Surf Soccer Club’s Remarks Result in Outcry From Local Soccer Clubs
San Diego Surf Soccer Club announced on May 29, 2013 that their youth soccer teams would no longer play in the San Diego’s Presidio Soccer League, starting the upcoming 2013/14 season. The news article gained significant attention, electrifying communication between youth soccer club presidents and directors of coaching and resulting in an outcry for a response.
Bob Turner, President of San Diego’s Presidio Soccer League has cast a different light on San Diego Surf Soccer Club’s departure from the member run soccer gaming league. His perspective echoes the differences from many others in America’s 8th largest city’s competitive youth soccer clubs.
After personally having spoken to several Directors of Coaching and with Turner at great length, it is important to publish a response to the article San Diego Surf SC Withdraws All Teams From Presidio Soccer League
It is an honor and a responsibility to inform readers of the news, and while all news sites yearn to break news stories, Goal Nation News did not realize this San Diego based youth soccer headline was actually informing the Presidio Soccer League of Surf Soccer Club’s departure.
Turner has devoted an enormous amount of time to youth soccer in the San Diego area and diligently attempts to reign in the egos of soccer coaches to create a fair and competitive environment for our children to play soccer. I appreciate my role in the community for communicating and reporting news, and realize there is more to this story. I have been pounded, deluged with phone calls and emails reflecting a broad variety of opinions. When I asked Turner if he wanted to respond to Surf Soccer Club withdrawing their teams and Wednesday’s article, he empathically said yes and sent me quotes on Friday. Here are excerpts from what he wrote:
I want to start by saying that this is my opinion and not the opinion of the entire Presidio Soccer League Board.
I want to say that Surf deciding to leave Presidio is their prerogative and not the issue. What is very disappointing to many others and me is the way they went about doing it.
It’s unfortunate that Mr. McDonald didn’t call me ahead of time and let me know of their intensions. This may have helped him better understand the “anti competitive policies” and “proposed restrictions” he mentioned that is part of the ethics draft of the San Diego Developmental Academy’s. It may have helped him realize that most of what is being discussed is a working draft that is close to if not identical to that of Southern California Development Soccer League (SCDSL). Since McDonald is fine with those rules it would seem that he was misinformed or he simply was trying to justify their decision.
It’s unfortunate that after many years of being an integral part of Presidio Surf Soccer Club felt it had to come to this. Most of the teams they are taking are U7-U11. It’s very interesting that they think it is best for these little kids when I believe the best competition is right in their own back yard
As most people know this is not the first time Surf has had an issue with a youth soccer gaming league and the last time it was Presidio that was there to support them and accept their player and teams.
The Surf press release along with Mr. Mullen’s comments and the “Editorial Note” has hit a nerve in the Presidio Soccer community.
Surf Soccer Club’s claim that “San Diego’s Presidio Soccer League is no longer the right soccer environment for our highly competitive and accomplished youth soccer players” is insulting to the other 53 Clubs in Presidio.
Most of the Directors and Presidents from other local youth soccer clubs wonder why if Surf wants to leave why alienate so many on the way out?
It is clear that a nerve was struck and the article caused a great outpour of communication between Directors of Coaching and Presidio’s board members. Communication being galvanized by anything should be positive.
I have become aware that leaders in San Diego’s youth soccer community found Surf Soccer Club’s announcement arrogant and ignorant – arrogant that the club’s leaders say that the competition locally is not competitive enough for the development of their players and ignorant that the anti-competitive policies under discussion for Presidio’s new San Diego Developmental Academy were either in practice at other leagues or not ratified as of yet. Turner says he strongly believes in free, open and fair competition and Presidio is a member-run club (each club has a vote) therefore the league reflects the clubs it serves. Turner states that Surf Soccer Club chose to leave during the formation of the new program instead of helping create it. According to Turner, as a member run League, Presidio’s soccer clubs establish the rules and regulations that govern them.
While Surf Soccer Club’s departure from Presidio signifies more to the local community than the withdrawal of a reportedly estimated eighteen teams. The club’s departure seeking greater competition was percieved as a slap in the face.
One inbound emails shared with me epitomizes the clear cry look to the future and not the past. “We should not be worried that they have gone but be even more motivated to make this a success.” Turner, a man who has supported Surf Soccer Club in the past ended his quote with “I wish them luck.”
According to Turner, “Very soon we will have an announcement as to what the San Diego Developmental Academy really is, such as who is in it, how it is run and how it was started.”
We all look forward to the news.
