CSA's Stategic Plan 2009-13 is out!!!

[the biologist]

quote:Originally posted by Bill Spiers

But it doesn't say "1.9 million on Meetings". It says "1.9 million on Administration and Meetings"!

Yeah, you're true, but it still looks ridiculous to me. Compare this $$$ with what's invested elsewhere. When you look at all the crap written in this "strategic plan", it must have taken many (too much) "directors" and all to get this result. And all the people and time spent on this (this ???) means $$$ and more $$$ thrown away by the windows. You know what I mean ?

And I have yet to talk about the "Meetings" part of it. *Sigh*

[Vic]

Administrative expenses: Metcalfe office/rent, office staff, computer systems, professional services (accounting, legal-duh), banking, travel, etc. Anything else you can think of. It's a standard accounting slush line item. Without greater breakdown, the figure is essentially useless.

[CanadianTraveller]

quote:Originally posted by Vic

Administrative expenses: Metcalfe office/rent, office staff, computer systems, professional services (accounting, legal-duh), banking, travel, etc. Anything else you can think of. It's a standard accounting slush line item. Without greater breakdown, the figure is essentially useless.

x2

$1.9M seems like a reasonable number for an organization of this size, if it covers off all expenses in this space. Without more information, it's impossible to guess whether this is productively spent or not.C

[Bill Spiers]

quote:Originally posted by Bill Spiers

Strategic Activities is another 29 page document that I understand will be available for posting shortly. Keep your eye on the BC Soccer and Ontario Soccer web sites.

Now available on the OSA web site:

http://soccer.on.ca/download/CSA/CSA_Strategic_Activities_English.pdf

[Bxl Boy]

Thanks Bill

I think this is the key document to judge what the strategic plan is worth

To this one, a new column will be added in december (when they will vote the budget and the increasing of the affiliation fee) for the amount that will cost each “strategic activity”.

[Vic]

Change and regeneration is a necessary part of the metamorphosis required for Canadian soccer to go forward. But another iteration of pretty documents is just a band aid on gaping wound on a dying body. The CSA has proven it is incapable of self-governance.

[CoachRich]

quote:Originally posted by Vic

Change and regeneration is a necessary part of the metamorphosis required for Canadian soccer to go forward. But another iteration of pretty documents is just a band aid on gaping wound on a dying body. The CSA has proven it is incapable of self-governance.

Well said Vic

[FootieFool]

I find it a disconcerting that the CSA vision document does not include any reference to the fans. We are not one of the stakeholder groups the CSA feels they have to maintain and nurture relationships with (pg 13).

There is more than one way to "develop a life long passion for soccer" amongst Canadians. A lot of people will never play organized soccer, but would still be fans.

I understand we are not as major a stakeholder as the professional clubs or media in this country, but certainly an acknowledgment of the important role the fans play within the system would be nice.

[Trillium]

Riddle me this ..

Why develop coaching manuals etc.. and have CSA technical staff ?

Why not buy the manuals from FIFA or elsewhere, why not hire presenters for coaching seminars from around the world and have them come in for a week to present ?

The model they are using has not worked regionally in Canada nor will it work nationally, the mix of skills they need cannot be found in one person.. mostly we lack mangerial and organisational comptencies .. we need to hire that skill and contract on ad hoc basis for set times the "football specific skills i.e. giving coaching seminars ..to senior community coaches etc. "

We need "scholarship" program for young coaches to cover going to Latin America for one or two year programs as professional coaches working in clubs in the Americas.

The problems are not going be solved by these plans they are solutions to the last 20 years problems we are beyond that now.. solve the next set of problems before they arise.

[CoachRich]

We know that the CSA is going to try to get another $3.4M out of the members a year w/ this $4 per member raise that they are asking in the CSA SP road show they are doing in each province. Still leaves the CSA to get another $8.6m a year to raise. Any guesses on where they are going to try......members of course.

[VPjr]

^ it is my opinion that the $4-5 per head they are asking for this year is just step 1. My belief is that sponsorship revenues are going to dry up (no WC, bad economy, etc...) so the only reliable revenue source will be head taxes. it will go to $11 for 2009....maybe $14-15 per head in 2010. where does it stop?

what do we get for that money? that is the real question.

[Bxl Boy]

For 6$ ?

I don't know... how much costs a combo-menu in a fast food ?

[CoachRich]

quote:Originally posted by VPjr

^ it is my opinion that the $4-5 per head they are asking for this year is just step 1. My belief is that sponsorship revenues are going to dry up (no WC, bad economy, etc...) so the only reliable revenue source will be head taxes. it will go to $11 for 2009....maybe $14-15 per head in 2010. where does it stop?

what do we get for that money? that is the real question.

Any of you researcher types have access to a list of what the other NSO's charge for their member fees. I would be interested to see & find out if the CSA is going to say the other NSO's charge more.

The other part of the real question is when are the players & us in the grassroots going to say NO in mass.

It wouldn't be the 1st time that players & the grassroots revolted for accountability, better management & governance.

[Trillium]

quote:Originally posted by CoachRich

Any of you researcher types have access to a list of what the other NSO's charge for their member fees. I would be interested to see & find out if the CSA is going to say the other NSO's charge more.

The other part of the real question is when are the players & us in the grassroots going to say NO in mass.

It wouldn't be the 1st time that players & the grassroots revolted for accountability, better management & governance.

I stand to be corrected and i cant find the direct link but i Skate Canada fee is up in the $40.00 mark for insurance and athlete fee split with the District ( 13 in Canada ) and Natonal Office.

[CoachRich]

^

OMG!!! I don't feel good or comfortable giving the CSA $7M or $11M

How much goes to Skates PSO & NSO?

For BCSA, I'll find out how they get. We should start a PSO list of the fees.

[Brad Fougere]

Strategic planning...

It feels so corporate. Haven't we seen the light on capitalism's effects on all things? Oh wait, they said "best practice" in there, it's ok.

A grassroots system where the people in each area care more about whether their players ate pasta before a game (and not McDonald's... seriously parents, get with it!) than the next board election is imperative.

I got the bug super recently having been a part of basketball, football, and the arts, and I'm in for the long haul. I'm glad to have found this forum.

Please excuse the fragmented nature of my comments for the first little while. It's a lot to take in.

[CanadianTraveller]

A few thoughts after reading the Activities guide - which is the primary deliverable and what the CSA should be measured on.

1.1 - Wellness to World Cup Development. It would be nice if the CSA recognized the groups who are being asked to implement the new guidelines - the CSA simply publishing their guides is far from enough to convince coaches, clubs, regions, or PSA's to get on-board. It's also disconcerting to see introduction of a coordinated approach occurring before you've published what that approach is...although it's possible that this is the collaboration/consultation with the grassroots I mentioned above. Did anyone notice the CSA asking key stakeholders how to collaboratively build this coordinated approach this year?

1.1.2 - Hey, I actually saw a measurable outcome (5% increase in Mini Soccer Festivals). I wonder if any measures have been established yet for the plethora of outcomes listed in this document?

Overall Wellness to World Cup: For every one hour I'd guess is invested in elite soccer, approximately four hours would be invested in grassroots efforts, including numerous grassroots components where the Technical Director is directly involved in the activities. Obviously this is a wild-ass guess, but read through the items in this section and describe the focus of these activities.

1.1.4 - Referees. This is the first activities section that seemed well-developed and somewhat comprehensive. Someone took the time to document current issues. One minor nit - I don't equate LTPD with developing world-class referees. Referees need a high volume of game action in a variety of high-quality settings; LTPD would supply neither? One issue is that issues and outcomes are listed, not activities.

1.1.4 - Coaching. The opposite quality of the referee activities.

1.1.5 - Administration. Neither the coaching section nor the administration section addresses the dearth of international-caliber knowledge in our country, as others here have recommended. I'd suggest that people in England, Italy, or Brazil really have no idea how to coach or administer the vast majority of clubs in Canada, but we still have lots to learn and should adopt more of their programs the higher the quality of soccer played?

1.1.6 - Competition. Re-aligning competition structures should be a full-time job in 2009. If it's anything like hockey, there will be tremendous resistance to this. Instead it's one of a plethora of items on the TD's desk. Assigning a point-person with credibility throughout the system to lead this initiative would be wise. Ensuring that each PSA president - a CSA board member who has approved this national strategy - makes this a priority in their province should be a requirement for the president to continue their position on the CSA board. This should, quite literally, be a confidence measure in the PSA's president ability to lead their province in forming a national consensus...or else leave the CSA framework and don't pretend to be a integral part of the CSA. And yes, that means that the CSA had better produce a phenomenal plan that reflects the very different needs of various players within the overall CSA framework. If someone writes, "All 12 year olds should practice 120 minutes per week for each 90 minute game played." I'll gladly send hate mail.

1.1.8 - This is an incomplete set of activities - it basically says, "The GS and TD will develop an action plan" to perform real activities. The status of this important activity is concerning. Ditto for 1.1.9.

1.2.1 - National teams. It's disconcerting to see the activity as "Establish a European/Central American base" but the outcome is not to have multiple training sessions in these locations. "Improved performance" does not constitute part of a SMART objective. And did I miss something, or how does the Technical Director have responsibility for giving the technical director support? Either it's the GS (in the form of prioritizing funds, generating additional revenue) or its the rest of the office providing staff during key periods to support the TD and that team's activities?

1.2.1 - National team. They absolutely, positively must add "Consult with national team players to identify opportunities to improve the operations of the national teams." If the last four months have taught us nothing, they've taught us this key lesson. It should also put responsibility back on the players to maximize the value of the very minimal funds available to the national team, and to force soccer players to emulate their MSO counterparts in lobbying the public for funds.

Did you notice that all of the national teams already have activity plans, almost all of which are currently being implemented? Given the lackluster performance of many of these teams, are there CSA-level activities around improving all of these plans, perhaps using a systematic approach to align some of these plans around common areas for improvement? At a minimum...would be interesting to read a couple of those plans to understand the strategic activities that are already well under way...or are these national team plans non-strategic?

2. Member interaction. I realize that these are summarized action items, but please please tell me that increased exposure for key sponsors is a part of these strategic activities?

2.2.3 I felt that this section was perhaps the best-written example of a high-level activities plan. A real shame that this was probably delivered verbatim by Sport Canada, traditionally regarded as one of the most useless sports organizations in Canada. I hope that it's Sport Canada that has improved....

3. Governance. I didn't do a checklist of these activities against the Deloitte recommendations, but it appears that they have in fact adopted a significant number. They haven't fixed the makeup of the board, but the manner of governance appears to be addressed. If these activities are completed successfully, if the outcomes are accomplished at acceptable levels of success, then perhaps in four or six years we'll see some improvements _begin_ at the CSA. Of course, there's significant improvement required...

3.2.1. Funding sources. How the hell can the activity, the output and the outcome be the same? Even if the goof who wrote this said, "Operational plan to continuously improve revenue generation" you'd have a better output than "Maximize revenue". I really hope someone actually has a clue of how they will achieve their objections in this area.

3.2.2. Can anyone describe the purpose of the "National Database"? Is it a way for the CSA to solicit funds from PSA sponsors? Also, note that the "new programs and services" found its way into the "Increase revenue" section of the document? Not exactly a nuanced message.

3.2.3. Has no one in the CSA recognized that the funneling of CSA members to watch elite soccer is a way to develop interest in the sport, generate support for elite soccer, and encourage partnership between the CSA and those elite programs? Or were those outcomes missed from the table? CSA revenue is a result of those outcomes, not the primary outcome of the partnership.

3.2.4. The CSA expects to have "financially sustainable events" by hosting national team games in Canada. Given what happened this year, I have my doubts that the CSA can do this by simply hosting friendlies. However, some of the CSA efforts to work with various groups (including the V's in Toronto) may offer hope in this area. Personally, I'd spend more time thinking of cost-effective ways to play on the road - a model very successful in U.S. college football and basketball - rather than figuring out how to break-even with home games. At least in the short term. But maybe I'm being fatalistic - we do need more home games, but our teams need convenient international competition even more. Maybe we can accomplish both...I just have my doubts.

3.2.4 Anyone know what a Canada Cup would be?

Overall...this isn't a bad start for the CSA. There are many gaps of course, but it's a reasonable mapping from direction to activities. If I were a board member I'd have another 100 questions, but I think this is an activity plan I would have to vote for rather than vote against. Whether the General Secretary should put this forward to the board for approval at this stage of development is a valid question.

[Trillium]

quote:Originally posted by VPjr

^ it is my opinion that the $4-5 per head they are asking for this year is just step 1. My belief is that sponsorship revenues are going to dry up (no WC, bad economy, etc...) so the only reliable revenue source will be head taxes. it will go to $11 for 2009....maybe $14-15 per head in 2010. where does it stop?

what do we get for that money? that is the real question.

What money does the CSA collect from game day gates from pro soccer in Canada ?

With TFC and others pain attendances we must be up around 750,000 paid attendance at "pro" games .. what does the CSA charge as the tax on such games ?

At an average ticket of 20 dollars the revenue is 15 million, does CSA get three percent or more ?

[VPjr]

quote:Originally posted by Trillium

What money does the CSA collect from game day gates from pro soccer in Canada ?

With TFC and others pain attendances we must be up around 750,000 paid attendance at "pro" games .. what does the CSA charge as the tax on such games ?

At an average ticket of 20 dollars the revenue is 15 million, does CSA get three percent or more ?

what makes you think the CSA gets anything from gate receipts. I've never heard of pro gate receipts being a revenue source for the CSA.

Has anyone heard this?

[Trillium]

quote:Originally posted by VPjr

what makes you think the CSA gets anything from gate receipts. I've never heard of pro gate receipts being a revenue source for the CSA.

Has anyone heard this?

Well they used to collect on internatonal friendlies.. and I do believe other national associations charge such fees... so if the professionals in Canada are not paying ... a significant portion how do they merit a seat on the board ?

[Cheeta]

^I thought the CSA receives a head tax on all</u> events held at BMO Field as part of the management deal with MLSE. Simply can't imagine the Caps and Impact ever agreeing to a head tax at football events held at their venues.

Trillium does raise a point though. CSA properties such as the Voyageurs Cup and CONCACRAP Champions League fixtures absolutely fall within the CSA domain of taxation and the CSA shouldn't be shy about pursuing a head-tax or surcharge at such events. Hell, I'd say they'd be negligent not to.

Did 100,000 people attend the V-Cup fixtures this year? Bet you it was close to that. Being optimistic, say another 40,000 have been to the Impact CCL matches I'd guess. At $2 a head that's $280K in the CSA's coffers. Monies that will be used (of course!) by the CSA to more professionally promote and grow those tournies, which will in turn increase the benefits for the clubs participating in them, blah-blah-blah.

It's a bit of a pain for the clubs to collect the tax, but not much. It's a user pay system meaning if the clubs win at the gate so does the CSA, if the clubs don't they're not out anything, and any revenue stream for a cash strapped organization like the CSA benefits Canadian soccer one way or another.

Now this may be going on already but I don't know but I'm curious to find out though.

[CoachRich]

^

Would be good to have it broken out in the AR but that's wishful thinking on my part.

[CanadasBest]

This is total crap. This Association has had enough time to administer these goals and has repeatedly failed to achieve previous goals or take actions recommended in the Deloitte & Touche report. We should hit them right back with a press release of our own admonishing the CSA and calling for serious change to the board structure and insist they hire a professional CEO to oversee all aspects of the operation.

quote:http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2008/10/28/csa_development_strategy/

From Sportsnet.ca

CSA unveil new direction, strategy

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Click here to find out more!

Soccer in Canada is heading in a new direction. With the development of its Strategic Plan and Strategic Activities documents, the Canadian Soccer Association has taken the first steps in achieving specific milestones for the sport over the next five years. To achieve those milestones, the Association has identified key priorities that will help Canadian soccer prosper both at the national and international levels.

The Strategic Plan and Strategic Activities (2009-2013) have been published online at CanadaSoccer.com (www.CanadaSoccer.com/strategic/strategicplan.asp). Both documents are very much the starting points to a coordinated approach to soccer's future in Canada.

"The first strategic plan outlines the three-big priorities for our Association and expresses how the Association will, through the well-defined strategic activities, reach its fixed objectives," said Canadian Soccer Association president, Dr. Dominic Maestracci.

Those three strategic priorities are Wellness to World Cup, Member Interaction and Sustainable Capacity. Wellness to World Cup features the Association's long-term player development plan and its international aspirations for the national teams. Member Interaction highlights the Association's relationships at both the external (FIFA, CONCACAF, FIFA members, provinces/territories, federal government, multi-sport organizations) and internal levels (players, coaches, referees, administrators, volunteers). Sustainable Capacity covers both operational and revenue priorities.

The strategic priorities have been established to help the Association achieve specific milestones for 2013. Those milestones include greater revenue streams (a $25-million annual budget), triumphs for the national teams (FIFA World Cup qualification for the men and a FIFA or Olympic podium finish for the women), the promise of another FIFA tournament (FIFA Women's World Cup 2015), and the registration of more Canadians playing the beautiful game (a million players by 2013).

"As soccer continues in its growth across the entire country, there will be significant opportunities for the Canadian Soccer Association to further develop its brand and to position soccer as the premiere sport in Canada," said Canadian Soccer Association General Secretary Peter Montopoli. "As such, the Strategic Plan provides the necessary roadmap to guide the sport through this exciting growth phase."

The Canadian Soccer Association, in partnership with its members and all its corporate partners, provides leadership in the pursuit of excellence in soccer, both at the national and international levels. The Canadian Soccer Association not only strives to lead Canada to victory, but it also encourages Canadians towards a life-long passion for soccer.

[jpg75]

TSN release, which i assume is a CP story:

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=254068&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_soccer

The Canadian Soccer Association needs to revamp its structure and more than double its budget to a minimum of $25 million by 2013, the organization says in a new five-year plan released Tuesday.

More than a year in the making, the association's "Strategic Plan" and "Strategic Activities" 2009-13 documents are billed as "the starting points to a co-ordinated approach to soccer's future in Canada."

The documents are long on good intentions and, at this stage, largely short of specifics other than identifying a myriad of areas that have to be fixed or improved.

Still it recognizes that the sport in Canada needs to be fixed.

"We aim to regain the confidence of the Canadian soccer community by giving our teams the means to improve their performances within CONCACAF and FIFA," the plan concludes. "We also aim to show that the association does what it should for the development of our sport."

The CSA plan comes in the wake of elimination of the men's national team, the association's flagship team, from World Cup finals contention in 2010 (one of the report's stated goals). Canada has not qualified for the sport's showcase event since 1986. The failure of the men's team has also been accompanied by reports of dissatisfaction from several of its players.

The report raises the bar significantly on on-field performance, calling for the Canadian women's team, currently ranked 10th in the world by FIFA, to win a medal at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics and at the 2011 World Cup.

The men's goal is to reach the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup. The plan also calls for the Canadian men to crack the top 40 of the FIFA rankings and top three in CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean. Canada is currently 84th in the world and fifth in CONCACAF.

National team plans include establishing European and Central American training camp locations.

Improved funding is seen as the lifeblood for on-field improvement and the report concludes that the CSA has to be reorganized if it is to secure the resources to properly fund its soccer teams.

"It is a start. It's ongoing, it is fluid, " association general secretary Peter Montopoli, speaking from Ottawa, said of the report. "And I think we have to recognize that ... but I think we've captured the essence of soccer in the strategic plan itself, as a start. But we do know and we probably all agree that there is tremendous potential for the future."

Money is needed to translate that potential into reality.

The CSA's 2007 budget was $12 million, $5.9 million or 43 per cent of which came from membership fees from the more than 867,000 registered players in the country.

Of that budget, $4.5 million or 36 per cent was spent on senior teams. Another $1.8 million or 14 per cent went to youth teams. The remaining 50 per cent went to expenditures described as technical, marketing and communication, national competitions and administration and meetings.

The new plan calls for hiring of a "senior business development person" to help increase revenue and establish a business advisory committee as well as maximize existing revenue streams such as gate receipts from home games, sponsors, merchandising and CSA members.

It also cites the objective of a new staff structure, with the goal of "more efficient organization."

The association has already released the first part of its so-called "Wellness to World Cup" plan. Issued in June, it was billed as a framework for long-term player development and is the first of several instalments.

The new strategic plan identifies the 2012 women's CONCACAF Olympic qualifier, 2010 Peace Cup, 2015 Women's World Cup, and the men's CONCACAF Gold Cup, as well as a new tournament called the Canada Cup as potential events Canada could host.

While there are big-picture goals, there are also smaller ones like ensuring the CSA website is bilingual and having "ongoing positive relationships with media outlets."

Soccer in Canada has produced a variety of plans over the last decade, including failed blueprints to launch a top-tier domestic league. And it has spent long hours trying to find ways to translate its enormous grassoots playing base into success at the national and international level.

In the process, there has been a revolving door of CSA executives, coaches and other officials.

Holger Osieck, then men's head coach and technical director, and Andy Sharpe, then CSA vice-president, released a damning look at the sport in Canada in 1999.

"Freezing temperatures, rain-soaked shale, gravel fields, gymnasium-type playing areas are not suitable to prepare our national teams to compete against our CONCACAF neighbours such as Mexico, U.S.A., Costa Rica, El Salvador, Jamaica, and Guatemala," the report stated bluntly.

"In addition the lack of a professional infrastructure further handicaps our young Canadian players. We found the CSA staff feeling helpless due to the lack of facilities available and proper funding."

In 2000, there was another association five-year plan dubbed Blueprint for Success. And in 2005, there was a Deloitte review of the CSA's organization structure and planning.

Many have tried to fix the problem, including England's Dick Bate, who came on board as technical director in the fall of 2005 and soon learned the challenge facing him.

"There's a lot to do," he said in an interview in February 2006. "There's a lot of very enthusiastic, very willing people working in the game. Many wishing it was different. Not having the staff or the authority to change things. That's a first impression.

"It seems to be very fragmented. ... Nothing particularly universally co-ordinated."

Bates resigned five months later, after just 10 months on the job, to accept a technical director's job with English club Watford.

[superbrad]

What's with the timing of the press release? Are they trying to address the dissent?