May You Live In Interesting Times...

Long thought to be an English translation of a Chinese proverb or curse - "May you live in interesting times" - certainly characterizes the current state of affairs for Canadian soccer.

From the ongoing "Battle of Alberta" which has taken yet another interesting twist to the much hyped but still tenuous change in governance of the Canadian Soccer Association to the recent awarding of not one but two World Cups to Canada and the off-field challenges and on-field successes of the Canadian women's team things are nothing if not interesting for observers of the world's game in Canada.

It makes knowing where to start on a Monday morning difficult to say the least but the dominate story because of the potential repercussions has to be the governance issue because it will determine everything moving forward.

If the governance issue was truly resolved in early February (and I have my doubts) my question is, "What did the CSA give up in order to get the reform package, all be it a revised one, passed at the meeting? Why would the provinces and their presidents give up the stranglehold on power they have enjoyed for the past thirty or more years in the upside down world of Canadian soccer governance where the tail wags the dog?

My guess is power.

I suspect the establishment of new "high performance" leagues in British Columbia and soon Ontario, the establishment of professional academies by the the MLS franchises and the establishment of guidelines for "elite" academies in Ontario are among the signs that the CSA has totally ceded development of players to the provinces and pro clubs.

Even the much talked about Long Term Development Program a CSA initiative has been handed over to the provinces for implementation and delivery and will therefore in all liklihood take on a different face and tone in different parts of the country.

The professional academies have become the de facto national training centers (see recent U17 men's roster) while the provincially governed (at least in Ontario) elite, regionally based academies will replace the regional programs and a redefined provincial program while the new HPLs will provide a proving ground for the clubs within the country.

What the CSA will be left with is the control and direction of the national teams programs and little if anything else - and this under the watchful eye of the three MLS clubs - who I suspect have way more say over what is going on right now than anyone is admitting to or saying out loud.

Meanwhile the provinces got the youth and more importantly for them the monies that go with them. Which leaves the CSA on the outside looking in when it comes to the traditional revenue stream they have come to rely on - one hopes that the new board if and when it happens comes to the table with new sources of cash or as bad as things have been in the past they could indeed get even worse in the future.

Good or bad only time will tell.

Interesting times indeed.

Bread and Circuses

The attention of the soccer observers has quickly shifted from "A Historic Day for Canadian Soccer," to the day time soap know as the Carolina Morace Affair. This in itself is not surprising but it does give one the feeling that we're taking our eye of the truly important ball - reform of the governance structure of the Canadian Soccer Association.

As Nigel Reed points out, "The rumours had been doing the rounds for months. Despite on field success, disharmony was festering away from the pitch. Patience, on both sides, had worn paper thin until, finally, it was torn apart."

For Morace she will never have more leverage than now to demand as much as possible from the CSA and their bean counters. CONCACAF Champions, just one loss in a long stretch of games, and finally qualified for the World Cup.

Come summer time and post World Cup she could be in an even stronger position but there is also a chance coming out of a very strong group including the hosts Germany she could be in a much worse position. So if you are going to push for even more concessions now is the time to do it.

As Duane Rollins over at the 24th Minute points out, "Carolina Morace is a great coach, but not an irreplaceable one." No coach is and that's why these kind of power plays happen. Rollins also quotes the mandatory anonymous CSA official as saying, "She does not want to report to anyone."

Kara Lang jumped in to protect her former coach and program basically saying Rollins had it all wrong. In particular the allotment of monies to the women's program versus the men's (gee there is news) was raised on both sides - leading to Rollins conveniently (not having it for the first post) posting the CSA's 2010 budget here. One is led to assume that the same anonymous CSA official supplied more than just quotes in this matter.

In essence, we have the CSA or at least someone within the CSA fighting back anonymously through the media against one of their own coaches - a public spat that is sure to stretch on until at least the World Cup in July if not beyond.

Taking the infighting public certainly serves the agenda of anyone and everyone within the CSA who does not want folks paying close attention to what is happening or more likely not happening on the reform front.

"Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt."

Keep your eye on the ball folks.

CSA Governance Meeting - aka Groundhog Day

The time is nigh. In less than 48 hours the face of Canadian soccer will be changed forever. The fate of the very game itself rests in the hands of the mind trust that will be gathering in Ottawa for the Canadian Soccer Association's Special General Meeting to vote on governance renewal.

Well except of course it doesn't and won't.

Call me cynical but anyone expecting dramatic changes and insightful decisions from this group of individuals obviously has not been paying attention for the past thirty years. Going back even a few years (pdf of December 2008 article) shows that with the same people asked to make the same decisions we are unlikely to get a different result.

However, just to review here is what is on the agenda this weekend:

The first is a motion to adopt the bylaws that implement the 2010 CSA AGM governance framework.

The second is a motion to adopt the bylaws of a compromise framework, for implementation in 2011.

The third is a motion to adopt the bylaws of the same compromise framework, with an implementation date of 2012.

These three motions will be considered in turn, with the 2010 AGM framework discussed and voted upon first, the 2011 compromise framework second, and the 2012 compromise framework third. The first motion that receives a two-thirds majority vote will be passed, and the voting will end. If the 2010 AGM framework gets a two-thirds majority, we will all go home. If not, we will move on to the second motion, then the third.

If no motion receives a two-thirds majority, then we maintain the status quo and there will be no renewal.

Jason de Vos over at CBC Sports has done an excellent job of outlining the process and what exactly each option might mean for the game:

Governance of Canadian soccer about to change

Change on the horizon for Canadian soccer

Q&A: Canadian soccer governance renewal

and our old friend Ben Knight has attempted to get a read on how the different Provincial Associations are leaning with their votes:

Time to count the votes

Waiting to see what Ontario does

British Columbia on governance reform

and then just to put a little more spin on the dice the whole Alberta Soccer Association soap opera continues to play in the background. Herein lies, I believe, the best clue of how things are likely to go at this weekend's meeting despite the hopes of all of us outside the process.

The governance of the game in this country is in turmoil and has been for some time - it's an ineffective, bureaucratic, conflict-ridden structure full of folks who are willing to do anything to cling to the status quo and who are desperate to retain their hold on positions of power.

Does this sound like a group who is likely to suddenly see the light and do what is best for the future development of the game here in Canada?

Already the Associations who have tipped their hands are making a resolution to the issue look doubtful - Ontario has said it's an all or nothing thing on proposal one while BC has said they are very much in favour of option two and no one is sure where Quebec or current squeaky wheel Alberta will come down. Ultimately the decision rests within this group and they seem unlikely to set aside petty regional rivalries to arrive at a common sense solution.

The biggest challenge is that the people voting this weekend face a rather large hurdle in making the right decision - themselves. They have to put the game - or at least a vision of the national game - ahead of all that that puts them in a position to vote in the first place. This seems unlikely and doubly difficult because on top of everything else that is missing in the game in this country another is a vision, national in scope of what the game is and what it could be.

The reality is if Ontario sticks to their guns and says it's all or nothing on option one - which is the right option - then the meeting is doomed from the start. Then like a groundhog seeing his shadow the delegates will scuttle back into the holes from whence they came and we're in for a much longer self inflicted "nuclear" winter for the game up here in the frozen north.

Bill
bill@canadakicks.com