Same old S**T

[jeffymac1971]

As long as Kevan Pipe is still in charge as Chief Operating Officer of the CSA, The Canadian Soccer Program will go nowhere! This guy is running the CSA as it was a rec league not a national football association. While most teams play up to 15 to 20 games a year, only 5 games a year in Canada.

Former National Team head coaches Holger Osieck and Frank Yallop said the more games we play, they better we are more prepared, apparently Pipe and company don't think so. It is so pathetic that CSA's last techicial director Richard Bate quit after less than a year on the job! Let me guess? Lack of vision?

Kevin Pipe has been at the helm of the CSA for the last 20 years. This guy has no vision and no passion for the sport and has very little credibility, he is just there collecting a paycheck and as long this guys is still in charge, we don't have a hope in hell for qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and beyond

[El Hombre]

It's all well and good to repeat the same tirade every second week, but what exactly are we going to do to affect change/educate the masses?

[Regs]

More changes are afoot... Have a look at the CSA website, you will note that there is a certain administrator not listed there that used to be, well, unless he changed his name to TBD

[sstackho]

Hi Regs,

I don't need to know about any specific cases, but do you have any ideas as to what might cause someone to have made a change that would require a certain administrative position to become TBD?

Perhaps you have a friend or someone you know that has been through a similar situation...

[Regs]

Hmmmm... How's this:

A friend of a friend's girlfriend's mom's hairdresser once left a hair salon to take up a similar position with a much publicized new hair salon that had A LOT of money behind it.

[Gordon]

So, was the Director of Communications Richard Ivan or Morgan Quary? I can't recall.

[sstackho]

Ah good. Hopefully your friend's girlfriend's mom's hairdresser is moving to a large metropolis that I may or may not live in.

[BrennanFan]

We gotta figure out a way to get rid of Pipe. We don't have to rub him out, can't we just do something to his voicebox?

[sstackho]

This certainly isn't the proper thread title under which to do it, but I would like to thank your friend of a friend's girlfriend's mom's hairdresser for her work - specifically in the last year. I think she was responsible for a lot of good initiatives in the last year, like the webcasts of the away hair salon visits and the SalonBootroom website.

[KAS]

quote:Originally posted by BrennanFan

We gotta figure out a way to get rid of Pipe. We don't have to rub him out, can't we just do something to his voicebox?

Hmmm . . sounds about right. You want to get Pipe with a pipe? Nice pop-cultural reference BTW.

Violence aside (for now atleast - let's see who the new coach is), does anyone know how much the CSA is paying Pipe? How about the others in the CSA, what are their salaries like? Executive perks? Are these really full-time jobs?

I would just like to know where the money is going, since it's obviously not going to the MNT.

[KAS]

quote:Originally posted by BrennanFan

We gotta figure out a way to get rid of Pipe. We don't have to rub him out, can't we just do something to his voicebox?

Hmmm . . sounds about right. You want to get Pipe with a pipe? Nice pop-cultural reference BTW.

Violence aside (for now atleast - let's see who the new coach is), does anyone know how much the CSA is paying Pipe? How about the others in the CSA, what are their salaries like? Executive perks? Are these really full-time jobs?

I would just like to know where the money is going, since it's obviously not going to the MNT.

[Greek]

Even though soccer associations are supposed to be run independently according to FIFA; most nations fund and coerce there soccer associations to produce contenders. Until the Canadian government wakes up and see's that soccer serves to increase a nations world profile, especially if you reach the semis, then nothing is going to change.

In the meantime, any real talent Canada produces is lost to other nations; decent coaches like Osieck will not coach Canada; and Pipe, should he go, would only be replaced with another soccer ignorant bureaucrat.

[Desigol]

Bit like the other CSA, the one I worked for.

Maybe if a Consortium run by an ex-Player took over things will change.

[KAS]

quote:Originally posted by Desigol

Maybe if a Consortium run by an ex-Player took over things will change.

Given the elaborate pyramid that is currently in place, a takeover that kicks out the current regime is almost impossible. Here is what would be needed to do a takeover:

PLAN #1

The first plan assumes the existing rules remain in place. A takeover would require several ex-players and coaches with good names, reputations, and money to get together and form a "poltical party" of sorts with a designated leader to become CSA President, and others board members/executives.

These people would first have to go back to their old childhood clubs or other clubs where they have a connection and convince the parents to put them in charge of the club. If they get enough clubs in a province, then they would be in a position to takeover a provincial association. Do this in a few provinces, and convince the pro teams to support you (wealthy ex-players could purchase USL teams to ensure their vote - obviously unlikely), and you might have enough to take a shot at the existing CSA kabal.

I imagine that the OSA would have the most votes, but taking over the OSA would be hard given the number of clubs involved. Taking over smaller provinces like PEI and Newfoundland would be easier to do with just a few prominant people, but former MNT players and coaches don't come from there, and they have fewer votes. You would have to take them over and convince the parents to send alot more money per kid to the CSA to get real votes.

Although the USL/MLS teams might support a takeover that would seek to develop more elite Canadian players, the differing needs of recreation soccer and the national teams makes it difficult to get the parents' support. A party of soccer elites won't gather much support even if the ex-players were good in their day as most parents don't follow the national teams - they just want some local volunteer to babysit their kids for them and run them around so that they are tired and less troublesome afterwards.

Plan #2

The second plan is much simpler: it's called copying the Australians. This requires convincing the Federal Government to blow-up the CSA and the entire structure, hold a Royal Commission or perhaps something less elaborate, and build new with a greater emphasis on performance and accountability.

Since the provincial associations and the clubs that control them will never willingly give-up their hold on the CSA, it must be forcefully taken away from them by the government. A CSA that is not voted in by soccer moms and which is independent of the provincial associations and clubs (lots of money needed here) is essential.

A different method of electing a CSA board would be needed. Although it might be inappropriate to let NT coaches vote (conflict of interest - voting for your future employer), the regular players from the senior national team should be able to vote. One method would be to have the senior men's and women's teams given one vote each for CSA Pres and other board members.

Another would be to give four board memberships to team representatives - 1 senior men's, 1 senior women's, 1 youth men's (U-17 + U-20) and 1 youth women's. The reps could be ex players who would keep players informed of CSA activities and would vote on major issues as directed by the team captains based on votes taken by the regular players on the team. A system would be devised to determine who the regular players are (min 5 caps for seniors?). This is far better than players' unions because the reps will actually be on the inside, at the boardroom table, casting votes. It is possible that a former coach could also be given a seat to represent all coaches in Canada.

Of course, the problem with this plan is that you have to make the Feds care enough about the problem to get involved. There is NO indication of any interest on their part. Politicians only react to crisis, and the media don't make enough of this to force Ottawa's hand. Also, it might be tough to justify stripping soccer moms of their voting rights and power over the CSA in favour of an elite few. It would be for the better, but it's political suicide. I also don't see a Canadian billionaire stepping up to take charge as happened in Australia. I don't think FIFA would object to this interference, as it would be temporary and for the better in a country that has long underperformed, it's lobbying the Feds to enforce change that will be hard.

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