What costs 50 cents? A newspaper. Half a cup of coffee. A candy bar. In California, turning the light on.
Each player in America contributes 50 cents annually to U.S. Soccer if that player is part of an affiliated league.
The 50 cents are what connect almost 4 million American players to the glories of Mia Hamm and the hopes of Landon Donovan. After 16 years, the Federation wants to raise the fee. It pretty much has to if it wants to continue progressing on the player-development front.
(The pro leagues – MLS, WUSA, USL – contribute some $500,000 plus $50 per pro player to the Federation.)
In mid-January in Indianapolis, the Federation’s board of directors met in an effort to hammer out a hike that the youth and amateur ranks would swallow. The meeting coincided with the NSCAA Convention, which brought France coach Roger Lemerre to town.
France provides an enticing model for the United States. For one, it serves as an example of how an immigrant population can create a soccer powerhouse.
Also, the French adopted a Federation-driven player development system once they saw that a natural process wasn’t producing.
Lemerre explained to us that the Federation forced all pro teams to create soccer academies and the clubs, in turn, received government grants. Out of this program came the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winners.
Sounds easy. Too bad the United States doesn’t have a government that funds soccer schools and rich pro clubs that obey Federation orders.
U.S. Soccer needs to expand the player-identification system and its residency program. It needs a national training center. It wants to guarantee that no young talent goes unnoticed and all potential stars get the opportunities they need.
Raising the fee two bucks would go a long way. It would mean skipping a few candy bars. I hope I heard wrong when told that the so-called “soccer family” is reluctant for even a 50-cent raise.