Chattanooga starts club merger for some associations

[CHAMPDDS]

From Curtis Blair:

 

 

I would like to announce a new soccer club called Chattanooga United Futbol Club. This club was brought together to benefit the entire soccer community in Chattanooga, and to provide every player, at every level, a place and opportunity to play this great game. Chattanooga United FC is comprised of the following select programs: Redoubt FC, Middle Valley Soccer, and North River Soccer Association. Each association??™s original goal was to provide every player a chance to play competitively against others in his or her skill range. This merger will create a larger pool of athletes to better meet that need in our community. Other big cities in Tennessee have completed successful mergers in their respective communities, and we now will be able to combine our resources to provide the best coaches and access to multiple quality facilities.

 

 

D

[MVM]

From Curtis Blair:

 

 

I would like to announce a new soccer club called Chattanooga United Futbol Club. This club was brought together to benefit the entire soccer community in Chattanooga, and to provide every player, at every level, a place and opportunity to play this great game. Chattanooga United FC is comprised of the following select programs: Redoubt FC, Middle Valley Soccer, and North River Soccer Association. Each association??™s original goal was to provide every player a chance to play competitively against others in his or her skill range. This merger will create a larger pool of athletes to better meet that need in our community. Other big cities in Tennessee have completed successful mergers in their respective communities, and we now will be able to combine our resources to provide the best coaches and access to multiple quality facilities.

 

 

D

 

 

I like to hear from other posters that have gone thru these mergers. We know what they say are the pros and cons , but I'd like to know, Are these mergers a money grab? Do the associations "play well and are fair" with one another? Give us the real lo-down on these mergers if you can.

[CHAMPDDS]

I agree with MVM...I would like to hear from other cities what has happened....The largest program here in Chattanooga (East Ridge) has opted to not participate, as well as others...it is not a merger of all local clubs at all...(My daughter's club, Premier Soccer Academy, has opted to not join), so there is a great deal of uncertainty as to how this will evolve..... In the cities that have merged, was there a total merger of all clubs ?

 

D

[95GSoccer]

I agree with MVM...I would like to hear from other cities what has happened....The largest program here in Chattanooga (East Ridge) has opted to not participate, as well as others...it is not a merger of all local clubs at all...(My daughter's club, Premier Soccer Academy, has opted to not join), so there is a great deal of uncertainty as to how this will evolve..... In the cities that have merged, was there a total merger of all clubs ?

 

D

 

 

Thinking off the top of my head of Mergers. Help me where I forgot or mis-speak.

 

Memphis area

Memphis FC and Gemantown Fury became Mid South (2009 Fall)

Clubs not participating: Collierville Lobos, Jackson Nike Rush

 

Knoxville area

Impact merged with Smokey Mt to become FC Alliance (2009 Fall)

Clubs not participating: KFC, Blount United

 

Nashville area

No really large merges, just some shifting of a few teams within BWSC, TNFC, and Impact.

Existing independent clubs in Nashville area: Brentwood, TNFC, TN United, Harpeth, Metros, Whitehouse Storm, Clarksville Kaos, Stones River, Murfreesboro, Columbia SC

 

Tri-Cities

Not sure there.

[MVM]

Thinking off the top of my head of Mergers. Help me where I forgot or mis-speak.

 

Memphis area

Memphis FC and Gemantown Fury became Mid South (2009 Fall)

Clubs not participating: Collierville Lobos, Jackson Nike Rush

 

Knoxville area

Impact merged with Smokey Mt to become FC Alliance (2009 Fall)

Clubs not participating: KFC, Blount United

 

Nashville area

No really large merges, just some shifting of a few teams within BWSC, TNFC, and Impact.

Existing independent clubs in Nashville area: Brentwood, TNFC, TN United, Harpeth, Metros, Whitehouse Storm, Clarksville Kaos, Stones River, Murfreesboro, Columbia SC

 

Tri-Cities

Not sure there.

 

 

I believe that Tn United was a merger of Gallatin, Hendersonville, and Goodletsville (sp).

[FutbalFan]

I have no idea about the financial side of these mergers. I believe one of the major reasons is to strengthen the Select Teams and be more consistently competitive at the Division 1 level. This has worked for Alliance and Midsouth to a degree.

 

As for Chattanooga, I don't see this improving the Select teams much if at all as Middle Valley and North River do not have competitive Select Teams, at least not at the Division 1 level. The biggest advantage I see is that the merged Select teams will have access to better fields at North River which are way under utilized given their quality.

 

I apologize to those with facts and knowledge about the impact of the merger on recreational soccer. I plead ignorance and don't mean to marginalize it at all as I think soccer is a great game for all that can be played for fun way past school days.

 

Can anyone provide info about the quality of Select Teams/Players at Middle Valley or North River? Redoubt has some decent teams, but lacks overall depth to be consistently competitive across all age groups. For Chattanooga to do this, I think Redoubt and Eastridge (PSA) would need to merge and there are just way too many politics and egos to overcome. If they did though .... Chattanooga would be a major force like Brentwood.

[MVM]

I have no idea about the financial side of these mergers. I believe one of the major reasons is to strengthen the Select Teams and be more consistently competitive at the Division 1 level. This has worked for Alliance and Midsouth to a degree.

 

As for Chattanooga, I don't see this improving the Select teams much if at all as Middle Valley and North River do not have competitive Select Teams, at least not at the Division 1 level. The biggest advantage I see is that the merged Select teams will have access to better fields at North River which are way under utilized given their quality.

 

I apologize to those with facts and knowledge about the impact of the merger on recreational soccer. I plead ignorance and don't mean to marginalize it at all as I think soccer is a great game for all that can be played for fun way past school days.

 

Can anyone provide info about the quality of Select Teams/Players at Middle Valley or North River? Redoubt has some decent teams, but lacks overall depth to be consistently competitive across all age groups. For Chattanooga to do this, I think Redoubt and Eastridge (PSA) would need to merge and there are just way too many politics and egos to overcome. If they did though .... Chattanooga would be a major force like Brentwood.

 

 

The select teams at Middle Valley are all younger teams. U-9 thru u-12 both boys and girls, with one u-14 girls d-3 team. So, while it would not make an immediate impact with the current older teams it will make an impact through time. Sorry, but I don't know that much about the select teams at N.River. All that I do know is they have 1 u-16 d-3 boys team.

 

What I do know of the merger is it would only affect new teams. All the established teams would be grandfathered in to stay as they are or have the option to merge.