Need from DFP help...our org looking to join one of the bigger orgs

[marriard]

OK, this is not my necessarily my idea, but it is the way the board for our travel org wants to go.

Background:

We are part of a strong, well funded and growing softball program in South Florida. We have teams from 8U to 18U in travel and an associated rec league. Access to an excellent park and multiple fields.

As we have grown stronger with more teams and better results, and now with at least 2 recruiting age teams, our board wants to explore joining in one of the bigger organizations such as Firecrackers or other similar organizations to help us with that, but also with recruiting, developing and retaining the local talent in the area. We bring a lot to the table that should be attractive to these orgs.

Help Needed:

So... apart from the 'this is maybe not the best move' advice, any suggestions, contacts and advice would be hugely appreciated. Feel free to PM me or reply here.

 

[Daddylawman]

There are some excellent "big" names within Florida. Perhaps there may be opportunity there. I do think there is definitely a move to "super-organizations" within the softball community. However, it is just my opinion that certain ones have gotten so big the talent level is diluting the reputation of the brand.

 

[marriard]

There are some excellent "big" names within Florida. Perhaps there may be opportunity there. I do think there is definitely a move to "super-organizations" within the softball community. However, it is just my opinion that certain ones have gotten so big the talent level is diluting the reputation of the brand.

Open to ideas about who within Florida is worth the time and moves the needle. We may be interested in a North Florida org looking to have a South Florida presence if it makes sense.

I understand the dilution with certain super-orgs. It may be that we are happy to be part of the dilution (or help with fighting the dilution by being very good)

 

[YOCOACH]

Okay, you asked for it so this is what happened in my area. A better known organization that touts itself as elite, has had one success a couple of years ago at the 16U level in the PGF Nationals in Cali and has several very good teams but has done nothing really since then, has the head of the organization as the President of the PGF in our state and, a very good TB organization in the closely adjoining state joined forces with him and his organization. He came in, handpicked the top players from their teams to join his teams, left them with average talent and formed supposed "prospect" teams for that organization. In other words, as that organization develops their players to be the best, he will come in each year and cherry pick the ones he wants to make his "Elite" organization even better so he can compete at the upper levels. Needless to say, this has left some very hard feelings amongst the players and families that weren't picked. I truly feel this 'feeder' organization will not last more than 5 more years under the branding they have so meticulously built over the last decade. I fully expect them to be "Team X from the next state over" after this time period.

I'm sorry. I feel this is wrong on sooooo many levels. If you don't have the coaching staff to develop your own players that you recruited, then you need new coaching staffs as an organization!

So beware of who you side with and the deal you make with whatever organization. It just may be the devil! JMHO

 

[CatchTheFever]

The Vipers organization started expanding into Florida last year and continue to add this year as well. Also, Ga Impact has expanded this year creating several Florida Impact teams. Inside FL, Gainesville Gold and Tampa Mustangs are wellnkjown but becoming a bit watered down. Florida Storm may be a decent option to check out....of vourse, if you really want to sell your soul to the devil, there's always the Firecrackers

 

[marriard]

I'm sorry. I feel this is wrong on sooooo many levels. If you don't have the coaching staff to develop your own players that you recruited, then you need new coaching staffs as an organization!

I can understand this and also remember going down this path is not necessarily something I am overly happy about. However this is not the problem we are trying to solve.

We do a great job developing our players as our results have been showing and also our growth particularly in the lower age groups also show. We do such a good job that we are starting to get picked clean by other orgs with better branding already - even if the teams they put on the field are not necessarily better than what we put out there. Parents want to go the 'big name' - and that may be dumb on some levels, but that is what they are doing - and while we could maybe develop our own big name over time, we don't really have that on our side. Associating ourselves with a big name is the way they want to address it and they have asked me to go and find out what options there are to see if there is something that will make sense.

 

[YOCOACH]

Parents want to go the 'big name' - and that may be dumb on some levels, but that is what they are doing - and while we could maybe develop our own big name over time, we don't really have that on our side. Associating ourselves with a big name is the way they want to address it

I can understand your not being happy about it. Realistically, what do you receive out of this association? I guarantee you that for every perceived benefit, I can offer you 3 potential cons and more than likely, they will be the same ones you can think of.

That said, the point of my original post was that once the association was made between these two local organizations, the "Elite" organization swooped in and basically gutted the other one because this "Elite" organization needs to rely on recruiting versus having the coaching staffs to develop their own. Not the other way around.

It was just a warning for you not to become the gutted "feeder" organization.

 

[marriard]

It was just a warning for you not to become the gutted "feeder" organization.

Oh I know. It was discussed. But we are being gutted anyway by the big orgs already to a point where it is going to hurt our ability to field a team in one case. Our location is such that we are on the far side of the county backing up to nothing so most of our competition has a built-in location advantage for attracting players that are unattached as well. So brand+location+decent team is proving hard to beat with better coaching+development+better team.

Parents will make whatever decision they think is best - we don't 'own' any of the kids no matter how long they have been with the organization. Offering another thing these parents want is not the worst idea.

There are some other reasons the board is looking as well, but this is clearly the main driver.

 

[Orange Socks]

I heard someone once say: If you put kittens in the oven, that don't make them biscuits.

Just because you slap the name of XYZ on your jersey, doesn't mean you are a better team, recruitable, better skilled, can compete, etc. There are plenty of "boutique" organizations out there that are competing at the highest levels, getting their kids recruited, keeping costs down, and making a name for themselves. While doing this, it does takes some time. It sounds like you have everything that you need locally as a growing organization. You are associated with a local rec org. you have access to great fields, getting better results. If you keep doing the right things kids will eventually get recruited....if they are doing the work. emailing, make a skills video, attending camps, make phone calls, etc. When those kids get recruited, play through college, graduate, they will come back and become your coaches. At some point all these other XYZ organizations were daddy ball teams that turned into what they are now. Our little organization from Texas has been around a long time, has paid coaches (former college players and ex daddy ballers that stayed around), they play the big tourneys, and they know ALL the college coaches, the kids get recruited. Many of your parents want to speed up the process and slap a known team name on the jersey and hope that makes them a better organization.

A suggestion: Find a way to get one or more of those local experienced coaches that has been around a while from a "named" organization to come over coach the oldest team. Some daddy ball parents that are currently coaching might not like it, but it will offer legitimacy. That coach will know college coaches. When your kids start getting committed to some real college softball programs, that will continue to attract and retain quality players and your program will grow with strong roots.

Sorry for my rambling, but this subject can go down so many paths. There is just not one right way to run a softball program, but it does sound like y'all have good bones to your structure. The board needs to be thoughtful about any change, because it could also be the downfall if care is not taken.

 

[marriard]

A suggestion: Find a way to get one or more of those local experienced coaches that has been around a while from a "named" organization to come over coach the oldest team. Some daddy ball parents that are currently coaching might not like it, but it will offer legitimacy. That coach will know college coaches. When your kids start getting committed to some real college softball programs, that will continue to attract and retain quality players and your program will grow with strong roots.

Seriously have done all that already and it is progressing well.

However long term doesn't help if we end up short 2 of the 'right' players and can't put the team on the field this year because they went 'name brand' and didn't even consider us because we weren't, and we lose 2 for basically the same reason. Being a great org 5 years down the track doesn't help the parents who are looking for 'right now'

I understand the board's decision - they are not just looking for an easy way out and have been putting in the hard yards.