Youth Soccer News: Southern California Developmental Soccer League Update

Updated

In March, 2011, twenty Southern California clubs joined to form the Southern California Developmental Soccer League (SCDSL), dedicated to putting player development first. The league was designed by coaches from several of the top clubs in the region with the goal of giving clubs more control over player and team environments in order to provide “a match day environment conducive to promoting player development.” The league states that its mission is to “allow all participating clubs to have the freedom to make decisions that are in the best interest of all their players and to place the League’s priority first and foremost on true player development.”

Currently the SCDSL has 29 member clubs comprising 730 teams and playing at 97 venues, many with multiple fields. After months of preparation and organization, the league began competition in September and Soccer Showcases took place over the weekend of October 15-16. SoccerNation spoke to Michelle Romero, Operations Manager of SCDSL, and Kathy Hollenbach, PhD, Director of Operations for San Diego Surf and Board Member for SCDSL, about the Showcases and the league in general.  

In response to readers' questions on the calender year vs August 1st age cut off, we spoke with Colin Chesters, Director of Coaching for San Diego Surf and a founding member of SCDSL.

SoccerNation News: Kathy, can you explain the reasons for the creation of the new Southern California Developmental Soccer League (SCDSL) and tell us if it is meeting the need you saw?

Kathy Hollenbach: The idea for the league came from coaching directors who wanted to be able to teach during game situations and create a playing environment that is more like college and professional play. Removing the team rankings being dependent on each week’s success has made this possible. We now have great competition where players stay on the field to work though their mistakes and coaches don’t manipulate the speed of the game with constant substitutions.

SNN: How is the first season for the new SCDSL?

Colin Chesters: It’s going well. Obviously, it’s a new league and there are learning curves, but the competition’s right, the coaching’s right, the rules are right. It is a success.

SNN: Was it difficult getting so many coaches to buy into the new format?

Kathy Hollenbach: Everyone said that the greatest challenge would be to get the coaches to work together and agree on things. Skeptics thought that it would implode when it came to seeding teams and that the DOCs would only look out for their own teams. This has not happened at all. The Technical Committee directs the coaching side and the Board oversees the league and its operation. Although there have been a few bumps in the road, everything is going extremely well. Everyone, from Cal South down to each individual team in the league has been extremely helpful in successfully getting this off the ground.

SNN: How did you manage to put everything together so successfully in a relatively short time?

Kathy Hollenbach: We listened to what the Directors of Coaching and Technical Committee thought would be the “ideal” league, and then we came up with guidelines and rules to make this happen. Although the Board is responsible for overseeing the conduct of the league, I think we work more collaboratively with our Technical Committee than most leagues, which results in a league where the coach’s voice is clear.

I think a lot of the credit for having this league start off so well is due to Michelle Romero, our league administrator. She has put in endless hours to insure that every detail is attended to.

SNN: Michelle, that is very heady praise for you. Can you tell us about the Soccer Showcase that SCDSL held this past weekend? What is the purpose of the SCDSL Showcase?

Michelle Romero: The purpose of the Showcase is to get all teams in each age and gender together at one venue where the teams can play teams that they normally don't get to play during the SCDSL season. Meaning, north teams can play south teams or strong Flight 2 teams can request to play lower Flight 1 teams. The U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy (USSDA) and Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) teams participate in the showcases as well. This gives everyone a chance to come together and play in an environment that promotes creativity without the pressure of winning or losing

Showcase games do not count in the standings because they are shorter games, and teams play two games per day, with the exception of the USSDA teams that can only play 1 game per day. We have seen teams moving players around to try different positions and we have seen teams utilize the club pass rule by bringing younger players up to play on older teams to help them develop by playing with the older players. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the players, coaches and parents enjoy the events. It's been a very successful component of the SCDSL.

SNN: How did the recent Showcase weekend go?

Michelle Romero: Everything was perfect – the weather, the fields, everything. Not one complaint and many smiling faces. The facility looked great and the teams loved the tents and the benches. The parents, coaches and teams all behaved. Parking was easy and no one complained about the parking fee. The Sunday traffic was minimal and no one was late.

I spoke to many people who stopped by our league tent just to say thank you and to encourage us to keep doing a good job. I had a conversation with a manager from CV Manchester in San Diego, and they just love being part of the league. It was great to watch clubs like San Diego Surf play teams that they would not normally get to play, and to see Central CA Blues from Bakersfield, as well as the So Cal Rush from Victorville and Lancaster, drive all the way down. They all loved every minute of being there. The So Cal Rush Victorville GU15 team won their second game yesterday and you would have thought they had won the World Cup! They were so excited and the parents were full of thank yous for what this league has given them!

It was really a very exciting thing to be a part of being able to see what we have all created. I literally cried on my way home on Sunday because I was so proud of what we pulled off.

SNN: You mentioned the atmosphere at the showcase. Can you explain how the SCDSL competition is different?

Michelle Romero: The SCDSL is a new mindset for players, coaches and parents. For example, we knew having the parents sit on the same side of the field would take some getting used to but it's done across the country, in the USSDA and the ECNL, and we were confident that, while slightly uncomfortable to start with, the parents would get used to it.

The coaches and players like having the parents across the field. We require the parents to mirror their team on the opposite side of the field and the managers deal directly with each other if a parent ventures to the opponent’s portion of the sideline. It's a calm and controlled way of handling issues without having incidents escalate.

During the Showcase events, we saw a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. Parents and coaches were calm, players were really enjoying the environment and we saw some terrific games between teams that would only possibly play at a tournament or State or National Cups. With the inclusion of the ECNL teams in the showcase events, this gives teams the opportunity to play teams that they would normally not play.

While the games don't count in the standings, they are very competitive and everyone wants to do their best. Coaches are moving players around on the field and allowing them to play in different positions, while trying new things tactically and letting the players be creative in a no-pressure situation. Bringing all of the teams in a specific age group together for these showcases is going to be a very successful portion of what the SCDSL is all about.

SNN: What has been your greatest challenge with the league and the Showcases?

Michelle Romero: So far the greatest challenge has been scheduling. Creating schedules for teams from Bakersfield down to San Diego and all points in between can be tricky.

The flip side to that is that everyone has been very understanding in regards to the schedule and the changes. Teams are working well together in sorting out any reschedules that are needed, and we have had no difficulty in making changes that are beneficial to the teams involved. The teams submit the required change information to us after working the logistics out with the opposing team.

SNN: What is the league’s next step after this Showcase weekend?

Michelle Romero: We want successful showcases each time we have them. The USSDA teams will be participating in friendlies during the BU17 and BU19 showcase events and the ECNL teams will continue to participate as well. We've accomplished more than many thought possible and the great thing about the SCDSL is that we want to keep improving.

We don't want status quo and we don't want to be complacent in what we offer our members. We want feedback and we will keep getting better. The DOCs have already begun discussions on how to improve things going into next year. Being pro-active in our efforts to offer a better model for youth soccer in Southern California will benefit everyone.

We know we are going to grow and we know we are making a difference. Having Nike join in our vision has been a message to us that we are moving in the right direction and that we are creating positive change. We never expected to be perfect our first year, and we knew we would face challenges, but we've dealt with everything as a collective group, from the DOCs to the Board of Directors. There is mutual respect, open minds and a real desire, on the part of all of the clubs involved, to make the SCDSL the best league it can be and set the standard for leagues across the country.

SNN: There have been some questions about the calendar for SCDSL as it compares to Cal South and other leagues. Will SCDSL continue with an August 1 to July 31 calendar or will it move to a January 1 start date?

Colin Chesters: U.S. Soccer Development Academy and the ODP are both using a traditional calendar year, which differs from the August to July calendar that USYSA and its affiliates use. I believe changing to a traditional calendar year would be beneficial because it would allow, for example, ODP to compare players on a more even field. U.S. Soccer has made this move in order to better identify players for the National Teams.  It is possible that we will see more leagues moving to this system in the coming years.  

SCDSL was launched to improve the landscape of youth soccer. The changes come from the ongoing dialogues among all of our top club directors discussing how we can improve youth soccer. 

SNN: Do you have any final thoughts about the SCDSL?

Michelle Romero: We are really creating something special. We have a long way to go and a lot of work to do, but we are definitely moving in the right direction and with great results.

Kathy Hollenbach: It has been exhausting but very much worth the effort.

Derek Armstrong is another founding member of the SCDSL and a former professional footballer, current Technical Director of the San Diego Nomads as well as one of the founding members of US Club Soccer says as a final note:

Derek Armstrong:  The SCDSL was absolutely necessary and is wonderful.  Clubs are running the league with no adgendas just competition.  I am completely behind this.  It is wonderful. 

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