It seems like mistrust of GTB on the WC side of the fence has been the one major lingering hold-up to a merger over the years, so how about something like this:
There's a merger with an entirely new name and entirely new uniforms to be agreed upon by the combined boards of both clubs. But for the first two or three years, each club retains its own leadership. WC keeps its board and staff. GTB keeps its board and staff. Teams are combined along the TBU model. A newly-combined team with 51% WC players trains at WC. A newly-combined team with 51% GTB players trains at GTB. After this two or three year trust-building period, the full membership of the combined club votes on a new, single board and that board chooses the new DOC.
So in the end, the final composition of club leadership is decided by the combined membership of the two clubs rather than the current boards of either club. A merger in which neither club is senior to or dominant over the other. GTB isn't taking over WC. WC isn't taking over GTB. A merger of equals with all the final decisions to be made by direct vote of the full membership of both clubs. A membership which, after two or three years of playing and growing together, would likely come to feel like part of one cooperative soccer family rather than two distinct bodies in direct competition with one another (which, let's be honest, is what we are today).
Would a transition along those lines make the more skeptical members of WC more comfortable with a merger?
There's a merger with an entirely new name and entirely new uniforms to be agreed upon by the combined boards of both clubs. But for the first two or three years, each club retains its own leadership. WC keeps its board and staff. GTB keeps its board and staff. Teams are combined along the TBU model. A newly-combined team with 51% WC players trains at WC. A newly-combined team with 51% GTB players trains at GTB. After this two or three year trust-building period, the full membership of the combined club votes on a new, single board and that board chooses the new DOC.
So in the end, the final composition of club leadership is decided by the combined membership of the two clubs rather than the current boards of either club. A merger in which neither club is senior to or dominant over the other. GTB isn't taking over WC. WC isn't taking over GTB. A merger of equals with all the final decisions to be made by direct vote of the full membership of both clubs. A membership which, after two or three years of playing and growing together, would likely come to feel like part of one cooperative soccer family rather than two distinct bodies in direct competition with one another (which, let's be honest, is what we are today).
Would a transition along those lines make the more skeptical members of WC more comfortable with a merger?
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