"I believe the name Emerald City has brand recognition and that you should strongly consider keeping the name and transitioning to Seattle United in Stages. You should also consider naming the club Emerald City United under the new umbrella. A corporate sponsor for the new club should be considered and pursued."
"Our family has received almost no information from SYSA regarding the Seattle United transition. I must assume that this is true for other ECFC families and for SYSA members in general. What little information we have received has come through ECFC and not directly from SYSA. From my perspective, SYSA has done an extremely poor job of explaining why this transition is necessary. I do not appreciate the "big brother" mentality exhibited by SYSA, i.e. "trust us, we know what's best, you don't need to know the details". I honestly believe that if it weren't for the activists within ECFC we would not know there was a transition in progress. Is this how Seattle United will operate? I am very apprehensive about future communication from the Seattle United entity when SYSA appears unable to communicate with it's membership at this time."
"As a parent of an Emerald City player I have to let you know that prior to this coming up - I never had any idea that there was, or is an Emerald City affiliation with SYSA. I have always thought that Emerald City operated as an independent entity and as a result I don't understand how this affects my player or the program. This all seems VERY politically motivated and much more about personality conflicts within two separate organizations than it does about creating or maintaining a successful program for the kids. Whatever happens our kids are going to end up with a program to play in. How come you can't come together to work this out so it isn't so 'icky' feeling? The whole thing stinks to me on both sides."
"Need more information and better communication, but the basic idea seems good. The biggest concern I have heard about Seattle United would be to give families less input at the upper select level. This should be addressed."
"This has been an obnoxious process by both sides and quite frankly seems to have been moved forward on the SYSA end by parents whose children are not able/ ready to play at the highest levels. Though I think this may well screw the best players in the club, I think it is a done deal and should move forward as amicably as possible. I have significant concerns about ECFC financial management issues and though I don't suspect fraud, incompetency appears to have ruled and for that reason alone, this club needs better oversight. In the long run, it will be fine. This just has not been a very competitive club for a many years. I don't think the ECFC board can fix it, especially given the continued presence of at least one board member who was not up for re-election this year. The worst possible scenario would be to try to move to US Soccer league/ club- that would be totally a non-player centric decision and frankly would only serve bruised egos at the ECFC level."
"I joined this club because I believe in the philosophy and the leadership. The whole Seattle United thing makes me uncomfortable and if it passes would probably cause a decision to go elsewhere...."
"Please do not allow a hand full of people the ability to take away my child's team and our soccer club so they can experiment with their theories about what is best for our children's soccer career.Seattle United proposes to have only 2 PDL girls and 2 PDL boys teams per age group. Crossfire has 4 PDL teams per age group for each sex - at least in the younger age groups that I'm familiar with. Most other clubs have at least 3 PDL teams per age group for each sex. ECFC currently has 3 girls PDL teams in my [player] 's age group. The Seattle United plan actually significantly reduces opportunities for playing at a higher level in what will be the largest FC in the state. Why would we want to reduce opportunities for the sake of standardization?"
"Please do not allow a hand full of people the ability to take away my child's team and our soccer club so they can experiment with their theories about what is best for our children's soccer career."
"This should be about the kids, but it is not. It is about who is in control and where the money goes, which is unfortunate. Even though it is a flawed plan (people making decisions based on personal agendas, we can only be hopeful won't have the same results). It is unfortunate that those in control find it necessary to dissolve a good entity in an effort to move forward. I can only hope that the petty differences get resolved. In the end SYSA and the coaches within the system need to understand, this is not about them and their teams, but truly about allowing the best players to compete together. I see and understand the structural change, but don't see a fundamental change because the same people that hindered ECFC are still involved in the process."
"The current organization is dysfunctional and needs to be replaced due to many issues (financial, board appointment, policies, etc.). I urge the commissioners to wipe the slate clean and incorporate the Seattle United concept to take Seattle's select soccer program to a level where it needs to be to benefit the kids as well as attracting and retaining good future players and coaches to be a competitive (and enjoyable!) club within the league as well as nationally."
"This is not well planned or executed and needs more time, more transparency. It seems crazy to eliminate ECFC and its role in the PDL to start something from scratch, especially when none of the Seattle United leaders have any experience whatsoever."
"We experienced our first tryouts this past May. My [player] had a great time and it was well organized. I was very disappointed in the aggressiveness of the "Select" coaches. We were told by a couple of coaches that our [player] didn't even need to try out s/he could just register for their team, [deleted] and we received numerous phone calls and were approached by numerous parents all of which were very nice, and it was very flattering, but their whole premise of their team was to win. We want our [player] to enjoy the game, learn the game and be a long time player. WE CHOSE EMERALD CITY, OR RATHER THEY CHOSE US, and we are thrilled with the organization, the coaches, the players, parents and genuine loyalty to ECFC. Their dedication to the game is inspiring. I ask you to vote no on Seattle United at this time. Perhaps down in the future, with a careful and thoughtful course of planning, involvement from parents as well as coaches and board members, a prosperous Seattle United could be formed. I don't believe that is the case right now. PLEASE VOTE NO ON SEATTLE UNITED!!!"
"Why is it necessary to dismantle an already functioning program that serves the kids well? If you really want Seattle United why not form it and have both ECFC and Seattle United exist? If anything ECFC should be the principle club because of the club's long history and experience."
"Emerald City has been a huge part of my life. Since I joined the club, it has been a great experience and I know that my teammates feel the same way. We've really enjoyed being able to play at the most competitive levels of youth soccer available in the state, and frankly it's hard to picture a world without ECFC. It seems ridiculous to eliminate the club, seeing as there doesn't seem to be any good reason to do so. ECFC is made up of kids in Seattle who want to be able to play soccer competitively at the best level available, and getting rid of the club would cause these kids to seek out opportunities elsewhere with NW Nationals, Crossfire, Eastside, etc. As a player, I certainly would not want to drop down to play with Seattle United. This plan is totally cool if you're OK with the utter deterioration of competitive youth soccer in Seattle. Its a shame for everybody involved that a bunch of power-hungry bureaucrats would like to selfishly eliminate ECFC and ruin it for all of the youth and parents involved."
"I do not want anything to change with Emerald City. I think it is appropriate to have choices in Seattle, and separate clubs. I also believe ECFC is better organized than other clubs, and that is because of the parent participation and the time and involvement of our entire board. I am convinced that would be lost if we are co-opted into an organization with all the city select teams, and our input is diluted."
"I like having the choice of which team our children play for- I don't like the idea of having a monopoly decide what they should do. I think this new system will stop a lot of kids from playing soccer at an age they need to be encouraged to get outside and exercise. I think they will become discouraged with this system. If the kids want to play premier ball, it is not difficult to figure out where to go. I think that you have forgotten the children in this rush to put this in place. This is a game based on skill, not intended to be involved in political maneuvering that seems to be going on. I also like the brand name of ECFC and think it would be wrong to disband a club that has been around to serve Seattle youth for so long."
"I think that we need to continue on with the club as it was set up. This is the best way for our players to be developed and see their true potential. I VOTE NO!!!"
"It sounds to me like they need to do more extensive research and not rush into this. I think there are too many outstanding concerns that I have read about and it feels like this is being railroaded through. Please slow down and make sure you have the majority of SYSA club members onboard. You will need our support to make change successful. Right now many, many people are very upset about this."
"Parents like to and need to have choices. Children like to get a chance to play for the premier club vs their neighborhood club when/if they are ready for that. ECFC is a status symbol in premier soccer for our region. I believe in free enterprise and competition in soccer clubs. I believe keeping them separate encourages clubs to grow and get better. I do not believe the Seattle United idea accomplishes anything! Also, we just would have to spend more money for new uniforms/etc. The current model is not been bad it is more friendly to a community feel and decisions made by each club that fit their area and different needs and issues. I am not at all in favor of the change."
"The SYSA Commissioners who vote in favor of this package should be removed en masse for their callous disregard of the Emerald City PDL player's desire and right to play soccer. Commissioner's who vote in favor of this package are voting to kill higher levels of play in Seattle for hundreds of children who relied in good faith on the creation of the PDL. By not providing for a meaningful stable transition, you are killing the dreams and development opportunities of these children. The current players will have no choice but to leave Seattle and seek playing opportunities elsewhere. The reality is that these current players will vote with their feet. Those who do not find a team will quit soccer altogether. I do not think that is your mission and you should not take precipitous steps that will drive children from soccer. I was a [neighborhood club] coach through Uxx. In looking for greater challenge for half my team that wanted to continue to play, I spearheaded the creation of what became the [neighborhood club] select team (we could not get [neighborhood club] to agree to a select team so I remain highly skeptical of SU's ability to create Club level select teams). During our time, we did not draw a single "talented player" from Emerald City. Every player on the team had been rejected at least twice by EMFC under its two team limit. Due to my difficulties in finding a meaningful level of play for my team, you could not find a person more skeptical of the PDL process and ECFC in general. After three years, I believe that ECFC accomplished what they were directed to do. ECFC followed the mandate of SYSA and WSYSA to broaden the depth of its team by creating multiple teams at the various. The ECFC PDL concept is not without its problems. But those issues can be addressed systematically. By the way, five of these talentless [neighborhood club level] players now play for ECFC [deleted]. They had the drive and persistence to learn the game. Even after being rejected multiple times by "experts", they followed their dreams, continued their physical and mental development and have measurable success. Your job is to create pathways to success, not roadblocks. A vote to to disenfranchise ECFC hurts children and is short sighted. A vote for these measures is a roadblock that will drive children from soccer. Do not do this. Xx"
"This proposal feels coercive and agenda-driven. There has never been any opportunity for the average family to dissent. The whole process has been secretive and directed by a select few. I have felt completely un-represented. In fact, when I e-mailed to comment about it, I basically got blown off. I did get a call from someone who tried very hard to persuade me to believe the Seattle United plan is the next best thing. It sounds to me like a bunch of adults with an agenda to take down the evil empire and form their own empire. I don't think many of the people involved are really interested in hearing from the families of premier players--If my [player] was younger, I would definitely be looking east of Lake Washington for another team. Seattle United will be the death of premier soccer in Seattle--the neighborhood select plan that is geographically based is a great idea, but they should stay out of the premier level program. Emerald City is not perfect, but I am not convinced that the SU plan is any better."
