S
Sped
Guest
At which age groups does SD Surf carry more than 3 teams?The first concept that needs to be understood is the genesis of the Southern California Developmental Soccer League (SCDSL). It was not created to "develop" players, it was created for the clubs that have too many teams per age group. Coast Soccer League (CSL) had/has a longstanding concept of allowing a maximum of three (3) teams per gender per age group. So when Slammers, Strikers, Legends, Beach, Pats, Surf and the others went on their buying sprees a few years ago gobbling up smaller organizations, they could not work within CSL's rules. Thus they started their own league so they could cram as many teams into the age groups as possible. Development is not the major focus of club soccer. The main focus is making money. I think once you come to grips with the "goal" of club soccer organizations, you can let go of the "development" concept.
As for the playoff, I am okay with the concept (especially at the older ages). The problem with the playoff in my mind is the compressed regular season schedule to get to the playoff time. The Fall season runs from roughly September 1st through Thanksgiving weekend. That is not a lot of time to get many games in. This year will be the first year my dd has competed in the SCDSL playoffs, so I will keep an open mind until its conclusion.
Last point, wait until the Monday after Thanksgiving when all players (non-ECNL) are effectively free agents. With the incoming GDA, I think there is going to be a ton of movement with players and coaches.