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Changing the CSA


Glenn

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A lot of people here believe that Kevan Pipe has essentially ruined or at least held back Canadian soccer over the past twenty years, and that removing Pipe would improve the game. Having looked at the CSA constitution briefly, I'm not sure that would make any difference. From what I can see, Pipe is appointed by the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee (President, VP, and some officers and directors) decide on his duties and his salary. The board of directors is elected by the voting members.

The voting members are the provincial associations (with one to ten votes, based on fees collected for the CSA), one vote for each professional league in division one or two (no idea whether the CSL/CPSL counts), one for each professional club, and two player votes (taken from the Olympic teams).

What I'm not clear about are Pipe's duties. I know he and the president or VP sign documents, but since the board decides on his duties, and the board is elected by the membership, why would removing Pipe have any effect? It seems to me that if change is to be effected, it would have to come through the membership. Even if they removed him, would they just elect someone else to carry out their agenda? Whether or not he's effective, I think focussing on him as the source of our problems is missing the real issue.

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From the constitution:

The vision of Soccer in Canada declares what our sport stands for and is working towards:

• To provide opportunities to all of our Members ranging from World Cup victories to participation appropriate to everyone’s abilities.

• To encourage positive values in all aspects of the sport.

• To be recognized as a major player in the world’s premier sport.

As a result of the above, all decisions on programs and resources are made by answering the

question:

‘HOW DOES THIS HELP ACHIEVE THE VISION FOR SOCCER?”

MISSION STATEMENT

• The Canadian Soccer Association, in partnership with its members are dedicated to promoting the growth and development of soccer for all Canadians at all levels.

• That, in this pursuit, The Canadian Soccer Association, in partnership with its Members, are committed to providing leadership and good governance for our sport.

The goal for the national teams:

The Association fields national teams to represent Canada in international competitions.

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I don't read this as a focus on qualifying for the World Cup. The CSA is committed to fielding national teams, but advancing in the World Cup is just one of the things they're supposed to be doing. Perhaps there's a fundamental problem there -- how can we be a "major player" in world soccer when the MNT and WNT aren't the major focus of the CSA?

If the CSA's operating problems are a result of the officials appointed by the elected board and executive committee, then based on the above, only the associations have the power to change things.

It's been said on this board that going through the associations is only way to bring about progress, but I haven't seen much in the way of concrete ideas or action.

So how does that happen? is the system fundamentally flawed, and if so, how do we as fans change it? Some sort of grassroots effort to affect the makeup and goals of the associations might make a difference, but would it be enough? If the whole thing is a pyramid, and you have to push from the bottom to make a difference at the top, it seems that the only way for major change is a a vast effort across the country.

Maybe we need a Voyageurs Party to seize control of every minor soccer association, then the provincial organizations, and finally the CSA itself. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but something similar may be the only way to break the seemingly endless cycle of business as usual at the top.

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I suggest if one were to take representative poll of registered soccer players in Canada, whom our associations represent at all levels, that a focus by the CSA on national teams plus qualifying for the world cup would not gain majority support as the top priority let alone the main objective. And I suspect the associations know this which accounts for their actions.

Those of us who frequent this board and are anxious for success in international competition I suggest are very much in the minority, no matter how much this may irk us.

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quote:Originally posted by Richard

I suggest if one were to take representative poll of registered soccer players in Canada, whom our associations represent at all levels, that a focus by the CSA on national teams plus qualifying for the world cup would not gain majority support as the top priority let alone the main objective. And I suspect the associations know this which accounts for their actions.

Those of us who frequent this board and are anxious for success in international competition I suggest are very much in the minority, no matter how much this may irk us.

That occurred to me as I read the constitution. I believe that the player fees are the major source of CSA funding, and I expect the provincial associations would work to ensure there's some return on the money they give to the CSA. The elite level of competition doesn't have much to do with the life and fees of the veryday player. Maybe increased sponsorship to raise money for the national teams would help. Or perhaps a referendum on adding a special fee that goes directly to the highest levels of competition? An extra dollar per player would be close to a million dollars. But would that kind of money make any difference?

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In my almost 30 year involvement with soccer in Canada at all levels from house leagues to national teams it has been my consistent experience that the vast majority of fee paying players/parents object mightily to their registration money being used to subsidise elite players. Every motion to increase player fees or allocations for this purpose meets with virulent opposition from the masses. This puts a serious crimp in what the CSA and provincial associations can do without subjugating themselves to commercial sponsors or governments.

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quote:Originally posted by Richard

In my almost 30 year involvement with soccer in Canada at all levels from house leagues to national teams it has been my consistent experience that the vast majority of fee paying players/parents object mightily to their registration money being used to subsidise elite players. Every motion to increase player fees or allocations for this purpose meets with virulent opposition from the masses. This puts a serious crimp in what the CSA and provincial associations can do without subjugating themselves to commercial sponsors or governments.

Also as a monetary note the OSA (Ontario) budget is within a few million of being equal to the CSA's on an annual basis so what is not always obvious is not only to the provinces (and districts) control the direction of the game in this country for the most part they also control the majority of the cash....

So in effect you have literally dozens of associations doing what is best for them in their area with not a lot of thought of what happens at the national level because quite frankly it does not involve them.

As someone has mentioned elsewhere there is a lack of vision but I would say it is not just at the CSA level but at all levels in this country and that is why the problem is so difficult to identify let alone fix...

Bill

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I had a feeling it might work this way. I've never been involved in soccer administration, but from everything I've read, going back for decades, there seem to be a lot of turf wars. I suppose that even if one had the vision that's so often mentioned, the sheer weight of those who are looking out for their local interests might be too much to overcome. Again, it seems to go back to a fundamental conflict between goals -- each body is supposed to represent everyone within their organization, and very few of those people have any involvement with the national teams.

Which begs the question, how do other FAs make their national teams so important? England? Russia? France? I guess they have more players, and everyone expcept Russia has less of a geographical challenge, but i suspect they also have more of a centralized system. Back in the beginning, there was some debate about whether Canada needed two national associations due to sheer size. Maybe now we need one for the recreational game and another for the elite/professional game.

One other question: Does anyone know whether other associations get their operating funding? I assume their national team programs aren't as dependent upon the dues paid by the average player.

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