# Santa Monica Surf



## futboldad1 (Aug 27, 2019)

I'm struggling to count the number of Surf shirts running around nowadays, as an independent smaller club it's sad to see SMU go away (and they had great uniforms!). I'd heard rumors the past month or two about this so no great surprise especially given the recent spread of  LA Surf. Club soccer choices getting ever smaller.


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## MWN (Aug 27, 2019)

futboldad1 said:


> I'm struggling to count the number of Surf shirts running around nowadays, as an independent smaller club it's sad to see SMU go away (and they had great uniforms!). I'd heard rumors the past month or two about this so no great surprise especially given the recent spread of  LA Surf. Club soccer choices getting ever smaller.


Not really.  Keep in mind that SURF is both a Club and a brand.  There are only 3 "Partner" Surf groups that are "corporate" San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles Surf.  Everything else is another corporation that licensed the name "surf."  All the other "Surf" teams are affiliates, which means they are the same damn independent groups with the same stupid politics and same wonderful coaches and same other stuff, but now wearing a XYZ City/Region Surf uniform.


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## WestsideSoccer (Aug 27, 2019)

Sorry to see one of the lions disappear. SMU was one of the oldest and classiest clubs in the business. And yes! Stylish uniforms. Hope this doesn’t completely change that club. And curious what this does to soccer on the Westside of LA.


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## futboldad1 (Aug 27, 2019)

futboldad1 said:


> I'm struggling to count the number of Surf shirts running around nowadays, as an independent smaller club it's sad to see SMU go away (and they had great uniforms!). I'd heard rumors the past month or two about this so no great surprise especially given the recent spread of  LA Surf. Club soccer choices getting ever smaller.


Forgot the link http://www.surfsoccer.com/2019/08/27/santa-monica-surf/


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## jpeter (Aug 27, 2019)

And another one bites the dust....

At least there surf in Santa Monica


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## Toch (Aug 27, 2019)

Sad


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## Poconos (Aug 27, 2019)

futboldad1 said:


> I'm struggling to count the number of Surf shirts running around nowadays, as an independent smaller club it's sad to see SMU go away (and they had great uniforms!). I'd heard rumors the past month or two about this so no great surprise especially given the recent spread of  LA Surf. Club soccer choices getting ever smaller.


SMU?  my daughter guest played them on Sunday.  very tight team.  if i'm not mistaken they played below their flight by 1 or possibly 2 levels.  very sad loss for us.


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## LASTMAN14 (Aug 27, 2019)

futboldad1 said:


> I'm struggling to count the number of Surf shirts running around nowadays, as an independent smaller club it's sad to see SMU go away (and they had great uniforms!). I'd heard rumors the past month or two about this so no great surprise especially given the recent spread of  LA Surf. Club soccer choices getting ever smaller.


Dang, that’s messed up. Why date your sisters best friend best friend, when you don’t have to. Hate to see this merger.


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## RocketFile (Aug 27, 2019)

I get it. Sad in that it is the end of an era, but as an SMU parent I am excited about the possibilities and opportunities this partnership can provide. Landscape is changing. Can't stay in the same place.

Great club. Great coaches. Great people. I expect more great things!


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## pewpew (Aug 27, 2019)

RocketFile said:


> I get it. Sad in that it is the end of an era, but as an SMU parent I am excited about the possibilities and opportunities this partnership can provide. Landscape is changing. Can't stay in the same place.
> 
> Great club. Great coaches. Great people. I expect more great things!


Please do not take offense to this @RocketFile but this is exactly the mindset your new boss wants you to have. They want you to think you’re getting something better when in fact you would’ve probably been better off staying SMU. My G03 has played against your F1 a few times over the years and they have always been top-notch competitors. Sad to see this happen. All you did was trade your kits in for a different brand / shade of blue and most likely a bunch of empty promises of “possible future opportunities.”


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## El Clasico (Aug 28, 2019)

RocketFile said:


> I get it. Sad in that it is the end of an era, but as an SMU parent I am excited about the possibilities and opportunities this partnership can provide. Landscape is changing. Can't stay in the same place.
> 
> Great club. Great coaches. Great people. I expect more great things!


It's responses like this one that make these mergers happen and it is always fascinating to me.  If you wouldn't mind, could you help out the rest of us by letting us know what "possibilities and opportunities this partnership can provide", that you didn't have access to before? Other than a salary bump for a couple of key figures (let's call them consulting fees and rebates), what does the end user get that he could not get before?


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## jpeter (Aug 28, 2019)

El Clasico said:


> It's responses like this one that make these mergers happen and it is always fascinating to me.  If you wouldn't mind, could you help out the rest of us by letting us know what "possibilities and opportunities this partnership can provide", that you didn't have access to before? Other than a salary bump for a couple of key figures (let's call them consulting fees and rebates), what does the end user get that he could not get before?


Instead for being in the 3rd flight for surf cup the new surf affliation will get them into the 2nd flight or the best of the best flight if there not too many other surf teams looking to do the same?


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## RocketFile (Aug 28, 2019)

Snark on point.

Sounds like you have it all figured out so what more could I possibly provide?


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## Justus (Aug 28, 2019)

futboldad1 said:


> I'm struggling to count the number of Surf shirts running around nowadays, as an independent smaller club it's sad to see SMU go away (and they had great uniforms!). I'd heard rumors the past month or two about this so no great surprise especially given the recent spread of  LA Surf. Club soccer choices getting ever smaller.


Oh my, I just erased a long rant!!!  I'm learning to eat my words.  SoCal Youth Soccer growing so beautifully


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## MWN (Aug 28, 2019)

LASTMAN14 said:


> Dang, that’s messed up. Why date your sisters best friend best friend, when you don’t have to. Hate to see this merger.


Its not a merger, simply SMU becoming a Surf affiliate, which gets them access to the Surf brand, registration tools and support.  Nothing changes but the uniform.



pewpew said:


> Please do not take offense to this @RocketFile but this is exactly the mindset your new boss wants you to have. They want you to think you’re getting something better when in fact you would’ve probably been better off staying SMU. My G03 has played against your F1 a few times over the years and they have always been top-notch competitors. Sad to see this happen. All you did was trade your kits in for a different brand / shade of blue and most likely a bunch of empty promises of “possible future opportunities.”


The boss is the same.  Its not a merger but a license deal.  The DOC and coaches at SMU and all other affiliates for that matter are the same as they were before becoming an affiliate.


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## RocketFile (Aug 28, 2019)

pewpew said:


> Please do not take offense to this @RocketFile but this is exactly the mindset your new boss wants you to have. They want you to think you’re getting something better when in fact you would’ve probably been better off staying SMU. My G03 has played against your F1 a few times over the years and they have always been top-notch competitors. Sad to see this happen. All you did was trade your kits in for a different brand / shade of blue and most likely a bunch of empty promises of “possible future opportunities.”


Hey I appreciate the constructive tone, but with all do respect, you have absolutely no idea what arrangement I have with "my new boss", or what we have earned in the trade, or what has been promised.

All I know as a parent is that we have smart and strategic people determining the direction of our club and even though we are sad to lose a cool brand, we are pumped for the specific opportunities the partnership provides.

It probably doesn't make sense to outline them for this forum of killjoys and potshotters.


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## Justus (Aug 28, 2019)

El Clasico said:


> It's responses like this one that make these mergers happen and it is always fascinating to me.  If you wouldn't mind, could you help out the rest of us by letting us know what "possibilities and opportunities this partnership can provide", that you didn't have access to before? Other than a salary bump for a couple of key figures (let's call them consulting fees and rebates), what does the end user get that he could not get before?





RocketFile said:


> Hey I appreciate the constructive tone, but with all do respect, you have absolutely no idea what arrangement I have with "my new boss", or what we have earned in the trade, or what has been promised.
> 
> All I know as a parent is that we have smart and strategic people determining the direction of our club and even though we are sad to lose a cool brand, we are pumped for the specific opportunities the partnership provides.
> 
> It probably doesn't make sense to outline them for this forum of killjoys and potshotters.


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## Justus (Aug 28, 2019)

Hey everyone, I need to confess major trigger this morning.  I haven't been on the forum for obvious reasons.  I might need some help from the "Elders" in the group.


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## Soccer43 (Aug 28, 2019)

So let me guess - through this merger, the SMU players have direct access to boys ECNL and GDA with LA Surf.  Your players can get opportunities and called up at anytime for guesting and tournaments.  The pathway to excellence and elite opportunities are now yours.  Also, that great direction from LA Surf DOC and expert coaches.  None of that will happen.  Same promises that have been given to all the other affiliates of other clubs - LA Arsenal, LA Legends etc - if anything one or two players at best will get poached from your best team leaving behind the rest of the team for mediocrity wondering what happened to my new opportunities.


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## toucan (Aug 28, 2019)

Maybe someone can help me out with the structure of these partners and affiliates.

1.  What does a partner get that an affiliate does not get?
2.  Which are the partners, and which are the affiliates?
3.  Do any of the partners or affiliates have their own affiliates?  For example, LA Surf folded in LA Premier, which previously had affiliates like Sherman Oaks, Downtown SC and Hollywood FC, which all had adopted the LA Premier name.  Now they operate under the LA Surf name.  Are these affiliates of San Diego Surf, or are they "sub-affiliates" (for lack of a better word) of LA Surf.


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## RocketFile (Aug 28, 2019)

Soccer43 said:


> So let me guess - through this merger, the SMU players have direct access to boys ECNL and GDA with LA Surf.  Your players can get opportunities and called up at anytime for guesting and tournaments.  The pathway to excellence and elite opportunities are now yours.  Also, that great direction from LA Surf DOC and expert coaches.  None of that will happen.  Same promises that have been given to all the other affiliates of other clubs - LA Arsenal, LA Legends etc - if anything one or two players at best will get poached from your best team leaving behind the rest of the team for mediocrity wondering what happened to my new opportunities.


Not even a good guess. Why would someone from Santa Monica want to drive to Pasadena to play DA when they could make the shorter trip to LAFC or Galaxy.

Let me ask you, do you think youth soccer is in the same place this year as it was three years ago? Do you think it will be in the same place three years from now? 

Do you pass to where the man is? Or pass into the open space where the man is going to be?

I don't want to give you the impression that I am going to walk you through the entire thought process. I'm not. So I will reiterate that I have mixed emotions - nostalgic and giddy at the same time. And leave it at that.


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## BattleBorn (Aug 28, 2019)




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## BattleBorn (Aug 28, 2019)

Visual gags aside, it is a bummer that the club soccer world loses another cool uni.


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## Zacrob (Aug 28, 2019)

As an SMU parent, I am sad to see the SMU brand and uniforms go away but @MWN has it right.  Nothing else is really changing with an affiliate deal except SMU should get to use Surf technical infrastructure (registration tools and support) and should get additional access to Surf-related tournaments (Surf Cup, Man City Cup, etc.).  I think Surf gets rebates on uniform sales and possibly a small per team or per player fee but I don't know for sure.  Everything else stays the same which is a positive for me since I believe the SMU coaching directors are excellent on both the boys and girls side.  In my opinion, the Surf-related tournaments have become some of the best tournaments in the U.S. and getting access to those is enough to tip the scales for me.  Too often, I have seen my kids' teams not accepted to those tournaments even though far inferior Surf affiliates and teams from outside CalSouth are. At the end of the day, I am supportive of the affiliate arrangement solely for the reasons in this post as I do not believe there will be any other real tangible benefits to the arrangement.  I would be pleased if I am proved wrong though.


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## MWN (Aug 28, 2019)

toucan said:


> Maybe someone can help me out with the structure of these partners and affiliates.
> 
> 1.  What does a partner get that an affiliate does not get?
> 2.  Which are the partners, and which are the affiliates?
> 3.  Do any of the partners or affiliates have their own affiliates?  For example, LA Surf folded in LA Premier, which previously had affiliates like Sherman Oaks, Downtown SC and Hollywood FC, which all had adopted the LA Premier name.  Now they operate under the LA Surf name.  Are these affiliates of San Diego Surf, or are they "sub-affiliates" (for lack of a better word) of LA Surf.


1.  Affiliates are referred to sometimes as "partners" from a pure marketing point of view.  There is no distinction.  Surf has two groups.  Surf Corporate clubs and Surf Affiliates.  
2.  The corporate clubs are Surf SD, Surf OC, and Surf LA.  Presumably, players can be passed between each assuming registration is under 1 company.  The Affiliates are:

Anaheim Surf
Greater Seattle Surf
Hawaii Surf
Murrieta Surf
New York Surf
PSPL Surf Academy
San Clemente Surf
San Gabriel Valley Surf
San Jose Surf
Santa Monica Surf
Utah Surf
3. When Surf OC and Surf LA "merged" with Surf SD, they became part of the corporate structure either as a merger of their assets into SAN DIEGUITO SURF SOCCER CLUB or as wholly owned subsidiaries.  The other clubs operating under the LA Premier name were likely not affiliates (or sub-affiliates) but corporate divisions, my conclusion of which is based solely on LA Premier's last 990 reporting revenues of 1.7M.

Quick Lesson on How Clubs are structured:

A. All youth Soccer Clubs that operate under Cal South are 501(c)(3) non-profit "public benefit corporations."  (although we may start seeing LLC's) These corporations will operate within a geographic region and may operate outside that region in 1 of 3 ways.

B.  The first way is to simply create a regional presence by creating a division within the Corporation which markets in the new geographic region.  This division is not a separate entity, rather, an internal group of managers and employees/contractors from an accounting perspective.  ARSENAL FC had Arsensal FC South, which was simply a division.  

C.  The second way is to create a subsidiary corporation that is owned by the parent.  This new corporation may be formed from the beginning as a subsidiary or as a result of a merger where the target corporation makes the acquiring corporation the sole member.

C. The third way is to create a licensing deal, where you license the name to a separate operating company, Surf refers to this as Affiliates.  The license deal requires the affiliate to give a percentage of their player registration fees to Surf and pay a fee, which in turn provides branding an logistical support to the affiliate.


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## Multi Sport (Aug 28, 2019)

MWN said:


> Its not a merger, simply SMU becoming a Surf affiliate, which gets them access to the Surf brand, registration tools and support.  *Nothing changes but the uniform.*
> .


Not true. Their club dues will soon need to come on par with other Surf affiliations.


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## OCsoccerdad7777 (Aug 28, 2019)

MWN said:


> 1.  Affiliates are referred to sometimes as "partners" from a pure marketing point of view.  There is no distinction.  Surf has two groups.  Surf Corporate clubs and Surf Affiliates.
> 2.  The corporate clubs are Surf SD, Surf OC, and Surf LA.  Presumably, players can be passed between each assuming registration is under 1 company.  The Affiliates are:
> 
> Anaheim Surf
> ...


One more that converted last year:
Mission Viejo OC Surf

Not sure how many benefits those kids received or if the club made a huge turnaround.


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## Messi>CR7 (Aug 28, 2019)

Two or three years ago my kid played against an SMU team in our second game of a tourney during the transitional/confusing year for headers (headers allowed in some tourney, but not in others).  During the game SMU crossed the ball into the box and our center back headed out.  Ref called an intentional header and awarded SMU an indirect freekick inside the box.  Our team knew header was allowed in this particular tourney since our coach read the rules and our team did so in repeatedly in our first game.  Our coach discussed with the ref but the ref stood by his call.

To my surprise, the SMU coach instructed his player to simply kick the ball softly back to our team after restart.  He obviously knew the ref was wrong but chose to compete fairly instead of taking advantage of such error.  

I wish I remember the name of the coach so I can give him credit.  Classiest act I've ever seen in youth sports.


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## Dargle (Aug 28, 2019)

Multi Sport said:


> Not true. Their club dues will soon need to come on par with other Surf affiliations.


Have you seen a Surf affiliate agreement?  Not the PR, but the actual contract?  Surf just makes money by selling more uniforms.  There's no per player, per team, or per club licensing fee, nor is there some in-kind fee like a requirement that the affiliate send a certain amount of teams to Surf tournaments (as someone else mentioned, that's theoretically one of the benefits, although they don't promise it either).  It's slightly more than just a change of uniform, since parents have to buy through soccer.com rather than their local Niky's, and they don't have design control, but a lot of clubs don't use local stores anymore.

And if the dues had to come in line with other affiliates, they would drop.  West LA clubs have some of the highest dues around.  They don't raise money by hosting tournaments.


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## pewpew (Aug 28, 2019)

RocketFile said:


> Hey I appreciate the constructive tone, but with all do respect, you have absolutely no idea what arrangement I have with "my new boss", or what we have earned in the trade, or what has been promised.
> 
> All I know as a parent is that we have smart and strategic people determining the direction of our club and even though we are sad to lose a cool brand, we are pumped for the specific opportunities the partnership provides.


I’m sure all the parents at SoCal Academy felt the same way when they jumped into bed with Surf to become LA Surf. They were all pumped up!! But nobody knew (least of all the SCA parents) LA Premier was going to sneak in the back door and make it a 3-way..except the powers-that-be orchestrating the whole thing. And in case you weren’t aware...the rivalry between SCA and LA Premier is HUGE!! I’ve talked to more than a few old friends who left  LAPFC and moved to SCA for all the obvious reasons and none of them were happy about the merger..nor were they aware it was coming.

Just wanted you to be aware of what can be happening behind closed doors. It is a business after all. Surf wouldn’t do these deals if they were losing money. I have nothing against Surf. I’m just looking at it from an outside objective point of view. We have friends at multiple Surf locations.

But just like when SoCal jumped in with Surf..it was sad to see a very small boutique club with a proven track record get gobbled up buy the big kid on the block. Same thing happening here. Except SMU is bigger than SoCal Academy.

I really do hope it works out for you and yours.
Good luck!!


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## Sunil Illuminati (Aug 28, 2019)

MWN said:


> Its not a merger, simply SMU becoming a Surf affiliate, which gets them access to the Surf brand, registration tools and support.  Nothing changes but the uniform.
> 
> 
> The boss is the same.  Its not a merger but a license deal.  The DOC and coaches at SMU and all other affiliates for that matter are the same as they were before becoming an affiliate.


They just now pay for the privilege of being exactly the same.


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## Sunil Illuminati (Aug 28, 2019)

[QUOTE="Do you pass to where the man is? Or pass into the open space where the man is going to be?

In a congested area with limited space, you pass to the man. In this case you've chipped the ball up in the air and the biggest, strongest, fastest will gobble you up!


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## rainbow_unicorn (Aug 28, 2019)

Zacrob said:


> I have seen my kids' teams not accepted to those tournaments even though far inferior Surf affiliates and teams from outside CalSouth are.


So now you get to be the inferior Surf affiliate that gets accepted?  Not sure what teams get out of getting into an expensive tournament by affiliation and then getting beat by other teams.


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## jpeter (Aug 28, 2019)

This is like a "pre” affiliated deal, doesn’t go into effect until next year. What’s next futures for youth sports?

Can't say either of my kids have played santa Monica teams that I remember but I hope it works out for them.

Now back to some satire and this could apply to most of these deals.

Top 10 lists for affliation benefits, could apply to any of them:

1. You get new uniforms from soccer.com or wherever but they now cost $500+ for all the 13 required items. The small affiliated patch is a nice touch but now your teams looks like all the other affiliates

2. Your independent club now gets to be part of something bigger & competes with the 17 other affiliated clubs for spots in one those higher level leagues that are run out of some geographic area thats out of your way.

3. Your club gets to switch leagues, the parent company doesn't play or support XYZ so you switch to XXXX or whatever. On the other hand you may get into a league that was closed to independent clubs prior.

4. Lawyers and Law firms get more business, make more $$ to draw up, execute the paperwork, etc.

5. Your team now get preferred admission to the clubs tournaments, Instead for being in the 3rd flight for xyx cup the new affiliation will get them into the 2nd flight or the best of the best flight if there not too many other xyz teams looking to do the same?

6. Your fees increase to pay for the privilege of being part of the "family", somebody has to make some money on this deal and its going to cost you but the parent company and existing club management are going to make some more $$ somehow or why would they bother?

7. Parent company includes your in the “family” BBQ, casino night, or other fundraisers so guess what you can contribute more $$.

8. Parent company teams invites the affiliated teams and/or players for a token training or scrimmage games so you still remember that your not alone & who the boss is.

9. You get to blast everything on Social Media now on the parent pages with a bunch more followers. Yeah more likes and thumbs up.

10. In the end nothing really changes; same clowns same circus but with a new catchy fresh title.


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## soccerobserver (Aug 28, 2019)

pewpew said:


> I’m sure all the parents at SoCal Academy felt the same way when they jumped into bed with Surf to become LA Surf. They were all pumped up!! But nobody knew (least of all the SCA parents) LA Premier was going to sneak in the back door and make it a 3-way..except the powers-that-be orchestrating the whole thing. And in case you weren’t aware...the rivalry between SCA and LA Premier is HUGE!! I’ve talked to more than a few old friends who left  LAPFC and moved to SCA for all the obvious reasons and none of them were happy about the merger..nor were they aware it was coming.
> 
> Just wanted you to be aware of what can be happening behind closed doors. It is a business after all. Surf wouldn’t do these deals if they were losing money. I have nothing against Surf. I’m just looking at it from an outside objective point of view. We have friends at multiple Surf locations.
> 
> ...


@pewpew I appreciate your point of view. However I think the circumstances differ here. Santa Monica United is probably the 3rd or 4th biggest club in CSL. Over the past 5 years Santa Monica United has place more kids in college soccer than all the other west LA clubs combined. They have teams that regularly play in Europe for the summer and they have done the best job at placing kids in the some of the top academic D3 soccer programs in the nation. Years ago SMU had nothing on the girls side but now they have a large and successful girls side and it is typical for their good players to get offers from multiple colleges even though they are not DA or ECNL. So yes you could argue why change when its clearly working for the families in the area... I imagine this affiliation was done to help sustain access to the best tournaments in SoCal for their best teams. For example the SMU '05's recently defeated a local '05 ECNL team. If you want to go play soccer at an academic D3 or an Ivy League college then this is a great club for placement. That will not change. Same coaches and same DOC's serving the same community, but with better access.


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## timbuck (Aug 28, 2019)

This happens every time a smaller club affiliates/partners/spawns/integrates/merges/acquires/melds/assimilates/unites/unifies/converges/blends with a larger club.
All of us outsiders wonder "Why in the heck would they do that?  They had a decent thing going as a boutique club."

And the typical response from the club(s) is "better resources and branding.  Exposure to top teams.  Economies of scale."

I'd love to see some metrics from small clubs that have done this and see what has changed in the 24 months post assimilation:
Did you get more players? Quality players? Did you increase revenue?  Decrease cost?  Have your teams become more competitive?  More exposure for older players to get seen by college/pro scouts? What does your customer (players and parents) think about the move?  If your club hosts a tournament, is it better attended?  Does the city/county/school district give you better access to fields?  Do you get treated better by Cal-South/Coast Soccer League/SCDSL/etc?  Has your time spent on administrative tasks been reduced?  Has whatever the Big Club told you was going to happen, happened?


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## pewpew (Aug 28, 2019)

soccerobserver said:


> @pewpew I appreciate your point of view. However I think the circumstances differ here. Santa Monica United is probably the 3rd or 4th biggest club in CSL. Over the past 5 years Santa Monica United has place more kids in college soccer than all the other west LA clubs combined. They have teams that regularly play in Europe for the summer and they have done the best job at placing kids in the some of the top academic D3 soccer programs in the nation. Years ago SMU had nothing on the girls side but now they have a large and successful girls side and it is typical for their good players to get offers from multiple colleges even though they are not DA or ECNL. So yes you could argue why change when its clearly working for the families in the area... I imagine this affiliation was done to help sustain access to the best tournaments in SoCal for their best teams. For example the SMU '05's recently defeated a local '05 ECNL team. If you want to go play soccer at an academic D3 or an Ivy League college then this is a great club for placement. That will not change. Same coaches and same DOC's serving the same community, but with better access.


Everything you just said contradicts a need to join Surf. Except access to the best tournaments in SoCal. And let’s be honest. You’re going to sit there and tell me you were denied entry into any of the Surf tournaments? Or Blues Cup. Or West Coast. Or any of the other showcases or big tournaments?  Because an any given weekend during the summer there are no less than half a dozen tournaments being played throughout the area. Sometimes there are in excess of 10 tournaments locally from San Diego to the Ventura Co line. Most are average but the bigger tournaments are out there and everybody knows when/where those tournaments and showcases are held.
And you’re going to say that SMU is good at placing players in D3 or Ivy schools only? If a player is good they’re going to get noticed regardless of where they play.  It might take a little bit more work. But totally possible. But wouldn’t trying to get those stronger SMU teams into CRL or something along those lines vs changing jerseys be a better route? Getting SMU into ECNL or DA would probably be a tough uphill battle.  But again I don’t see how changing jerseys and a name is going to make all the difference. 
Just my .02


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## soccerobserver (Aug 28, 2019)

pewpew said:


> Everything you just said contradicts a need to join Surf. Except access to the best tournaments in SoCal. And let’s be honest. You’re going to sit there and tell me you were denied entry into any of the Surf tournaments? Or Blues Cup. Or West Coast. Or any of the other showcases or big tournaments?  Because an any given weekend during the summer there are no less than half a dozen tournaments being played throughout the area. Sometimes there are in excess of 10 tournaments locally from San Diego to the Ventura Co line. Most are average but the bigger tournaments are out there and everybody knows when/where those tournaments and showcases are held.
> And you’re going to say that SMU is good at placing players in D3 or Ivy schools only? If a player is good they’re going to get noticed regardless of where they play.  It might take a little bit more work. But totally possible. But wouldn’t trying to get those stronger SMU teams into CRL or something along those lines vs changing jerseys be a better route? Getting SMU into ECNL or DA would probably be a tough uphill battle.  But again I don’t see how changing jerseys and a name is going to make all the difference.
> Just my .02


@pewpew I am keeping it 100% real and we think alike...the SMU 01's were Finalists in CRL last season...and with regard to DA and ECNL I think that amount of travel and training is overkill for what the majority of families in the community want...However, I do not speak for SMU as I am just an observer...


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## MWN (Aug 28, 2019)

timbuck said:


> This happens every time a smaller club affiliates/partners/spawns/integrates/merges/acquires/melds/assimilates/unites/unifies/converges/blends with a larger club.
> All of us outsiders wonder "Why in the heck would they do that?  They had a decent thing going as a boutique club."
> 
> And the typical response from the club(s) is "better resources and branding.  Exposure to top teams.  Economies of scale."
> ...


If you look at the Surf Affiliate site (http://affiliates.surfsoccer.com/) promoting the reasons to become a Surf Affiliate, they hold up Surf Hawaii as a poster child ... over a 3 year period:

925% Increase in Total Team (4 to 40)
800% Increase in Total Players
988% Increase in Revenue

The biggest selling point is the brand.  "Surf" and the "Surf Cup" are national brands "Downey FC" or "Santa Monica United" or whatever else the club name ... not so much.  Many don't know that Murrieta Surf is not the same as SD Surf, *just look at the responses in this thread of all the people that are supposed to be knowledgeable that have no idea what the difference between an affiliate v. corporate regional operator is*.  Its confusing and the affiliates benefit by this fact.  

This brand has value, especially for clubs looking for a competitive advantage in an already crowded market.  How important is a brand in the eyes of a consumer, just ask yourself how many times you went through a drive through and when asked what your drink preference was you answered "Coke" or "Dr. Pepper" or "Sprite" instead of "RC Cola" or "Mr. Pibb" or "Sierra Mist."


----------



## RedCard (Aug 28, 2019)

pewpew said:


> I’m sure all the parents at SoCal Academy felt the same way when they jumped into bed with Surf to become LA Surf. They were all pumped up!! But nobody knew (least of all the SCA parents) LA Premier was going to sneak in the back door and make it a 3-way..except the powers-that-be orchestrating the whole thing. And in case you weren’t aware...the rivalry between SCA and LA Premier is HUGE!! I’ve talked to more than a few old friends who left  LAPFC and moved to SCA for all the obvious reasons and none of them were happy about the merger..nor were they aware it was coming.
> 
> Just wanted you to be aware of what can be happening behind closed doors. It is a business after all. Surf wouldn’t do these deals if they were losing money. I have nothing against Surf. I’m just looking at it from an outside objective point of view. We have friends at multiple Surf locations.
> 
> ...


Yep...


----------



## coachsamy (Aug 28, 2019)

MWN said:


> If you look at the Surf Affiliate site (http://affiliates.surfsoccer.com/) promoting the reasons to become a Surf Affiliate, they hold up Surf Hawaii as a poster child ... over a 3 year period:
> 
> 925% Increase in Total Team (4 to 40)
> 800% Increase in Total Players
> ...


Is Pepsi ok?


----------



## Overlap (Aug 28, 2019)

soccerobserver said:


> @pewpew I appreciate your point of view. However I think the circumstances differ here. Santa Monica United is probably the 3rd or 4th biggest club in CSL. Over the past 5 years Santa Monica United has place more kids in college soccer than all the other west LA clubs combined. They have teams that regularly play in Europe for the summer and they have done the best job at placing kids in the some of the top academic D3 soccer programs in the nation. Years ago SMU had nothing on the girls side but now they have a large and successful girls side and it is typical for their good players to get offers from multiple colleges even though they are not DA or ECNL. So yes you could argue why change when its clearly working for the families in the area... I imagine this affiliation was done to help sustain access to the best tournaments in SoCal for their best teams. For example the SMU '05's recently defeated a local '05 ECNL team. If you want to go play soccer at an academic D3 or an Ivy League college then this is a great club for placement. That will not change. Same coaches and same DOC's serving the same community, but with better access.


I'm just here for the comments


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## mccorn (Aug 28, 2019)

MWN said:


> 925% Increase in Total Team (4 to 40)
> 800% Increase in Total Players
> 988% Increase in Revenue


And this benefits the kids, how?


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## WestsideSoccer (Aug 28, 2019)

mccorn said:


> And this benefits the kids, how?


I don't know, maybe a bigger club can attract better coaches, or provide more continuing education and licensing opportunities to coaches, or hire a dedicated goalkeeper coach, or get access to better fields, or attract college coaches to events, or attract ODP scouts, or raise the competitive level of the teams through recruiting or more competitive training sessions, or attract sponsors, or provide more scholarships to players?


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## Kopi (Aug 28, 2019)

WestsideSoccer said:


> I don't know, maybe a bigger club can attract better coaches, or provide more continuing education and licensing opportunities to coaches, or hire a dedicated goalkeeper coach, or get access to better fields, or attract college coaches to events, or attract ODP scouts, or raise the competitive level of the teams through recruiting or more competitive training sessions, or attract sponsors, or provide more scholarships to players?


Is this a Mic drop moment?


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## Justus (Aug 28, 2019)

timbuck said:


> This happens every time a smaller club affiliates/partners/spawns/integrates/merges/acquires/melds/assimilates/unites/unifies/converges/blends with a larger club.
> All of us outsiders wonder "Why in the heck would they do that?  They had a decent thing going as a boutique club."
> 
> And the typical response from the club(s) is "better resources and branding.  Exposure to top teams.  Economies of scale."
> ...


What in the wild world of sports is going here folks?????  Big Club is getting Bigger......no way bro!!!  It really is a beautiful thing to watch from my vantage point.  I bet Doc, coaches get no raises, bonuses or any perks.  It's from  kindness and knowing this is what's best for the kids.  It's a beautiful brand with beautiful people at the top.  So happy to see this sport growing for everyone involved.  I wish everyone true happiness in this merger


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## espola (Aug 28, 2019)

Messi>CR7 said:


> Two or three years ago my kid played against an SMU team in our second game of a tourney during the transitional/confusing year for headers (headers allowed in some tourney, but not in others).  During the game SMU crossed the ball into the box and our center back headed out.  Ref called an intentional header and awarded SMU an indirect freekick inside the box.  Our team knew header was allowed in this particular tourney since our coach read the rules and our team did so in repeatedly in our first game.  Our coach discussed with the ref but the ref stood by his call.
> 
> To my surprise, the SMU coach instructed his player to simply kick the ball softly back to our team after restart.  He obviously knew the ref was wrong but chose to compete fairly instead of taking advantage of such error.
> 
> I wish I remember the name of the coach so I can give him credit.  Classiest act I've ever seen in youth sports.


Did the ref caution the SMU coach for dissent?


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## Justus (Aug 28, 2019)

Some advice for the parents involved, be quiet and don't say a word.  Go along with whatever the coaches tell you.  It's all in the best interest of your child, trust me.  I wouldn't consider this club hopping either.  Good luck to all of you this coming season


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## Dargle (Aug 28, 2019)

A lot of people seem to be commenting on this without really understanding the Westside club scene.  This isn't like other areas of SoCal where there are dozens of clubs competing for talent in a rich pool, many of whom practice in the same complexes.  There are basically two big-ish clubs on the westside and a few small-ish ones.  Perhaps one of the bigger clubs could acquire the teams of a smaller club or merge with them, but no one is getting significantly bigger without getting more field space.  Plus, there aren't a ton of kids driving from long distances to get to these clubs.  Traffic is too difficult.  At best, you have some downtown/South LA kids coming in because it's a bit of a reverse commute to drive west on the 10 in the afternoon (and they go to westside magnet or private schools) and a few kids leave the westside to drive far to other clubs because of DA (and ECNL in the past), but those are outliers.  It's primarily a closed market.  So, this move is basically Santa Monica's response to the LA Breakers merger and subsequent move to ECNL.  It seems like a way to get their kids some exposure and development pathways (through Surf Cup and possibly the Surf Select teams or guest/practice opportunities) without having to join ECNL, which has downsides in travel and competition (especially on the boys side, but definitely for younger Breakers' girls teams who weren't up to it last year).  Will it have any effect?  My guess is only on the fringes, but that depends on how the market develops.  As with most clubs, the coach and team are still more important and that will continue to drive most player movement on the Westside.


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## MWN (Aug 28, 2019)

mccorn said:


> And this benefits the kids, how?


Stronger teams and with a consolidation of talent into a single club, thereby increasing development opportunities and national tournament play opportunities ... would be how I would spin it.


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## Overlap (Aug 28, 2019)

MWN said:


> Stronger teams and with a consolidation of talent into a single club, thereby increasing development opportunities and national tournament play opportunities ... would be how I would spin it.


tried that, didn't work out


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## SoccerFrenzy (Aug 28, 2019)

What has Surf done for its affiliates? I would like to hear from those folks. Good luck to those parents that think things will get better. You are part of a corporation and all They care about is the $$$$ not your players or opportunities. Nothing changing except your uniforms and getting into Surf Cup. I believe LA Surf parents fell for the koolaid and have been mum for months now.


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## cheaper2keeper (Aug 28, 2019)

SoccerFrenzy said:


> What has Surf done for its affiliates? I would like to hear from those folks. Good luck to those parents that think things will get better. You are part of a corporation and all They care about is the $$$$ not your players or opportunities. Nothing changing except your uniforms and getting into Surf Cup. I believe LA Surf parents fell for the koolaid and have been mum for months now.



Maybe the LA Surf parents are so happy with the way things are turning out that they don’t want to share their jubilation in fear of  others trying to come in and take a slice of the LA Surf pie. 

I didn’t drink any Kool-aid, I’m diabetic. I was happy before and I’m happy now. Nothing changed drastically except the player pool.


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## Supermodel56 (Aug 28, 2019)

soccerobserver said:


> Santa Monica United is probably the 3rd or 4th biggest club in CSL. Over the past 5 years Santa Monica United has place more kids in college soccer than all the other west LA clubs combined.


Uh huh...



Dargle said:


> This isn't like other areas of SoCal where there are dozens of clubs competing for talent in a rich pool, many of whom practice in the same complexes.  There are basically two big-ish clubs on the westside and a few small-ish ones.


Hmm.... so basically SMU has placed a couple players in D3 schools...?


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## pewpew (Aug 28, 2019)

I’d be really curious to know how many players from one Surf club have been contacted to guest with ANY OTHER Surf team from another location for any sort of play.  Be it a tournament or just a friendly scrimmage or a scrimmage on a bit of a bigger scale to give a few star players a little look. Or would the home club needing a player just pull up a potential player from a younger team instead? 
See where I’m going with the “opportunities” line...


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## SoccerFrenzy (Aug 28, 2019)

cheaper2keeper said:


> Maybe the LA Surf parents are so happy with the way things are turning out that they don’t want to share their jubilation in fear of  others trying to come in and take a slice of the LA Surf pie.
> 
> I didn’t drink any Kool-aid, I’m diabetic. I was happy before and I’m happy now. Nothing changed drastically except the player pool.


So you have a player pool to choose from now and Are you actually pulling from that pool? Thought with DA you have to be rostered to the team no? Interesting haven’t seen your team compete At Surf Cup so you are right nothing has changed.


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 28, 2019)

SoccerFrenzy said:


> So you have a player pool to choose from now and Are you actually pulling from that pool? Thought with DA you have to be rostered to the team no? Interesting haven’t seen your team compete At Surf Cup so you are right nothing has changed.


Most DA teams are still on break during Surf Cup.  Don’t use that as a barometer especially k. The case of LA Surf as they are 100% a new team at many age groups.


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## Overlap (Aug 28, 2019)

Supermodel56 said:


> Uh huh...
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm.... so basically SMU has placed a couple players in D3 schools...?


you may want to look that up before you speak, it's closer to 80...


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## SoccerFrenzy (Aug 28, 2019)

Kicker4Life said:


> Most DA teams are still on break during Surf Cup.  Don’t use that as a barometer especially k. The case of LA Surf as they are 100% a new team at many age groups.


Good to know Kicker.. Good luck to all, should only be about the girls.


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 28, 2019)

SoccerFrenzy said:


> Good to know Kicker.. Good luck to all, should only be about the girls.


 Very true....


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## futboldad1 (Aug 28, 2019)

Kicker4Life said:


> Most DA teams are still on break during Surf Cup.  Don’t use that as a barometer especially k. The case of LA Surf as they are 100% a new team at many age groups.


Very true about DA. But what DA age groups are 100% new teams at L A Surf? I might be wrong but I thought that apart from the girls 2004 they were all existing teams with the same coaches the girls had before?


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 28, 2019)

futboldad1 said:


> Very true about DA. But what DA age groups are 100% new teams at L A Surf? I might be wrong but I thought that apart from the girls 2004 they were all existing teams with the same coaches the girls had before?


.  Sorry...I was silo’d on ‘04’s maybe someone can chime in for further clarity.


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## Technician72 (Aug 28, 2019)

futboldad1 said:


> Very true about DA. But what DA age groups are 100% new teams at L A Surf? I might be wrong but I thought that apart from the girls 2004 they were all existing teams with the same coaches the girls had before?


You're not wrong, hence why @cheaper2keeper was happy with the 05s before and is still happy with the 05s now. They have a good coach, team, and chemistry on that squad.


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## Justafan (Aug 28, 2019)

WestsideSoccer said:


> I don't know, maybe a bigger club can attract better coaches, or provide more continuing education and licensing opportunities to coaches, or hire a dedicated goalkeeper coach, or get access to better fields, or attract college coaches to events, or attract ODP scouts, or raise the competitive level of the teams through recruiting or more competitive training sessions, or attract sponsors, or provide more scholarships to players?


Stop drinking the koolaide, none of that happens.  We’ve gone from IE Surf West, to SGV Surf, to LA Surf, and everything is still the same.  We have added a few girls since changing to LA Surf, but I don’t believe our “Surf” name had anything to do with them joining us.  There has never been any active communication with other LA Surf teams in terms of loaning our players or giving them a look for DA or what have you.  

The only potential benefit is Surf Cup and it’s related tournaments, but with so many flights and teams getting in, you’d privet in anyway.  And even if you didn’t, there’s always  Silverlakes, which is on par with anything Surf offers.


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## Justafan (Aug 28, 2019)

Justafan said:


> Stop drinking the koolaide, none of that happens.  We’ve gone from IE Surf West, to SGV Surf, to LA Surf, and everything is still the same.  We have added a few girls since changing to LA Surf, but I don’t believe our “Surf” name had anything to do with them joining us.  There has never been any active communication with other LA Surf teams in terms of loaning our players or giving them a look for DA or what have you.
> 
> The only potential benefit is Surf Cup and it’s related tournaments, but with so many flights and teams getting in, you’d privet in anyway.  And even if you didn’t, there’s always  Silverlakes, which is on par with anything Surf offers.


“you’d probably get in anyway”


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## pewpew (Aug 29, 2019)

If you look on the LA Surf site you see tryouts for Covina..(SGV Surf..pre-existing before LA Surf was born..the OG's for Surf in LA County). Then there's Pomona..(this would be Soltilo FC's area if I'm not mistaken..***NOBODY has mentioned this club under LA Surf yet either***  Next you have San Marino..former SoCal Academy and Crown City United stomping grounds. You also have tryouts "coming soon" to Sherman Oaks, Hollywood, and Pasadena. Those were all former LA Premier areas if I'm not mistaken. Being the end of August the site probably hasn't been updated and is irrelevant at this point.  But at least you can see how big LA Surf has become. Where is the line drawn between "partner" and "affiliate?"
It’s one thing for a big-name club to open up a new “chapter” somewhere that they currently don’t have a foothold in. It’s a different story to “annex” a bunch of local clubs..selling parents on the "opportunities, development, etc." Sounds to me more like as Robin Leach said..”Champagne dreams and caviar wishes” for but a select few. The rest are on a beer budget and are no better or worse (hopefully not) than before they made a switch.

But then again..name one club that hasn't used that marketing ploy to generate more business. You show me one..and I'll show you a club that is now defunct and operating under a new name such as Surf, Strikers, Slammers, Legends, et al


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## Justus (Aug 29, 2019)

pewpew said:


> If you look on the LA Surf site you see tryouts for Covina..(SGV Surf..pre-existing before LA Surf was born..the OG's for Surf in LA County). Then there's Pomona..(this would be Soltilo FC's area if I'm not mistaken..***NOBODY has mentioned this club under LA Surf yet either***  Next you have San Marino..former SoCal Academy and Crown City United stomping grounds. You also have tryouts "coming soon" to Sherman Oaks, Hollywood, and Pasadena. Those were all former LA Premier areas if I'm not mistaken. Being the end of August the site probably hasn't been updated and is irrelevant at this point.  But at least you can see how big LA Surf has become. Where is the line drawn between "partner" and "affiliate?"
> It’s one thing for a big-name club to open up a new “chapter” somewhere that they currently don’t have a foothold in. It’s a different story to “annex” a bunch of local clubs..selling parents on the "opportunities, development, etc." Sounds to me more like as Robin Leach said..”Champagne dreams and caviar wishes” for but a select few. The rest are on a beer budget and are no better or worse (hopefully not) than before they made a switch.
> 
> But then again..name one club that hasn't used that marketing ploy to generate more business. You show me one..and I'll show you a club that is now defunct and operating under a new name such as Surf, Strikers, Slammers, Legends, et al


I remember like it was yesterday when Surf had BIG decision to make, DA or ECNL.  Amazing what Surf has become with that BIG decision.  Imagine if they said no to DA and all in with ECNL?  Good for them and for all the parents and kids looking for Big Club help   The two big leagues are starting.  Good luck to everyone out on the pitch this season.  So much strife and division this year.  Should make for a great season of whose team is truly #1 in the 04' age.  I think we all would agree #1 goes to MLVA based on head to head the last year or so.  Others looking to be #1 are the Earthquakes, Michigan Hawks, Crossfire or Tophat?  I will put my money on LA Surf to win it all in 2021.


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## Justus (Aug 29, 2019)

From LA Surf Website.  This is going to be the #1 club in SoCal folks.  FREE soccer and a opportunity to be scouted by the US Scouts.  I know not everyone is getting FREE, but many are.   

*Are scholarships available?*
National team players will receive full scholarships from the club *(10-12 year old's with a dream). * Other scholarships are available based upon merit & need.  The club is always creating ways to make soccer more affordable and has lots of fundraising opportunities available throughout the season in which families can participate to help off-set travel expenses.  In addition, the club is always actively seeking for sponsors who can financially help the teams’ travel expenses.

*How do Development Academy players get exposure to US National Teams?*
US Soccer Training Centers are sessions that are hosted every few months in various locations in Southern California where National Team coaches train & identify players. US Soccer Training Centers will replace ODP (USYS) sessions and zero costs are associated for players who are invited to attend these sessions.  US Soccer scouts attend the majority of divisional games to identify players for National team camps & US Training centers. On average, about 10-12 Surf Soccer Development Academy players are invited to attend the US Training Centers.


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## RedCard (Aug 29, 2019)

Justus said:


> From LA Surf Website.  This is going to be the #1 club in SoCal folks.  FREE soccer and a opportunity to be scouted by the US Scouts.  I know not everyone is getting FREE, but many are.
> 
> *Are scholarships available?*
> National team players will receive full scholarships from the club *(10-12 year old's with a dream). * Other scholarships are available based upon merit & need.  The club is always creating ways to make soccer more affordable and has lots of fundraising opportunities available throughout the season in which families can participate to help off-set travel expenses.  In addition, the club is always actively seeking for sponsors who can financially help the teams’ travel expenses.
> ...


I would like to be the 1st to  congratulate @Justus on his new position as Surf Director of Marketing and Kool-Aid Mixologist...


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## futboldad1 (Aug 29, 2019)

Justus said:


> I remember like it was yesterday when Surf had BIG decision to make, DA or ECNL.  Amazing what Surf has become with that BIG decision.  Imagine if they said no to DA and all in with ECNL?  Good for them and for all the parents and kids looking for Big Club help   The two big leagues are starting.  Good luck to everyone out on the pitch this season.  So much strife and division this year.  Should make for a great season of whose team is truly #1 in the 04' age.  I think we all would agree #1 goes to MLVA based on head to head the last year or so.  Others looking to be #1 are the Earthquakes, Michigan Hawks, Crossfire or Tophat?  I will put my money on LA Surf to win it all in 2021.


All joking aside it will be interesting to see if the move to rebranding and recruiting as LA Surf improves perfomances in the GDA this upcoming season as LA Premier really struggled.  As you said the big two leagues roll into action in less than two weeks so we don't have to wait long. Good luck to all!


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## Justus (Aug 30, 2019)

More from my koolaide marketing analysis from the LA Surf website.  This is all FREE to the talented, young Unicorns all over LA.  The club used to be called SD Surf Soccer, now it's called Surf Soccer. 
*What about college exposure?*
Surf Soccer Development Academy players* (all the little affiliate unicorns will be trying to get into LA Surf because it's FREE and worth the drive because it's FREE!!!) *undoubtedly receive the best college exposure of any club in the country with 2 Surf Cup events (Surf Cup in July & Surf College Cup in November), 2 US Soccer Development Academy Showcase events and attendance of many Southern California college coaches at divisional conference games.  The club has a college liaison in place to assist all Academy players with the college process.
Surf Soccer has a great reputation all over the nation for producing high-level players. For the second straight year (and every year from now on), the club has won the IMG Top 150 girls recruiting title. This coupled with being part of the *USSF Development Academy program will certainly help players to pursue their college dreams and make them a reality.* 

I'm really confused with this last part. Is it a college dream or Youth National Team dream?  I guess the DA can promote both but mock one of them for their rules and how it's messing up the National Team.  "Divide and then Conquer."  The Big Club has it all.  Direct access to the Scouts, #1 for all the college deals and it's all FREE to the talented unicorns.  You can't lose with all this can you?  You can, trust me.  The Big Club is like "THE FIRM" in the movie with Mr Cruise.  If The Big Club has all the connections to the scouts, relationships with all the coaches, college liaison coach to chat it up for your dd and be on the cutting edge of anything that has to do with SoCal Youth Soccer, you best keep your mouth shut and never leave more than once.  I personally think people in this industry have way too much power and influence with our kids lives.  If you speak out on serious issues regarding children who have dope heads for coaches, you get labeled quickly in this industry.  Not all Youth Soccer Coaches are worthy of such influence in my kids life.  Good luck to everyone this coming season


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## Overlap (Aug 30, 2019)

Justus said:


> More from my koolaide marketing analysis from the LA Surf website.  This is all FREE to the talented, young Unicorns all over LA.  The club used to be called SD Surf Soccer, now it's called Surf Soccer.
> *What about college exposure?*
> Surf Soccer Development Academy players* (all the little affiliate unicorns will be trying to get into LA Surf because it's FREE and worth the drive because it's FREE!!!) *undoubtedly receive the best college exposure of any club in the country with 2 Surf Cup events (Surf Cup in July & Surf College Cup in November), 2 US Soccer Development Academy Showcase events and attendance of many Southern California college coaches at divisional conference games.  The club has a college liaison in place to assist all Academy players with the college process.
> Surf Soccer has a great reputation all over the nation for producing high-level players. For the second straight year (and every year from now on), the club has won the IMG Top 150 girls recruiting title. This coupled with being part of the *USSF Development Academy program will certainly help players to pursue their college dreams and make them a reality.*
> ...


It should say, for those too lazy to do the research and do it on their own, the problem is, some of the parents will buy into this and think they can sit back and just get recruited...I have a feeling there's going to be a lot more disappointed players & parents


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## Justus (Aug 30, 2019)

Overlap said:


> It should say, for those too lazy to do the research and do it on their own, the problem is, some of the parents will buy into this and think they can sit back and just get recruited...I have a feeling there's going to be a lot more disappointed players & parents


At least they have a website with all the benefits one receives in the program unlike two years ago.  It looks like a great opportunity on face value and its FREE


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 30, 2019)

Justus said:


> At least they have a website with all the benefits one receives in the program unlike two years ago.  It looks like a great opportunity on face value and its FREE


What’s free?  surf doesn’t charge for DA or their Club teams?


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## myself (Aug 30, 2019)

Justus said:


> More from my koolaide marketing analysis from the LA Surf website.  This is all FREE to the talented, young Unicorns all over LA.  The club used to be called SD Surf Soccer, now it's called Surf Soccer.
> *What about college exposure?*
> Surf Soccer Development Academy players* (all the little affiliate unicorns will be trying to get into LA Surf because it's FREE and worth the drive because it's FREE!!!) *undoubtedly receive the best college exposure of any club in the country with 2 Surf Cup events (Surf Cup in July & Surf College Cup in November), 2 US Soccer Development Academy Showcase events and attendance of many Southern California college coaches at divisional conference games.  The club has a college liaison in place to assist all Academy players with the college process.
> Surf Soccer has a great reputation all over the nation for producing high-level players. For the second straight year (and every year from now on), the club has won the IMG Top 150 girls recruiting title. This coupled with being part of the *USSF Development Academy program will certainly help players to pursue their college dreams and make them a reality.*
> ...


This thread is about Santa Monica Surf. If you want to bitch/moan/complain about DA go back to one of the threads you created.


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

Kicker4Life said:


> What’s free?  surf doesn’t charge for DA or their Club teams?


*
Are scholarships available?
National team players will receive full scholarships from the club *(another reason to want to make the list).  *Other scholarships are available based upon merit & need. * The club is always creating ways to make soccer more affordable and has lots of fundraising opportunities available throughout the season in which families can participate to help off-set travel expenses.* In addition, the club is always actively seeking for sponsors who can financially help the teams’ travel expenses.  *(Sponsor is interesting use of words for travel help)

I'm talking about top players who will receive full scholarships (beginning at 11-13 years old) being recruited to join Surf DA.  It's a no brainer.  I actually like it but personally wish it was the US Soccer Federation offering the free ride and not Surf.  When you get something for free it's not always free if you know what I mean.  My guess is 9-12 full rides and the rest are paying because they can, they want to and their looking at the DA to help dd get into their dream college.  A college they have no problem paying for but need to get admitted.  I remember back in the day playing HS Hoops in OC and you would occasionally see a stud basketball player leave their local HS (Tom Lewis Capo Valley) and head over to Mater Dei.  I don't think Tom paid for tuition but I could be wrong.  I see Surf like the private school with deep pockets poaching top local talent from local clubs and offering those kids full scholarships.  Everything paid for.  What club in SoCal can compete with that?  Q. Kicker, does Beach DA offer full rides to top talent based on merit or making YNT?  Anyone else here getting a full ride playing in the DA?  When I say full ride, I mean 100% everything paid for.  I'm hearing top unicorns are getting a per diem as well when traveling.


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> Q. Kicker, does Beach DA offer full rides to top talent based on merit or making YNT?  Anyone else here getting a full ride playing in the DA?  When I say full ride, I mean 100% everything paid for.  I'm hearing top unicorns are getting a per diem as well when traveling.


No!


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

Kicker4Life said:


> No!


I didn't think so.  Maybe we will see a Long Beach Surf/Beach Merger?


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> I didn't think so.  Maybe we will see a Long Beach Surf/Beach Merger?


Doubtful...Beach is not a recruiting based club they want players that want to be there.  Those that do come, come for the staff not the free ride.


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

View attachment 5273


Kicker4Life said:


> Doubtful...Beach is not a recruiting based club they want players that want to be there.  Those that do come, come for the staff not the free ride.


I love that.  Blues is the same.  LA is loaded with talent.  Those with financial struggles (check to check) will benefit with the Full Scholarship.  I was told 2 years ago that these DA clubs would be fully funded with money coming from US Federation.  Is that not happening?  A decision that is left up to the individual DA club?


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> View attachment 5273
> 
> I love that.  Blues is the same.  LA is loaded with talent.  Those with financial struggles (check to check) will benefit with the Full Scholarship.  I was told 2 years ago that these DA clubs would be fully funded with money coming from US Federation.  Is that not happening?  A decision that is left up to the individual DA club?


Don’t believe everything you hear.


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

Kicker4Life said:


> Don’t believe everything you hear.


Too late   I thought I read that somewhere but maybe it was what the old Doc told me.  I'm learning not to believe everything someone tells me.  I really used to believe what coaches told me were true.  Egg on my face brah!  Thanks for the advice though


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## MWN (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> View attachment 5273
> 
> I love that.  Blues is the same.  LA is loaded with talent.  Those with financial struggles (check to check) will benefit with the Full Scholarship.  I was told 2 years ago that these DA clubs would be fully funded with money coming from US Federation.  Is that not happening?  A decision that is left up to the individual DA club?


Whoever told you that the federation was going to support the clubs through fully funding their DA program has no idea how things work. I would never listen to that person again as they are an idiot.


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

MWN said:


> Whoever told you that the federation was going to support the clubs through fully funding their DA program has no idea how things work. I would never listen to that person again as they are an idiot.


Two big docs told me at the time.  Pats and LA Galaxy offered it on their websites two years ago and other clubs said they were going to as well.  Hard to listen to folks now but I'm getting better at it.


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> Two big docs told me at the time.  Pats and LA Galaxy offered it on their websites two years ago and other clubs said they were going to as well.  Hard to listen to folks now but I'm getting better at it.


Those 2 clubs are fully funded but that has NOTHING to do with US Soccer.


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## MWN (Aug 31, 2019)

My point is that the US soccer federation doesn't have the resources to fund. Clubs that fund their DA program do it on the backs of the lower levels within the club.  The US soccer federation has revenues of about 125 million, and spends a few million on the development academy. To fully fund the development academy would require 20 to 30 million dollars for a single season.


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

Kicker4Life said:


> Those 2 clubs are fully funded but that has NOTHING to do with US Soccer.


I know that now


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## Toch (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> View attachment 5273
> 
> I love that.  Blues is the same.  LA is loaded with talent.  Those with financial struggles (check to check) will benefit with the Full Scholarship.  I was told 2 years ago that these DA clubs would be fully funded with money coming from US Federation.  Is that not happening?  A decision that is left up to the individual DA club?


Lol


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## messy (Aug 31, 2019)

MWN said:


> My point is that the US soccer federation doesn't have the resources to fund. Clubs that fund their DA program do it on the backs of the lower levels within the club.  The US soccer federation has revenues of about 125 million, and spends a few million on the development academy. To fully fund the development academy would require 20 to 30 million dollars for a single season.


Except for MLS clubs whose academies  are funded the same way the first team is funded...by wealthy owners.


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

messy said:


> Except for MLS clubs whose academies  are funded the same way the first team is funded...by wealthy owners.


I know I'm not supposed to believe everything I hear, but I swear on the Holy Bible three of the Big Clubs higher ups told me to my face two years ago that within a couple years clubs have to fully fund their top DA Teams like the Pats and LA Galaxy.  Slammers/LAFC was offering fully funded program too at the time. I see that is not true now.  Am I seriously the only one that was told this?


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## messy (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> I know I'm not supposed to believe everything I hear, but I swear on the Holy Bible three of the Big Clubs higher ups told me to my face two years ago that within a couple years clubs have to fully fund their top DA Teams like the Pats and LA Galaxy.  Slammers/LAFC was offering fully funded program too at the time. I see that is not true now.  Am I seriously the only one that was told this?


DA teams should definitely be funded. In other countries there is government support. But I’m not aware of any imminent rule from US Soccer that requires it.


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> I know I'm not supposed to believe everything I hear, but I swear on the Holy Bible three of the Big Clubs higher ups told me to my face two years ago that within a couple years clubs have to fully fund their top DA Teams like the Pats and LA Galaxy.  Slammers/LAFC was offering fully funded program too at the time. I see that is not true now.  Am I seriously the only one that was told this?


LAFC Slammers was not Fully Funded, only partial.


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## Multi Sport (Aug 31, 2019)

messy said:


> Except for MLS clubs whose academies  are funded the same way the first team is funded...by wealthy owners.


Or millionaire parents...


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

Kicker4Life said:


> LAFC Slammers was not Fully Funded, only partial.


The club that was going DA with WC and his bro is the one I'm talking about   That was fully funded at least I was told that at the time.  A week later they went all in with ECNL with both teams.


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> The club that was going DA with WC and his bro is the one I'm talking about   That was fully funded at least I was told that at the time.  A week later they went all in with ECNL with both teams.


That’s LAFC Slammers.  Not sure what you mean with “a week later went all in with ECNL”....they played in the entire first season of DA. WC coached the ‘03’s.


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

Multi Sport said:


> Or millionaire parents...


I'm starting to guess that only SD Surf DA, OC Surf DA, LA Surf DAand Legends DA are the only one's offering these Full Ride Scholarships.  Blues and Beach do not offer full rides.  Pats?  Galaxy?  Abion?  Real SoCal? Other's I'm missing?   
This is on The Legends DA website: 
*Moving Away From The Pay-to-Play Model*
*The U.S. Soccer Development Academy Scholarship Program would ensure talented players were on the field, and not held back by economic barriers. * 
Q. How many players from SoCal are on the USS DAS Program?  Seriously, it's fair question right?  Surf say's their club will pay full ride scholarships based on being selected to YNT, Merit or Need.  Nowhere does it say any help will come from USS DAS Program.


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

Kicker4Life said:


> That’s LAFC Slammers.  Not sure what you mean with “a week later went all in with ECNL”....they played in the entire first season of DA. WC coached the ‘03’s.


After first year bro.  WC was taking 04 DA before they went all in ECNL.  He took ecnl 03s again last year.  We were moving to South OC and had to chat with all the DAs in OC to find out about the HS Soccer rules and if they would "wink, wink" and let my kid do both without a waiver.  She wanted to do both.  Lot's of Docs at the time were still confused (so they said) if that rule would be enforced.


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## messy (Aug 31, 2019)

Multi Sport said:


> Or millionaire parents...


MLS academies are not funded by parents.


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> After first year bro.  WC was taking 04 DA before they went all in ECNL.  He took ecnl 03s again last year.  We were moving to South OC and had to chat with all the DAs in OC to find out about the HS Soccer rules and if they would "wink, wink" and let my kid do both without a waiver.  She wanted to do both.  Lot's of Docs at the time were still confused (so they said) if that rule would be enforced.


 Everyone knew the rules......some just play dumb.


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## Justus (Aug 31, 2019)

Kicker4Life said:


> Everyone knew the rules......some just play dumb.


Exactly.  And some play with honesty and openness and get whacked which is sad.  I know your dd and the family are kicking ass in the gym and doing what is required in this day & age to be the best soccer player one can be.  That is to be commended and I know it's not without financial and time commitments


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## RedCard (Aug 31, 2019)

Justus said:


> I'm starting to guess that only SD Surf DA, OC Surf DA, LA Surf DAand Legends DA are the only one's offering these Full Ride Scholarships.  Blues and Beach do not offer full rides.  Pats?  Galaxy?  Abion?  Real SoCal? Other's I'm missing?
> This is on The Legends DA website:
> *Moving Away From The Pay-to-Play Model*
> *The U.S. Soccer Development Academy Scholarship Program would ensure talented players were on the field, and not held back by economic barriers. *
> Q. How many players from SoCal are on the USS DAS Program?  Seriously, it's fair question right?  Surf say's their club will pay full ride scholarships based on being selected to YNT, Merit or Need.  Nowhere does it say any help will come from USS DAS Program.


I believe FCGS DA is fully funded.


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## Kicker4Life (Aug 31, 2019)

RedCard said:


> I believe FCGS DA is fully funded.


We are talking about the Girls side. They don’t have DA on the Girls side.


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## Toch (Aug 31, 2019)

Will Autobahn join Pats or Legends to compete w/ SMU-Surf?


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## RedCard (Aug 31, 2019)

Kicker4Life said:


> We are talking about the Girls side. They don’t have DA on the Girls side.


Sorry, Boys side. Didn't know we were only talking about the girls side. My bad...


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## MWN (Sep 1, 2019)

Girls side?  Why on earth would anybody fully fund the girls side?  The only motivation to fully fund anything is an economic benefit down the road.  The boys side has a little bit, but there is no money on the girls side.  Only the MLS teams at this time have an economic benefit ... "homegrown player exemption."


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## Multi Sport (Sep 1, 2019)

messy said:


> MLS academies are not funded by parents.


Interesting... then why have you posted that your kid played on an academy team?


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## messy (Sep 1, 2019)

Multi Sport said:


> Interesting... then why have you posted that your kid played on an academy team?


He did. Two. He also played on another team (TFA) that was fully funded, also not by parents.


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## messy (Sep 1, 2019)

messy said:


> He did. Two. He also played on another team (TFA) that was fully funded, also not by parents.


TFA wasn’t Academy when he was there, though.


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## Multi Sport (Sep 1, 2019)

messy said:


> He did. Two. He also played on another team (TFA) that was fully funded, also not by parents.


Where was he last season?


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## Toch (Sep 2, 2019)

A couple of haters here. Who cares whether he played DA or not.. are you jealous that his kid is a better player than your kid?


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## Multi Sport (Sep 3, 2019)

messy said:


> He did. Two. He also played on another team (TFA) that was fully funded, also not by parents.


Was he on an MLS Academy team last year?


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## futboldad1 (Sep 14, 2019)

Folsom Lake Surf 

https://www.soccertoday.com/folsom-lake-soccer-partners-with-surf-cup-sports/


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## Justus (Sep 14, 2019)

futboldad1 said:


> Folsom Lake Surf
> 
> https://www.soccertoday.com/folsom-lake-soccer-partners-with-surf-cup-sports/


“Partnering with Surf will take us to the next level, for sure.”  *(I hope your right Spencer.  You live in freaking Folsom)*

Spencer Lowe, Folsom Lake Soccer League’s Co-Executive Director.

Everyone go watch the movie, "the founder,"  I know which club started in the milkshake business and they got control of soccer right now.  God help us!!!!


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## Justus (Sep 14, 2019)

Justus said:


> “Partnering with Surf will take us to the next level, for sure.”  *(I hope your right Spencer.  You live in freaking Folsom)*
> 
> Spencer Lowe, Folsom Lake Soccer League’s Co-Executive Director.
> 
> Everyone go watch the movie, "the founder,"  I know which club started in the milkshake business and they got control of soccer right now.  God help us!!!!


and I heard those Burgers in San Bernardino were way better than In and Out too.  Real meat, Real Ice Cream Shakes and Real Potato Fries with the first, Mr McDonalds.  Mr kock decided to speed things up a little so we can all eat faster and couple dumb cooks got hustled by Mr Kock.  I can't even eat there anymore.  Super Size is coming soon for soccer.  You asked for it and you're going to get what you asked for.


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## Justus (Sep 14, 2019)

and just so everyone understand where I'm coming from.  I AM MY DDs LIFE COACH, NOT SOCCER COACH.  I WILL PROTECT HER FROM SNAKES AND LIARS ALL DAY LONG!!!!!


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## Justus (Sep 14, 2019)

Justus said:


> and I heard those Burgers in San Bernardino were way better than In and Out too.  Real meat, Real Ice Cream Shakes and Real Potato Fries with the first, Mr McDonalds.  Mr kock decided to speed things up a little so we can all eat faster and couple dumb cooks got hustled by Mr Kock.  I can't even eat there anymore.  Super Size is coming soon for soccer.  You asked for it and you're going to get what you asked for.


I need to correct the record quickly.  I embellished again.  I ate at McDonalds yesterday when my wife was in whole foods looking for her lunch.  I love the Big Mac still and the fries are good.  I don't like the shake but I will go for a soft serve.  When I write sometimes I want to make myself look better to the reader.  I love me a Big Mac whenever I want but I know I should watch out because of that 30 day movie I saw.


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## fotboll (Sep 15, 2019)

SMurfs


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## fotboll (Sep 15, 2019)

SMurfs


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## Tim Powell (Sep 15, 2019)

This thread has gotten pretty awesomely weird


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## Soccer43 (Sep 15, 2019)

fotboll said:


> SMurfs
> View attachment 5354


 Is this Smurf Surf?


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