Mutually Beneficial Arrangement Is Good For Soccer
The announcement that US Youth Soccer would merge its annual Workshop with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s annual convention came as a bit of a surprise.
But it made perfectly good sense for many reasons.
The NSCAA convention has been held every year since 1941 and attracts over 5,000 soccer coaches from all levels each and every year.
Once primarily an association of college and high school coaches, over the last two decades NSCAA membership within the youth coaching community has grown by leaps and bounds.
For years coaches have been going to the NSCAA convention in January, and then hitting the roads and airports a month later to go to another major city for the US Youth Soccer Workshop.
“It was attractive for us as it took another date off the calendar that had taken our coaches away from home and their jobs,” said Todd Roby, US Youth Soccer Director of Marketing and Communication.
“We’ve always had a presence at the convention, and we began talking with the NSCAA about merging our programs into the convention. It just made a lot of sense.”
NSCAA Executive Director Joe Cummings saw the merger as a way to increase the umbrella that the coaches association has cast over soccer at all levels in the United States.
“I had been speaking with a number of organizations about the Convention and how having their annual meetings at the Convention each January would add to the overall feel of the convention. US Youth Soccer was open to that possibility and both sides worked, over the past two years, to make it happen this year.”
There are lots of pluses for both the NSCAA and US Youth Soccer, and not so many minuses.
From US Youth Soccer’s standpoint, they don’t have the total expense of running a separate three-day national workshop, and they get the benefit of all the added clinics, lectures, etc., while still having their meetings.
Economically, it made sense, but that wasn’t an over-riding factor in their decision.
“We are very proud of the Workshop as it has been, but it just made a lot of sense to eliminate duplicating events,” said Roby. “It has been well received by our members.”
US Youth Soccer is expected to attract about 1,000 additional attendees this year. Every state association in the United States will be represented by officers, administrators, directors and coaches.
Many of those coaches and director are also members of the NSCAA.
“The pluses for us is an infusion of programming for administrators and youth coaches which will add to the overall program,” said Cummings.
Everyone will pay the same registration fee, and have access to all of the same programs.
U.S. Youth Soccer has scheduled a number of events that will be specifically directed to their members, including the Friday night Awards Gala, which will be held at the same time as the NSCAA Awards Banquet. The two dinner events will be held in seperate locations.
The intergration of programs has been virtually seamless.
“Representatives of US Youth Soccer and the NSCAA have worked cooperatively to merge the programs and allow attendees to sample from each,” said Cummings. “I wouldn’t say they are separate events, although there are parts of the US Youth Workshop that are indeed held apart from NSCAA functions, but that is true of many organizations that have events at our convention.
Asked how important the merger is, Cummings said, “This is very important. I am trying to do something similar with the different referee groups in the United States.
“For five days each year wouldn’t it be wonderful to have coaches at all levels, administrators and referees get together to discuss and advance our sport.”
But it made perfectly good sense for many reasons.
The NSCAA convention has been held every year since 1941 and attracts over 5,000 soccer coaches from all levels each and every year.
Once primarily an association of college and high school coaches, over the last two decades NSCAA membership within the youth coaching community has grown by leaps and bounds.
For years coaches have been going to the NSCAA convention in January, and then hitting the roads and airports a month later to go to another major city for the US Youth Soccer Workshop.
“It was attractive for us as it took another date off the calendar that had taken our coaches away from home and their jobs,” said Todd Roby, US Youth Soccer Director of Marketing and Communication.
“We’ve always had a presence at the convention, and we began talking with the NSCAA about merging our programs into the convention. It just made a lot of sense.”
NSCAA Executive Director Joe Cummings saw the merger as a way to increase the umbrella that the coaches association has cast over soccer at all levels in the United States.
“I had been speaking with a number of organizations about the Convention and how having their annual meetings at the Convention each January would add to the overall feel of the convention. US Youth Soccer was open to that possibility and both sides worked, over the past two years, to make it happen this year.”
There are lots of pluses for both the NSCAA and US Youth Soccer, and not so many minuses.
From US Youth Soccer’s standpoint, they don’t have the total expense of running a separate three-day national workshop, and they get the benefit of all the added clinics, lectures, etc., while still having their meetings.
Economically, it made sense, but that wasn’t an over-riding factor in their decision.
“We are very proud of the Workshop as it has been, but it just made a lot of sense to eliminate duplicating events,” said Roby. “It has been well received by our members.”
US Youth Soccer is expected to attract about 1,000 additional attendees this year. Every state association in the United States will be represented by officers, administrators, directors and coaches.
Many of those coaches and director are also members of the NSCAA.
“The pluses for us is an infusion of programming for administrators and youth coaches which will add to the overall program,” said Cummings.
Everyone will pay the same registration fee, and have access to all of the same programs.
U.S. Youth Soccer has scheduled a number of events that will be specifically directed to their members, including the Friday night Awards Gala, which will be held at the same time as the NSCAA Awards Banquet. The two dinner events will be held in seperate locations.
The intergration of programs has been virtually seamless.
“Representatives of US Youth Soccer and the NSCAA have worked cooperatively to merge the programs and allow attendees to sample from each,” said Cummings. “I wouldn’t say they are separate events, although there are parts of the US Youth Workshop that are indeed held apart from NSCAA functions, but that is true of many organizations that have events at our convention.
Asked how important the merger is, Cummings said, “This is very important. I am trying to do something similar with the different referee groups in the United States.
“For five days each year wouldn’t it be wonderful to have coaches at all levels, administrators and referees get together to discuss and advance our sport.”