"Where is the data?" - Letter to SYSA from Curtis Kopf, father of two ECFC players

Ed and Parker, (Executive Director and President of SYSA)

Like many parents, I’ve been following the Seattle United discussion with curiosity and concern. I know this is a complex issue and that many people have devoted a lot of time to this work, which is commendable. I have not formed my own opinion, but email now to respectfully voice concerns and to ask for additional information. I’ve heard parents of kids at all levels in Seattle soccer organizations raise similar questions in recent weeks.

We each come to this from different vantage points & inherent biases. Here are mine:

I am a parent of 2 ECFC players -- a BU14 Green Team and a GU11 Green Team player. My kids each played for 3-4 years in their local rec club and my daughter spent last year with Crossfire. I’m a former Magnolia Soccer Club board member/registrar myself and someone who, like many of us, coached their kids in rec for many years. I’ve also spent many years managing businesses & teams at Amazon.com and Microsoft and have significant experience analyzing and implementing organizational and strategic changes. I’m a former D1 college athlete and my wife is a 4-time All American.

My questions/concerns are as follows:

Where is the data?

I read the information provided on the SYSA site (thank you). While I understand and agree with some of the basic principles, I found the analysis and report seriously lacking in data or reference to measurable outcomes. Lacking that kind of rigor, this becomes a very subjective discussion based on personal philosophy & individual experience. Put differently -- if this were a business plan or strategic plan presented to me at work, it would not pass muster.

Given the consequences of getting this wrong, I urge you to step back and provide the following before taking action:

A situation analysis outlining the 3-4 problems you want to address supported by data taken from parent surveys and other appropriate quantitative sources. Focus groups are helpful directionally but not quantitative and should never be the sole basis of any business plan. The lack of actual data in the plan as it stands is a major red flag for me.
Data based on the key *outcomes* you’re looking for. In other words, how will you know this new solution is better than the current one? Quantitative results taken from a parent satisfaction survey? Competitiveness of teams based on some concrete measure? Player participation? Without clear measurable outcomes, this is not a compelling plan.
As in any good business or strategic plan, you should outline the other options considered and why this one was chosen.
Beyond saying this is a national trend (so is swine flu!), provide comprehensive bench-marking and examples from other clubs around the country that support the idea that this is a better approach.
Every plan has its risks and downsides. My skepticism of any proposal is always higher when the proponents have not laid out transparently the risks and downsides in their approach.

Questionable assumptions: These are assumptions I gleaned from your report that I question without more compelling information.

1. Creating one big organization is the panacea.

	a. Whether in business or the non-profit world, large bureaucratic organizations often stifle innovation and lead to mediocre results relative to an ecosystem of loosely connected smaller organizations.

	b. Competition (between organizations) can create conflict, but it also can create superior results and greater choice. It enables “customers” (parents/kids) to vote with their feet and reward clubs with a better “value proposition.”

	c. One of the common perceptions I’ve heard from parents is that the Seattle United approach will actually reduce the parent and player choice that exists today.

2. Creating one organization will remove inherent conflicts.

	a. My experience with large organizations, profit or non-profit, is that they are rife with their own internal conflicts and factions. To imply that this approach will reduce that kind of “conflict” or be preferable to today is not intuitive to me. Again, without more data on the barriers that exist today (# of kids denied appropriate opportunities to play, etc.,) and why this solution is the right way to overcome them, I find this proposal unconvincing.

To successfully manage a change like this, you need strong buy-in and support from your constituents, the people who make your programs possible and fund them. Given the parent discussions I’ve heard at the sidelines of many games over the last two weeks, I believe you are not there.

In the spirit of collaboration and transparency you state in your plan, I encourage you to postpone voting until you better answer these questions and give more families a chance to weigh in. Most importantly, for the sake of our kids, I ask that you take more time to get this right.

Curtis

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