Last two years Beauport Canadian champions denied to go for Three in a row

[navycyr]

Girls member of that exceptional team have been advised by club officials that Quebec soccer Federation had denied them to take part in the Quebec U18 cup giving access to the canadian championships. The club says they have sollicited a lawyer services but that it has been useless. Consequently, 17 years old services will be offered to other teams in the area while 18 years old will be dispatched between the two AAA senior teams of the area. Those not able to find a spot elsewhere will play in senior AA.

I find it unfortunate, the girls be eliminated not on the field but by an administrative decision. So, there will be a new national champion in the U18 girls category this year and I wish everybody good luck to grab the vacant title.

That's sad but it's nothing compared to Japan's situation or even the difficulties of the women who represent our country on the international scene and experience difficulties being treated fairly. But for those who live that drama, it's the end of a dream that could have been avoided had some officials not been so stubborn. Even if there is no U18 league in Quebec in the girls category, Federation could have let them comptete in the U18 cup and they could have played their season in senior AA. Sounded to me a fair compromise, but not to the Federation...

[Vic]

2011 National Club Championships

Please be advised that for the 2011 Ontario Cup, the Under 17 Boys Tier 1 and Under 17 Girls Ontario Cup Champions will represent Ontario at the 2011 Under 18 National Club Championships. The Under 18 Ontario Cup Winners in 2011 will not advance to National Club Championships.

In previous years, it has been the Under 18 Boys and Girls Ontario Cup Champions that have advanced to the National Club Championships, however, the Under 18 teams win the Provincial Championship at the end of July, and then by the time the National Championships take place in October, the teams have lost a significant number of players to Universities.

http://ontariosoccer.net/Competitions/ProvincialChampionships/OntarioCup/2011EntryRulesandEntryForm/2011NationalClubChampionshipsRuleChanges.aspx

"by the time the National Championships take place in October, the teams have lost a significant number of players to Universities"

Quite often the teams that qualify lose most of their starting lineups and the end result is the teams are not well represented, the clubs aren't, the provinces aren't, and the integrity of the championships isn't either.

If a team is carded adult they can't play down youth in competition unless the rules of the competition allow it. And the national championships don't. Perhaps I'll be surprised one day but there's a lot of process and administration around that and I can't see it changing. It's one of the main building blocks of the system. I know a couple of different people who have tried this in the past unsuccessfully too.

At the young ages everything is fine and there is no conflict but when kids hit 17/18 their 'careers' overlap with with other leagues (post-secondary, W, etc).

The only other option would be to run the championships earlier in the season. The big problem there though is there's a lot of money and a major amount of behind the scenes work that goes on to organize and run the nationals week.

Because of our culture and geography our pyramid of play and our solutions are fractured and evolving. Sometimes that works in your favour, sometimes it doesn't. It seems rather sad though that a good team would dissolve over something like this. Why not just play women's and go for the women's Quebec Cup? I thought I heard Quebec was sending a women's team to nationals this year?

[CoachRich]

All this leads to the question of whether U18 Nationals are needed for that age group at all.

[terpfan68]

i believe the U.S runs their National Championships in July. They have to have playdowns because they have 50 states so you have to win your region first.

check out

http://thesoccerroom.com/?p=22994