Report on the Improving Success of Malton Soccer Club

The Pickering Soccer Club has been informed as well as many other clubs have been informed, Malton Soccer Club is struggling. Pickering Soccer club would like to help Malton Soccer Club improve the club and receive better reviews. This report will look at the benefits of improving Malton Soccer Club and making recommendations on further actions.

Although Malton’s Soccer club has been around since the 90s there are practices needing change. Players need to be able to afford the cost of their equipment, at the competitive level, changing the fee form $900 for all the equipment to around $300 will improve the views of the parents and team members. 43% of families who make less than $40,000 still put their children in sports. The goal of Pickering Soccer Club is to help Malton Soccer Club affordable for players at the competitive level and provide better coaches, as well as more equipment and experienced referees.

Players need a good soccer club and support system in order to improve the quality of not only the club but team member as well. To improve the success of Malton’s Soccer Club numerous things can be put into place to achieve a great outcome. This can include hiring coaches dedicated to seeing players strive, a program for equipment to be used by players, and a program for players who want to play soccer but cannot afford it.

Research shows changing the things listed above Malton’s Soccer Club will be successful. The club will improve and will strike an increase in players, coaches, and referees. Better Coaches, and the cost contributed the most to improve the success of Soccer Clubs. The success of Pickering Soccer Club can be beneficial to Malton’s Soccer Club which has been around for years. Pickering Soccer Club encourages Malton Soccer Club to pay attention to parents and player opinions. Pickering also recommends digging deeper and seeing how the team can be involved in the community.

This report was prepared by several staff members of Pickering Soccer Club.

Executive Summary

Malton Soccer Club of Mississauga, sports teams help shape communities and bring them together. Sports teams not only bring communities together but sports teams can also bring a country together. Sport teams can help players develop; better communication, self-esteem and time management. Sports reams are a big part in society, streets being closed, restaurants and bars being packed. External and internal (parents and coaches) factors play a role in pushing players to do their best and provides an honest opinion on the player’s improvements.

Malton Soccer Club of Mississauga has been struggling for years. Only winning a game or season once a year, which caused players to lose motivation according to one of the parents said the losing streak was unbearable players never showed up to games anymore. Pickering Soccer Club is willing to help Malton Soccer Club be the best club it can be for players across Mississauga. Pickering’s main goal is to make Malton Soccer Club feel like a team as well as family.

Pickering Soccer Club is one of the best soccer clubs not only in Durham Region but also Ontario, the soccer club is 1 out of 3 clubs in Ontario to receive a gold medal since 2008. Pickering is fully aware helping Malton Soccer Club is going to take a lot of perseverance and patience.

Malton Soccer Club first step to succeeding is acknowledging the club needs some professional help. After the club’s president can acknowledge the improvements required for the club to continue, then the club can start by planning the main goals for the club. Malton Soccer Club of Mississauga can become a success if the club is willing to put in the work and strive for better.

Introduction

Soccer has evolved throughout the years from being called Cuju in China to what is now called Soccer or Football in many countries. Soccer is a world-wide sport loved by many, long hot summer night and beaming lights. The feeling soccer brings whether on the field or sitting on the bleachers is something that cannot be explained, the feeling when the first goal is scored or when the last three whistles go off. Having a community-based soccer club since 1981 shows the community still has faith in Malton’s Soccer Club of Mississauga. This report will cover a success plan put together by Pickering Soccer Club to recommend, analyze, evaluate, explain and solve a process planning to establish the right goals in order for Malton’s Soccer Club of Mississauga to gain the success once had a few years ago. Soccer is used as a coping mechanism for some a woman in Rwanda had lost her father and brother in a terrible violent attack and she used soccer as her outlet to help her cope with their loss. Although soccer is not prohibited for women to play in Rwanda, this woman fought for her right to play soccer and now she is the best player in her country. Having someone who can encourage and motivate not only soccer players and people in the community but also to help build a sense of community. Changes should be made to Malton’s Soccer Club due to the number of complaints from parents and other soccer clubs. Also making changes to the soccer club increase the number of soccer players who decide they would want to play soccer. Malton’s Soccer Club can reach its best potential by understanding these changes need to be made hiring better coaches, increasing the amount of practices, referee who show up to the games, affordable cost for families and more equipment available for the soccer players in order for the club to see the future of the soccer club succeeding.

Experience of Coaches are the most important part of a soccer team; without a good coach the team is set up for failure. Coaches not only teach players skills but also can be seen as a friend, give advice and ensure the physical condition of all the players are okay. Coaches can fill many roles while with players, from being a mentor to a parent, coaches hold this responsibility with them on and off the field. Malton Soccer Club does not have coaches who care about their jobs, often there are from players and parents, coaches not being prepared for games and being extremely rude to players when a game is lost. Soccer players are not going to feel comfortable or motivated either coming to the games or talking to the coach. Having a good coach will benefit the players game performance and enhance their skills, but coaches who have a great experience coaching soccer increases the team’s chances for success whether it is winning a game or scoring the first goal before half-time.

A study in Quebec researched 96 percent of players believe their coach is important and has a great influence on their behavior. As stated previously coaches play a tremendous role in players lives as the study done in Quebec 96 percent of players prove a soccer team is nothing without a good coach. Although being a coach has many advantages there are also disadvantages, having to deal with parents after losing a game can be quite difficult especially if player was not given enough game time as other players. Coaches may also have a disadvantage when it comes to travelling during the holidays, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Malton Soccer Club can start a hiring process for coaches who have more than 4 years’ experience and has positive remarks from their pervious teams. Having a dedicated coach who shows up to the games on time and are willing to put in the time and effort to improve a team’s skills and build a relationship with them.

Cost

In the chart below, it shows the areas the cost of soccer is geared towards, which is the field soccer players are paying for the maintenance of the soccer field more equipment. There is no mention of referees or equipment, which the coach would have to use their expenses and paying out of pocket. Only 4 percent of the expenses towards soccer goes to scholarships, the percentage should be a lot higher due to soccer begin one of the most played sports by both girls and boys in North America. Malton Soccer Club can use this chart to focus on the different areas where the cost could be distributed evenly as possible and adding a section for cost of equipment.

The cost of soccer can be quite expensive for working-class families especially if they have more than one child. Soccer can cost anywhere from $2,000- $5,000 per year (Irimia & Gottschling, 'Taxonomic revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales),' n.d.), what’s included you might ask, well this only covers uniforms, coach salary and referee’s registration fees can cost between $100- $600 dollars depending on the club. The average income for families is around $40,000 per year, some families may struggle afford the cost of soccer due to other expenses if a player is involved in rep soccer then the expenses will go up to an estimated amount of $7,000 - $8,000 for travelling abroad expenses (Irimia & Gottschling, 'Taxonomic revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales),' n.d).

How Much Soccer Clubs Make Through Fees?

As seen above soccer clubs receive most of their earnings from a premium membership which is rep soccer, standard would be house league and the other revenues would be events or sponsors the soccer club might participate in. Soccer can make up to $4 million dollars or even more so there should not be a reason for lack of equipment, poor referee’s and unqualified coaches unless the soccer club just does not care.

Why Improving Soccer Clubs’ Matter

A questionnaire conducted by Change the Game Project, asked “How would you spend $100 million dollars on your favorite sports team.” The second answer people gave was providing better training for coaches, training for coaches is not something many people consider important unless it is the big leagues. Improving the coaches will provide success for the team not only during game time but off the field as well in areas such as communication, teamwork and different skills important for players to have. Improving soccer clubs provides abilities for players to enhance their skills set and increase performance. “The more qualified coaches we have the better off the players are” The decision-making process is the most crucial this process is where team’s standout, whether it is from their game statistics or the quality of the coaches. Improving soccer clubs also attract sponsors and recruitment agents which allows clubs to build a name for itself and to gain profit, to use towards equipment. The questionnaire also mentioned training for referee’s due to the many complaints' soccer and other sport teams have made. The outcome of the game is really up to the referee’s since they do make all the calls during the game, and having unqualified referees can lead to unfair or wrong calls which can result in “the wrong team losing.” Soccer being such a popular sport amongst youth and young adults is the reason improving soccer clubs’ matter, this age group is the future generation of the next superstar soccer player.

Possible solutions

Pickering Soccer Club would like help start off Malton Soccer Club with $10,000 in order for the club to be able to provide equipment for each player and age and gender category, this is so coaches do not have worry about paying out of pocket and not being able to pay rent or go out with their families. Another possible solution the club has is having an event where Malton Soccer Club can get the community together discuss the changes the club would like to make and are working to improve not only the soccer club but also the community. The last possible solution the club could do is partner with Pickering Soccer Club until the president of Malton Soccer Club feels as if the club is ready to part ways and build the club from scratch again.

Recommendation

While improving the success of Malton Soccer Club does not entirely rely on net income, or the number of goals scored during the game but the development and the growth of players. This success plan is to help the club to rebuild the success it once had. The first recommendation to take into consideration is making the club cost efficient for families of a different income levels so players in Malton have the opportunity to play a sport they love, without having to worry how they are going to be able to pay for the next season. Malton Soccer being a community-based club is a good start ensuring the community is behind the club, this can happen by getting the community more involved in the club’s future games, events, and fundraisers. Pickering Soccer Club suggests the club comes together with all the staff members, volunteers, and parents to disclose any information or suggestions they may have about coaches, referees and providing training for both. The last recommendation for Malton’s Soccer Club success, have a positive outlook even if in the beginning things do not seem to be going according to plan.

Conclusion

Though soccer has evolved, there are many life lessons this sport has contributed in everyday life for example working hard and staying positive even when obstacle occur determination kicks in and to accomplish the set goal. Making improvements requires help and research therefore with the help of Pickering Soccer Club, Malton can be on its way to making positive improvements. Affordable soccer allows players to reach their full-potential since worrying about the cost being too expensive is not a problem, Malton Soccer can provide this to players and the family, but lowering the cost for registration fees, league operating expenses, etc... however lowering these costs will most likely cause a higher expense in another area. Communities are the core foundation of sport clubs, communities provide a welcoming and sometimes home feeling they also support clubs and teams that may be struggling financially or in terms of the game. As stated throughout this report coaches are like family to many of those who play sports that is why ensuring coaches are not only qualified but also have a friendly attitude towards players is very important when it comes to the hiring process. Coaches also help players build and develop many skills needed in soccer and outside the sport, in way coaches are mentors for those who play the sport. Overall the success Malton Soccer Club needs improvement but with stated help from Pickering Soccer Club, this club in a matter of time and hard work will succeed with the success plan.