SCDSL adding Discovery Division

So basically, many clubs left CSL to start a new league that was supposed to be different and now they are creating a "premier" level of SCDSL which is just like CSL's Premier division?
 
Soccer43 said:
So basically, many clubs left CSL to start a new league that was supposed to be different and now they are creating a "premier" level of SCDSL which is just like CSL's Premier division?
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Yes.....but now we all get to pay for parking too!!
 
Full disclosure -- I have never been a fan of SCDSL. I aways thought it was more marketing than substance, and other than the positive of adding another option for parents and players, the creation of the league added less than it detracted from Socal soccer, in my opinion.

I also hate the idea of yet another league, as there are too many already. Talented is diluted everywhere, and we willingly let others do that to us.

Having said that, this is a positive development. They took a lot of good ideas, are trying to incorporate them into one circuit, and make it Socal focused. I hope it works, and I think clubs should take a serious look at this, even if they are currently CSL clubs. It think something like this, done right, could have an impact on both ECNL and DA. It could kill National League and CRL. CSL should have done this with Premier 5 years ago.

Does anyone really want to go to Phoenix, Orlando, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas ... sometime twice in a year, to beat up on teams that are no better than the Socal competition that these leagues prevent us from facing? Do we want US Soccer, and its recent track record of underachievement, telling us they know better?

Just please do not let those vaunted "SOCCER PEOPLE" screw this up, SCDSL. Run this league a business. Let the clubs and coaches manage their own soccer, not the league.
 
My first reaction(s):
  • Great. Another new league.
  • Great. All of these things that are “paid for” aren’t free. Money is coming from the rest of the teams in the league. Unless there is a sponsor somewhere that wasn’t mentioned
  • Does this mean that the scdsl schedule will take even longer to come out each year?
  • I would have preferred more games in the season this year. We played 10. The coast team we’ll be playing in presidents in 2 weeks had 12 plus 2 league cup games. The sdda team played 12.
  • How is this different that what’s already offered under other various names?
  • Is SCDSLs biggest issue the creation of a new gaming circuit?
 
In the distant future, when they study this period in the development of the game in the US, what are they going to call this era?
 
timbuck said:
My first reaction(s):
  • Great. Another new league.
  • Great. All of these things that are “paid for” aren’t free. Money is coming from the rest of the teams in the league. Unless there is a sponsor somewhere that wasn’t mentioned
  • Does this mean that the scdsl schedule will take even longer to come out each year?
  • I would have preferred more games in the season this year. We played 10. The coast team we’ll be playing in presidents in 2 weeks had 12 plus 2 league cup games. The sdda team played 12.
  • How is this different that what’s already offered under other various names?
  • Is SCDSLs biggest issue the creation of a new gaming circuit?
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My response, in order:
  • Technically, no. Just a division within the SCDSL.
  • The SCDSL (to my understanding) was sitting on a pile of cash. This is a direct response to the DPL, EGSL, CRL, NPL, etc. The teams that register for the Discovery Division will pay their fees (probably more), but less than the ECNL and others will pay.
  • If all the games are at Silverlakes, then no. The hold up on the schedule has traditionally been clubs failing to provide field permits in a timely basis to SCDSL.
  • I take it your team didn't make it far in the SCDSL playoffs.
  • Its different in that SCDSL is making a run at top level CSL teams (and the NPL incursion) with an offer to give them back their buy-in if they win the division. Pretty smart in my book.
  • Again, the article states this is a division within SCDSL and not a new gaming circuit (i.e. league).
 
Far Post said:
Interesting new development for club soccer in socal.

http://goalnation.com/improving-youth-soccer-scdsl-kicks-off-new-discovery-division/
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What a joke. The SCDSL is as bush league as it gets. Think Lakers being run by Jim Bus. No direction, no vision, steered only by financial interests with no mission. Goalnation should be spanked for publishing that garbage. Who wants to drive to Silverlake for anything ever, much less every weekend during the hottest months of the year?
 
uburoi said:
What a joke. The SCDSL is as bush league as it gets. Think Lakers being run by Jim Bus. No direction, no vision, steered only by financial interests with no mission. Goalnation should be spanked for publishing that garbage. Who wants to drive to Silverlake for anything ever, much less every weekend during the hottest months of the year?
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Goalnation is eager to publish any press release they get ready to go. They don't even bother to fix the typos.
 
The usual suspects controlling more and more pieces of the youth soccer puzzle. I see some major conflicts of interest for some of the league administrators with fingers in too many pies!
 
uburoi said:
What a joke. The SCDSL is as bush league as it gets. Think Lakers being run by Jim Bus. No direction, no vision, steered only by financial interests with no mission. Goalnation should be spanked for publishing that garbage. Who wants to drive to Silverlake for anything ever, much less every weekend during the hottest months of the year?
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Goal Nation is garbage.
 
This is brilliant for the founder clubs of SCDSL! Now if these clubs miss on any kids for their DA, ECNL or DPL programs they can go to Silverlakes on any given Saturday and Sunday to find kids from the local smaller clubs near their area!
 
zags77 said:
This is brilliant for the founder clubs of SCDSL! Now if these clubs miss on any kids for their DA, ECNL or DPL programs they can go to Silverlakes on any given Saturday and Sunday to find kids from the local smaller clubs near their area!
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Exactly, all of accomplishes is putting the next "highest" teams in one place for easier recruiting by clubs.
 
They should turn it into more. After the season, the top 4 teams play the top 4 DAII teams in SoCal, and the top 4 from there play the top 4 ECNL teams. The top teams get to be kings/queens of SoCal, excluding DA.

Now that's a circuit.
 
If scdsl really wanted to change things up- they’d bring back some sort of spring league. And then enact a summer round robin season.
 
I went back and read the article again and I need to revise a little. Clearly this is a response to marginalizing of the leagues by US Soccer (DA) and a forward thinking proposition that could really only work in a few select regions (Cal South) being one of those regions. Let's look at the features claimed:

The benefits of playing in the Discovery Division are:
  • Teams will play an 11-game fall season.
  • Games will all be played at Silverlakes in Norco — unless teams from the same area like San Diego are scheduled to play each other in which case games will be played at the Surf Cup Sports Park in Del Mar.
  • All fall test dates are accommodated.
  • Referee fees will be covered by the league for this division.
  • 1st and 2nd place of each division will receive a tournament stipend of $1400 from the SCDSL to participate in the tournament of their choice after the end of the SCDSL season. This means that 20 teams from the SCDSL will receive a stipend to assist them in after-league competition to further their college exposure.
  • Winners will receive guaranteed acceptance into Surf Cup.
  • There will be end of season awards voted on by coaches in each game via a nomination process.
  • There will be the option to have games video taped.
  • Convenient scheduling with games being played youngest to oldest similar to DA and ECNL formats.
  • A designated onsite social media presence and a division specific statistician on site for all game days.
  • There will also be a spring College Showcase for the Discovery Division paid for, and hosted, by the SCDSL. There is no fee for this. Teams from outside of SoCal will be invited, college coaches will be invited and the DOC’s are all committed to making this an exceptional event for the players towards their goals of playing college soccer.
  1. Limited to fall season, thus, doesn't impact HS (like DA, NPL and Spring leagues).
  2. SCDSL is already on the hook for fields at Silverlakes under a 5 year deal, so this allows them to exploit that field space inventory. Smart.
  3. Test dates accomodated ... good for olders.
  4. Referees covered by the league means fees for the league will simply be higher to cover that expense.
  5. Tournament stipend ($1,400) is smart because it means teams that win get their money back creating a draw for higher level teams in other leagues (SDDA, CSL, DPL, ECNL (girls and boys)) to joint the SCDSL, which in turn may cause those clubs that are not already "in the SCDSL" to move all their teams over.
  6. Guaranteed Acceptance to Surf Cup sounds like a direct response to what Cal South does with CRL and National Cup. Surf Cup benefits in that they get to advertise these winners to the rest of the nation. Again, smart on both parties.
  7. End of Season Awards ... resume building for players. Cool.
  8. Option to have games video taped, probably a paid option but for high level teams with high level players, they need that film for their recruiting videos. This will probably cost the team though, but great. Although that option generally exists anyway.
  9. The "convenient scheduling" line item is very important for coaches and docs. With all the games at one facility, conflicts are eliminated making this an attractive option.
  10. Division specific statistician is interesting, we are helping build those resumes for the college scholarship bound.
  11. Spring Showcase (likely at Norco), who has a problem with that? Good for them.
All in all for the elite SoCal teams not in the DA, this looks like a very attractive program for Fall play.
 
MWN said:
I went back and read the article again and I need to revise a little. Clearly this is a response to marginalizing of the leagues by US Soccer (DA) and a forward thinking proposition that could really only work in a few select regions (Cal South) being one of those regions. Let's look at the features claimed:

The benefits of playing in the Discovery Division are:
  • Teams will play an 11-game fall season.
  • Games will all be played at Silverlakes in Norco — unless teams from the same area like San Diego are scheduled to play each other in which case games will be played at the Surf Cup Sports Park in Del Mar.
  • All fall test dates are accommodated.
  • Referee fees will be covered by the league for this division.
  • 1st and 2nd place of each division will receive a tournament stipend of $1400 from the SCDSL to participate in the tournament of their choice after the end of the SCDSL season. This means that 20 teams from the SCDSL will receive a stipend to assist them in after-league competition to further their college exposure.
  • Winners will receive guaranteed acceptance into Surf Cup.
  • There will be end of season awards voted on by coaches in each game via a nomination process.
  • There will be the option to have games video taped.
  • Convenient scheduling with games being played youngest to oldest similar to DA and ECNL formats.
  • A designated onsite social media presence and a division specific statistician on site for all game days.
  • There will also be a spring College Showcase for the Discovery Division paid for, and hosted, by the SCDSL. There is no fee for this. Teams from outside of SoCal will be invited, college coaches will be invited and the DOC’s are all committed to making this an exceptional event for the players towards their goals of playing college soccer.
  1. Limited to fall season, thus, doesn't impact HS (like DA, NPL and Spring leagues).
  2. SCDSL is already on the hook for fields at Silverlakes under a 5 year deal, so this allows them to exploit that field space inventory. Smart.
  3. Test dates accomodated ... good for olders.
  4. Referees covered by the league means fees for the league will simply be higher to cover that expense.
  5. Tournament stipend ($1,400) is smart because it means teams that win get their money back creating a draw for higher level teams in other leagues (SDDA, CSL, DPL, ECNL (girls and boys)) to joint the SCDSL, which in turn may cause those clubs that are not already "in the SCDSL" to move all their teams over.
  6. Guaranteed Acceptance to Surf Cup sounds like a direct response to what Cal South does with CRL and National Cup. Surf Cup benefits in that they get to advertise these winners to the rest of the nation. Again, smart on both parties.
  7. End of Season Awards ... resume building for players. Cool.
  8. Option to have games video taped, probably a paid option but for high level teams with high level players, they need that film for their recruiting videos. This will probably cost the team though, but great. Although that option generally exists anyway.
  9. The "convenient scheduling" line item is very important for coaches and docs. With all the games at one facility, conflicts are eliminated making this an attractive option.
  10. Division specific statistician is interesting, we are helping build those resumes for the college scholarship bound.
  11. Spring Showcase (likely at Norco), who has a problem with that? Good for them.
All in all for the elite SoCal teams not in the DA, this looks like a very attractive program for Fall play.
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You are doing a great job as the spokesperson for the SCDSL. The SCDSL only cares about money and not the development of players. That’s why kids leave for other leagues. Restating what you already said doesn’t change this proposition.
 
MWN, good summary...perhaps I am missing something but is this essentially the Champions Division moved to Silverlakes and paired with financial perks ?? Or will the two co-exist??
 
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