Scott Murray, Director of Soccer Operations at Real So Cal Soccer Club

Youth Soccer News: Southern California Developmental Soccer League is approved by Cal South

UPDATED 4.17.2011

Congratulations to the SCDSL for becoming sanctioned by Cal South.  Here is the beginning of a series of updates on the new league that has created such a stir in Southern California’s Youth Soccer World.  

SN chatted with Scott Murray, Director of Operations at Real So Cal one of the Founding Father's of SCDSL for his perspective on the impact of the new youth soccer league.  Scott Murray holds a USSF National “A” License and is a former pro player who has been involved in youth soccer for decades.  SN also spoke with AB who sets the record straight on several misconceptions.

SN: Why do you think the SCDSL has created so much interest?

Scott Murray: “The Southern California Development Soccer League changed the landscape of youth soccer in LA, Orange Country and San Diego.  Any significant change was bound to create interest, but yes, I am amazed.” 

SN: There has been so much controversy over the launch of this new league?   Some people have said that the new league is turning everything upside down. Did you expect this?

Scott Murray:  “No, I don’t think anyone thought launching SCDSL would create so much attention, no one thought of it like this.”

“We, the Directors of the Clubs involved, were seeking a better solution for our players and wanted to be in control of what we can do for our clubs. I believe this has created change in a positive way for youth soccer.”

“I want to emphasize that everyone involved is running the league…everyone has a say at SCDSL.”

SN:  Do you see the controversy quieting down?  There has been a lot of interest about the SCDSL’s impact on youth soccer.

Scott Murray:  “There are so many things to still be determined.  Personally I haven’t paid much attention to all the negative chatter.  Everyone at the new league is doing their part to help launch SCDSL in the best possible way and we also have our clubs to run. I haven’t been listening to all the things people have to say, unless it is positive.” 

SN: Are you surprised?

Scott Murray: “Yes, and I couldn’t begin to tell you why people are responding the way there are.  There have been so many phone calls from people – parents and coaches -  just wanting to know more.  

SN: Do you read the chat boards?

Scott Murray: “The chat boards?  I think people need to find something else to do.” 

SN: Can I quote you?

Scott Murray:  “Yes, but I am going to probably get ripped for that comment but this is a soccer league not the end all….”

SN: Are you very busy?

Scott Murray: “It takes a lot of time, for everyone if you are running your club and trying to get it all done.”

SN: Are Director’s of Coaching (DOCs) who are not involved in SCDSL intimidated by all the new options your league has created in youth soccer?  Are they concerned the SCDSL will be used as a recruiting tool?  

Scott Murray: “No, I do not think so from our perspective.  Not sure how the league could be used as a recruiting tool.  I can only answer for my club.... it is not something we are doing.”

SN:  Who is on the Board of Directors? 

Scott Murray:  Diane Levin, Vice President of the  Slammers is on the Board, so is Howard Fink, and Kathy Hollenbach to name a few.

SN: Who is on the Technical Board?

Scott Murray: Tad Bobak - So Cal Blues, Alberto Bru - Real So Cal, Gus Castaneda – West Coast FC, Teddy Chronopoulos - Cosmos Academy, Whalid Khoury - Slammers FC, Mauricio Ingrassia - Beach FC, and Matt Swindle - United FC.  They will do a great job.

SN: What has been the greatest challenge so far?

Scott Murray: “It has all been a challenge, getting sanctioning, all the paperwork, it is just staggering.  Again, we are very fortunate as we have great people who have been excellent administrators in the area for so long and are very knowledgeable.”

SN:  What has been the response from your club, the REAL SO CAL parents? 

Scott Murray:  “Parents are excited and we have received nothing but positive responses.  People are coming to play not because of the league but who the teachers (coaches) are… Parents join a club not because of what league they play in but because of who is going to be teaching their kids.   Players are going to play for a proven system of winners.”

SN Statement:  SCDSL has a five team minimum; if a club wants to join the SCDSL, they have to send five teams to compete in the league.  Some smaller clubs or ones with less competitive teams do not all have five teams that could compete successfully in SCDSL.  

SN: Might SCDSL revise the 5 team requirement in the future?

Scott Murray:  “All things are being considered and open to revision.  The 5 team minimum could be changed, or not, it just depends on what works going forward and some of those things we are finding out as the league launches.  Remember, a game hasn’t been played yet.”

SN also enjoyed speaking with AB, Alberto (AB) Bru, Director of Teams for Real So Cal.  Here is his interview:

SN: Has launching a new youth soccer league in Southern California ever been tried before?

AB: “Years ago there was an effort to launch the Champions league.  I think there were some people who wanted some changes in Coast League a while ago and were not really sure what the answers should be.  Years ago people knew there were changes needed but they didn’t know exactly what they wanted.” 

SN: What is different in youth soccer in 2011?

AB: “There have been a lot of changes in youth soccer in the recent years.  The US Youth Soccer National Championship Series Far West Regionals, for instance, and the ECNL and Academies have impacted youth soccer significantly.  Also, the new College Showcases have impacted the landscape of youth soccer dramatically.”

SN: How have they impacted youth soccer?

AB: “All these changes have impacted how youth soccer players are recruited by colleges.  All of this has changed the way teams attend tournaments and the way players face competition.”

SN:  Can you explain this in more detail?  How exactly have things changed?

AB:  “Southern California youth soccer used to be played in the SO CAL area.  Soccer teams no longer compete just in Southern California; they play against the top soccer teams in the entire West Coast and across the country now." 

“There has been a huge impact on the tournaments, especially for olders.   A competitive team no longer needs to compete in a lot of soccer tournaments.  Years ago, soccer teams needed to participate in a lot of tournaments so their players would be seen by college coaches. Tournaments no longer provide that level of competition or that level of visibility, and neither now does the soccer league.  For example, if Surf girls need to be seen by the Stanford coach they attend a college showcase.”

SN: Or the college coaches come out to the clubs to scout for players …

AB: “This is a huge change in the landscape. The league becomes just a league, a source for organizing soccer games.  It used to be a showcase for college coaches.  There is still recruiting in league, but it is not the primary source for recruiting.  Even if you are the Albion Soccer Club and are not in the Academy, you go to Las Vegas to attend a college showcase for recruiting.  The players will get seen by more college coaches in one showcase than they would in all the league games.” 

SN:  For all of us not as knowledgeable on youth soccer, can you flash back to ten years ago?

AB:  “All this took place at the league level, including the competition.  The recruiting and soccer competition all were on a local basis.  In the old days, we only played each other.  The competition was only in the league.  The only place to find players was the league. Now, competition has expanded geographically as well as with new options, and the existing venues become more important.  For instance, Surf Cup in San Diego now also becomes magnified as an option to face top level competition and be scouted.”

SN:  What about the impact of the College Showcases?

AB: “Because of College Showcases, college coaches can go to fewer places and see more talent together.”

SN:  Doesn’t this undermine tournaments in general?

AB:  “Tournaments are already suffering the effects of the economy. Tournaments have been affected by many things.   There is a downsizing in tournaments; actually there already has been one. 

“For example, teams may only go to 3 tournaments instead of 7 as they might have in the past.

“Over the course of a year, a team may go to anywhere from 4 to 8 tournaments and the number has dropped, and I expect it to continue dropping.”

SN: Did you think it would have this much of an impact?

AB: “Anytime such a big number and such competitive clubs do one thing, it will make an impact. Initially, the reason this is such a dramatic change is because we have only known one way for 15 years.”

SN: What do you think the impact will be on Coast Soccer League?

AB: Coast has already lost clubs, and I see that Coast is changing to compete. They have changed some of their rules, their application date, I think their pricing.

SN: What has been the greatest challenge so far?

AB: “All the details; it is very encompassing – bylaws, rules, and officers.

SN: Any other challenges?

“A bid challenge has been trying to clear up some of the misconceptions.  For instance, many people have said that the SCDSL was not competitive.  It is.  People have been confused about this issue of competition. For development to take place there has to be competition. Without competition there is not development." 

“Coast offers only competition.  Our league offers competition and elements of development.  The ability for your club to choose a pass; that means I can play any player I want in any game as long as the player is age appropriate… this will have significant impact for player development.

“For example, what happens if a U13 team is missing their goalie?  In Coast League, the coach cannot select a goalkeeper from the U12 team to play up.  In the SCDSL, coaches can choose to do this (select to play a player up or on another age appropriate team) if they need to or if they want to for development purposes. 

“Our goal is to teach players how to manage the game.” 

SN: What else may have confused people?

AB: “We have changed the substitution rules for the olders.” 

SN: Why did you change the rules on substation for players?

AB: “The SCDSL is committed to helping develop soccer players.  It is our responsibility as coaches.  We want to help kids learn to play for longer periods of time and to manage the demands of the game.  This is the reason we changed the rule for substitution.”

“The SCDSL Rule on substitutions per each half of the match for the U11 through the U13 allows players to come back in once.  In simple terms, players can start and be taken off the field and come back in only once.  This helps players learn how to manage the game better.”

SN: What else have you changed?

AB: “The U9 and U10s are going to compete for the result of the game. Not for league standings – no first place or last place standings.  The SCDSL changed this in order to alter our over-competitive culture.  We want to change the hyper competitive entry-level mentality.”

SN:  Whose hyper competitive mentality?

AB: “The parents, the players and sometimes even the coaches.”

SN:  SCDSL also has eliminated the mandatory promotion and regulation of teams within brackets.  Why?

AB: “Yes, the SCDSL has done away with mandatory promotion and regulation due to league results.  This does not remove competition within the brackets.  We wanted to do away with this as teams can suffer when they are automatically brought down a bracket by mandatory regulation.  Some people have inferred that this eliminates competition.  We do not believe so.  Team can still be promoted and ‘demoted’. What the SCDSL has done is eliminate the mandatory requirement for this to be done.  Sometimes things occur in games and teams loose; a goalie misses a crucial save or several players are injured affecting the team’s overall performance ability."  

"In the Coast or Presidio league, regardless of the reason, the team on the bottom of the bracket is forced down. Even if it is a very close contest with the rankings of another team.  Even if there are valid reasons why the team lost a match or two.  All SCDSL is saying is that we want to be able to judge these situations fairly and not put such extreme pressure on players or coaches in this situation.  Our elimination of mandatory promotion or regulation does not mean we do not believe in competition.”

SN: Why is this causing so much commotion?

AB: “People had a misconception. They did not understand what the SCDSL was accomplishing.  When it all boils down, we have created a soccer league by soccer people for soccer clubs.”

SN:  Do you think that participation in the SCDSL will be used as a recruiting tool?

AB: “People choose a club based on what they feel is best for them.  These clubs in our league have chosen to form the new league for what is best for them.  A league has nothing to do with recruiting.”

SN: What do you hope to gain from the new league?

AB: “We want our teams to compete and progress and make our players better, and we have created mechanisms that we believe will help us do this.”

“We currently have approximately 700 players with the application process being open.  We do not know how many more applications we will get.  New applications for teams are coming in.”

SN: Anything else you would like to mention?

AB: “The reality is there are two things people need to understand. First, we are not at war with Coast…we are making a new league that we believe can affect development concepts. It has nothing to do with being upset or not liking the Coast Soccer League or San Diego’s Presidio Soccer League. The Southern California Development Soccer League is about moving forward.  Think about it. Why would 25 different clubs do something because we were mad at Coast Soccer League?

“ The league has a board of directors made up from the various clubs and will hire a paid director to administrate.  The league’s director will not be a DOC or an officer of any competitive soccer club.  We are interviewing now.  The SCDSL also has a technical committee (which was voted on) to make all soccer decisions. ”

“Also, the idea that ECNL is behind all of this…there are only a handful of ECNL and Academy clubs around.  How do they get so much credit? “

“These are the two most common misconceptions on the genesis of the league and it is great to set the record straight.”

SN: Any final thoughts?

AB: “No one will ever completely get along on every topic. We all recognize this, but we are all directors of clubs and have the same goals.  We all share the same attitude; how can we make the game of soccer better and improve player development.”

SN NOTE:  Jeff Illingworth, Director of Coaching for CV Manchester has applied to SCDSL and says "I have spoken to Colin Chesters Director of Coaching for Surf Soccer Club and one of the founding members.  CV Manchester will be putting in 5 boys team into the new league this season.  We have sent in our application. Coach Darren Parker's U18 team is one of the teams and we are all excited about participating in the Southern California Developmental Soccer League.  It is a great opportunity for our soccer players."

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The SCDSL will be announcing the league's BYLAWS within the next few days.  SN will continue the series of updates and interviews on SCDSL as more news becomes available.

For any clubs that would like to find out more information about the SCDSL, please feel free to contact any of the following points of contact from the founding clubs and they will be happy to answer your questions:

Scott Murray: Scscmurr@aol.com 
Teddy Chronopoulos: tchrono1972@gmail.com
Don Ebert: don.ebert9@gmail.com

RELATED LINKS:  Southern California Developmental Soccer League (SCDSL)