From: rcampb@cac.washington.edu (Russ Campbell)
Subject: Re: US Soccer Development
Organization: U.W. Information Systems
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 16:02:11 GMT

In article <1992Apr11.181811.5005@wam.umd.edu>, waddlech@wam.umd.edu (David Akkarach) writes:
> In article <15935@bunny.GTE.COM> andy@rocky.gte.com (Andy Busa) writes:
> >to learn from the mistakes of the NASL.  I think there will be  a good
> >amount of fans that will be ready to go watch this new league but it must
> >be run as a professional league not like the APSL. I feel that leagues
> >like the ASPL and the SISL would make for excellent second division teams.
> 
> Stuff from David in defense of the APSL deleted

I have to echo David's sentiments.  I just read in Soccer International
that the Seattle Storm have dropped out permanently.  The owner, Bud
Greer, has poured money into the project for the last 6 years and was
trying to find other investors to field a team this year.  The effort
failed.  I've seen complaints about lack of a pro team in the area from
people right here in the Seattle area and yet none of them ever seem to
indicate having attended any of the Storm's matches.  I had season tickets
for the last two years of their existance.  Any pro league that is
developed here in the US absolutely MUST start small and build.  We cannot
afford to capitalize a league at the level of the NASL because doing so
would repeat the NASL's mistakes all over again and then where would we be?

Other APSL news reported in USA Today last week is that there will be a
new club in Los Angeles, the LA Salsa.  The owner is doing all the ground
work this year to field a team in 1993.  For those that haven't heard, the
Colorado Foxes are negotiating with local government officials to build a
soccer stadium which will eventually seat 30,000.  The first phase is
hoped to be completed in time to provide 10,000 seats for the 1993 season.
This is a stadium with only a soccer pitch in it (no track, US football
goal posts, etcetera).  IMHO what's happening with the APSL is that
they've whittled down to the bare minimum of teams with owners who're
interested in investing a serious amount of money for the long term.  Thos
of you who live in areas where there is an APSL team please go to their
games and support the clubs.  If they're not so good as other countries'
first division squads well they'll just have to be sufficient until the
skill level in general rises to that level.  Don't be fickle, fair-weather
fans.  If it's raining, go to the game.  If it's 90 degrees, go to the
game.  Do everything you can to support the development of a true national
league.  The APSL may be small now but it's the only outdoor 'pro' league
we've got.  You don't see the MSL or the NPSL fielding outdoor teams do
you?  And, no, I don't promote the idea of converting them to outdoor
clubs.

I, like others in this discussion thread, have played or participated in
the game in some manner all my life.  I'm a US national and this is the
only team sport I've ever played or been any good at.  I played off and on
until a few years ago when my abused body decided that was enough.  Now
I'm registered as a referee with the local youth leagues.  I've attended
as many games as I could when the Sounders were around and the Storm.  I'm
known to occasionally just stop to watch when I see a youth game in
progress and I'm out and about without any reason.  I see some real talent
developing in the youth leagues and some of the college players.  It is up
to the core group of soccer people in the US to do everything possible to
see that these kids don't HAVE to go overseas to have soccer careers. 
This means support every effort, no matter how feeble, to establish a
professional outdoor league.  If stock is offered in a fledgling club, buy
it.  I would gladly have done so to keep the Storm going.  My contribution
wouldn't have been much by itself but I'd have done it anyway.  There will
come a day when our sport is the premier sport in this country at all
levels (youth, adult amateur, and all pro divisions).  It will happen but
we must all do our best to help it come about.

Okay, I'll climb down off my soap box now.  :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|  Russell  D.  Campbell        : The Breakfast of Champions isn't |
|  rcampb@cac.washington.edu    : cereal, it's the competition!    |
|  (206)543-0846 @UW in Seattle :     - David Lee Roth             |
|------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Anyone can have an opinion, but very few people ever bother to   |
| educate themselves before expressing one.                        |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~