Clubs kick around structure ideas

It wasn’t the usual rowdy crowd that gathered in the gym at West Valley High School on Feb. 10, though the squeaking of sneakers and the crinkle of training pants sounded just like the warm-up before a basketball game. A circle of tables was off to the side, and around that sat about 25 people trying to decide the future structure of club soccer in Spokane.

They were facing countless problems, one being that there’s no process by which to make a decision like that.

Traditionally, Spokane Youth Sports Association – which has 5,000 soccer players in its programs, including the Shadow premier club – was a major soccer force through its soccer division, Spokane Youth Sports Association Soccer. But SYSA-S is effectively sidelined in these discussions because it lost its accreditation with Washington State Youth Soccer Association last year.

That, and a lawsuit filed by SYSA alleging that the state organization is trying to take over soccer in Spokane with the help of a group of former SYSA-S volunteers, has left the field wide open for restructuring or merging existing clubs.

Chris Sande, president of Spokane Valley Junior Soccer Association, called the meeting and invited facilitator Kathryn Karschney to lead the discussion.

Gathered in the gym were representatives from pretty much every soccer club in the Spokane area, including Elite, River City, Shadow and Breakers. SYSA executive director Phil Helean was not present.

Washington State Youth Soccer Association – with which they are all affiliated – has put the local group on a March 1 deadline to restructure soccer in Spokane or let state run the show until things settle.

Karschney made it clear that this was no soccer council meeting.

“We are here to try and build consensus,” she said. “This is not a voting body or a voting meeting. We are here to listen and to get some ideas out in the open.”

There was no one from the state at the meeting.

Yet the meeting began with a discussion of the state’s recommendation that in the future there would be one soccer association in Spokane and, with that, one premier team.

Club representatives had many questions about that structure, including whether there could be two premier clubs and whether the state would select its own people for the board of this association.

“It’s not clear if Washington State Youth Soccer would put in its own people,” said Sande. “I guess this could encompass two clubs.”

Steve Wee, a coach with River City, said he’d seen an e-mail from the state group that made it very clear there would only be one club under this structure.

“It’s critical for parents and kids to have options,” said Manny Faridnia, a coach with Spokane Soccer Club’s Elite. “If you get a coach you don’t get along with, you want to be able to go somewhere else.”

Several voiced opposition to having Federal Way-based Washington State Youth Soccer involved on a local level, and many had questions about specifically how the state group would be involved, questions that went unanswered because no one from the organization was at the meeting.

The state group will not comment on the soccer situation in Spokane and refers all questions to its attorney, Laurie Siddoway.

Another option for restructuring would be to have Spokane Valley Junior Soccer Association take over administration of soccer in Spokane. This caused some heartburn in the city clubs that used to belong to SYSA-S because the two groups have a long history of battling over players.

That lead to a long discussion about how to ensure that all players, coaches and parents have equal representation in a new association, regardless of where they used to belong.

Sande said he liked the idea of moving everyone into a single regional club.

“We have a chance to make soccer better in Spokane,” Sande said.

In a newly formed organization, bylaws, rules and regulations would have to be written to ensure all teams get equal representation.

Another issue that was briefly debated is whether the Spokane clubs should seek affiliation with U.S. Club Soccer instead of the state group. A vote to decide that matter has tentatively been scheduled for Feb. 25, when representatives from U.S. Club Soccer will be in town.

At the end of the meeting Sande volunteered to become the point person for communication among all the clubs.

Troy Bester, whose daughter plays for Shadow and son plays for River City, followed the meeting from the bleachers.

In his experience, he said, parents often have a mishmash of information about what’s going on in the club on the regional and on the state level.

“And there is some confusion about why we are involved with Washington Youth Soccer,” said Bester.

Overall, he said, it was a good first meeting.

“These are people here who have good intentions – some may be a little bitter about some things, but there is good stuff here,” Bester said. “The question is where do we go from here? I just cross my fingers that they can work it out so the kids can play soccer.”