and ii) we all had similar challenges in realizing those goals.

Since our first meeting in December, we have met several times. We have carried out an analysis of our player and team counts, and discussed our individual challenges in realizing our mandates.

As an example, one of the immediate challenges we identified in common was the ability to maintain a pyramid of play within our clubs. The pyramid of play is a structure in which at an age group the club has competitive and recreational teams at multiple levels (i.e., OYSL, Regional, Premier and Div 1 in addition to House League). Through the pyramid, a player can play at the appropriate level, based up on their aspirations, skills and commitment. Fielding teams across multiple levels, in which players are at the correct level, requires a population base which none of the clubs have.

This was not the only challenge we have in common. As volunteer organizations, we all face similar challenges recruiting and training the volunteers necessary to operate our clubs, in developing coaches and referees, and doing our best to ensure we have an appropriate number of quality soccer facilities.

We have determined that not only do we have common mandates and challenges; as individual clubs, our ability to address these is limited. As a group, however, we do have the critical mass to make positive changes that will improve the soccer experience for all of our members.

Based on these extremely positive meetings, we have decided to pursue a path to further explore potential options for cooperation across the clubs with the common goal of better coordinating soccer in the west end of Ottawa-Carleton.

Q: This sounds like you are planning to merge the clubs.

It is too early in the process to for anyone to presume we will be following a specific path. At this point we are merely exploring the various options to further our common goals, but we are looking to create some form of formal agreement. The one thing we are all aware of is that handshake agreements are fragile - there is no guarantee they will survive from year to year, given the changes in our volunteer-operated organizations.

Q: So, what are you planning?

It is important for everyone to realize we have just started a conversation to share ideas. There will be no changes to the 2009 outdoor programs as a result of these meetings with the following exception.

For this year, the Goulbourn and Kanata clubs are pooling resources for the U10 and U11 Girls Premier-level teams. Through this initiative the 2 clubs will explore the benefits and challenges to a cooperative relationship.

Beyond this very small step, our current thinking as a first step is to run coordinated indoor programs for the 2009/2010 season. This could conceivably include Academy-like programs for competitive players, development programs for recreational players, a league for game play as well as development programs for coaches and referees. These could be run at all the indoor facilities in the west end (Thunderdome, Oz Dome, Beckwith Dome), ensuring optimal use of the facilities in a manner that will benefit players from all areas in the west end.

In addition, our Technical Directors/Head Coaches are meeting to share and leverage best practices.

For the 2010 outdoor season, an option we are exploring will be to enter competitive teams under the banner of a single competitive club representing the 5 west end clubs.

Once again, these are just ideas we are exploring. No decisions can be or will be made without the approval of the Executive/Boards of the 5 clubs.

Q: But won't (insert club name) take over?

No. This exercise is not about growing an individual club to the detriment of others. Most of our clubs have had experience with mergers (or potential mergers) and are aware of the potential pitfalls. As a group we are committed to the common goal of improving the soccer experience for all players in the west end.

Q: Won't that mean a smaller number of competitive teams and diminished opportunities for my son/daughter to play competitive?

No, in fact we expect that the opposite will occur. Our analysis of the competitive teams entered by the clubs has shown us Age Groups in which our clubs have (for example) multiple Premier teams and no Regional team. It is not unreasonable to think that the combination of the top 3-4 players from each team could form a strong enough team to earn promotion to the Regional level, allowing those players to compete at a higher level, thus adding a tier to our pyramid of play. The number of players and teams won’t decrease, but consistent with our objectives, they will be given the chance to play at a level consistent with their skills, aspirations and commitment

In other areas, our clubs don't have enough players to field full Div 1 teams, so the combination of players to a new team could allow those players to compete at the competitive level.

Q: What about uniforms, tryout rates, registration rates, tryout formats, assigned fields, etc.?

For these items, and many, many more, we realize that the clubs all operate slightly differently. Any coordinated effort, if it happens, would require the development of coordinated policies and procedures to rationalize the operations of the affected club programs. There will be lots of details to be dealt with and they will be managed in a cooperative manner.

Q: What about the Rec Programs? I don't want to drive across the region for my child to play.

The community-based nature of the Soccer School and Recreational (or House League) programs is well understood, and there are no expectations of changes in these programs. It is expected that the development of common coaching programs will lead to an overall increase in the calibre of coaches and will benefit all players.

Q: It sounds like you are trying to replicate OSU.

OSU is a successful soccer club. They, and many other larger soccer clubs, demonstrate some of the benefit of a critical mass in developing the infrastructure (staff, facilities, programs) necessary for success.

As another example, we have a hockey club right in our backyard called the Kanata Girls Hockey club (KGHA) which cuts across municipal boundaries. It covers the geographical areas of Kanata, Goulbourn, and West Carleton. One of the benefits of this type of club is the number of people available to volunteer to run the club. Rather than each club executive wearing 3 or 4 or 5 hats, each person has one specific job to do and can put their full attention to that specific area of need. Overall this produces a better run club.

Once again, it is important to recognize, we have not yet decided which approach to take. It may look like merger or it may not. Nothing has been decided yet, and any decision must be ratified by all the clubs.

Q: Could you see us getting our own full-sized dome?

We would love to have a dome to call our own. As individual clubs, it would be a challenge to find the resources. In a cooperative relationship, it becomes more possible. That's going to require a lot more study to answer.

Q: What about more outdoor fields?

When dealing with the broader issue of soccer fields across our clubs, it will certainly be easier to work with (and gain leverage with) our respective municipalities as one organization representing a larger population base. As we are well aware, the municipalities themselves are operating with limited budgets and are looking for the biggest bang for their buck, so making it easier for the municipalities to deal with us will benefit all stakeholders.

Q: Who do I talk to for more information?

If you have any questions, you should contact the President of your club.