FC Greater Boston Bolts- Global Premier Soccer merger

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Name a MA club that can play better than the BOLTs in DAP. That's really the essence of your gripe, isn't ? So name the club and lets get down to business

If the you had to win a local tournament to get into DAP so that the best kids wouldn't naturally have to leave their team for the Bolts. If that is what we are talking about, pretty much every team in MA could beat the Bolts.

Unfortunately, the lock on DAP position makes it difficult for another club to field a team that is better than the U16 Bolts except maybe the Revs.

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Damn right - clearly the whole idea is for talent to be developed by other clubs and then leave them for Bolts DAP, where 3rd tier college coaches teach them how to play college soccer. Unfortunately these guys aren't too interested in scouting state tournaments etc - the bolts are notoriously poor at recruiting - I think they don't like the idea of approaching players on other clubs. And they're too busy scouting for their college teams. If DAP is supposed to do a good job of capturing the talent pool for USSF, it's a fail in MA.

[Unregistered]

I give Valeo 2/3 years tops. EW has a track record of switching things up after a few years.

God, enough with this Valeo stuff. Valeo merging with Bolts is laughable. We've seen it all too often with small clubs like Valeo(or whatever they're called),adding a few extra clubs thus gaining a couple of good teams and coaches and parents getting excited and saying forward looking statements like gaining DAP entry!! This is absolutely ridiculous. Valeo is not on anyone's radar, believe me. It's about a long and sustained body of work in the area of youth development and achievement, not to mention USSF and/or UEFA licenses and credentials that these small clubs cannot afford to get. Please enough!! Global Premier Soccer is the only organization that meets the criteria and are poised to get the next DAP entries.

[Unregistered]

God, enough with this Valeo stuff. Valeo merging with Bolts is laughable. We've seen it all too often with small clubs like Valeo(or whatever they're called),adding a few extra clubs thus gaining a couple of good teams and coaches and parents getting excited and saying forward looking statements like gaining DAP entry!! This is absolutely ridiculous. Valeo is not on anyone's radar, believe me. It's about a long and sustained body of work in the area of youth development and achievement, not to mention USSF and/or UEFA licenses and credentials that these small clubs cannot afford to get. Please enough!! Global Premier Soccer is the only organization that meets the criteria and are poised to get the next DAP entries.

I absolutely agree except with one addendum. If, and I do mean if, another club were to be awarded a DAP status, GPS is only one option. WUP or NEFC are two others. Given that the DAP is not likely to get rid of the Bolts or Revs (there records are decent enough to stay in), it makes no sense at all to add another club to this area, especially when considering that Seacoast is a short hop to the north and Oakwood to the south. So I would give up this rant about GPS becoming a DAP club, because it won't happen unless they merge with another DAP club.
That said, GPS is not part of the NPL, another three letter acronym. This is their 'DAP' and will suffice for their needs for a long time to come.

Looking at it from another angle, from a business aspect, why would GPS ever want to become a DAP club? They have a far better shot at winning national titles in the NPL, which is still loosely organized. What business and clinical benefit is there to become a DAP club?

As for Valeo, I hope they never become a DAP club. The requirements to do so will make create a scenario below that of the Bolts, which is, at best, an average DAP club, with a resultant (do to lack of focus and concern) weak youth program. Valeo should stay with the EDP, state cup, and region 1. They will find tremendous success there especially as players and parents become more and more disenchanted with the DAP and with very very large clubs like NEFC and GPS.

....but this is just my opinion.

[Unregistered]

If the you had to win a local tournament to get into DAP so that the best kids wouldn't naturally have to leave their team for the Bolts. If that is what we are talking about, pretty much every team in MA could beat the Bolts.

Unfortunately, the lock on DAP position makes it difficult for another club to field a team that is better than the U16 Bolts except maybe the Revs.

There are Clubs that can field 98/99's that are better than the U16 Bolts DAP. I base this on the two losses the Bolts 98 pre-DAP had against then Stars U15 and GPS U16 last year. I'll put forward that last years 98 pre-DAP was a better team than the current U16 DAP team. The current team lost three key starters to ISL schools and IMO have not replaced them with better players. The Stars U15 team is a younger team than the current U16 DAP team whereas GPS is an older team. GPS team could bring players up from the U16 to field a a team of 98/99's that would compete with the Bolts U16 DAP. I know of five (there could be more) ex 98 Bolts players that left and now play for GPS which is a strong core of 98's. NEFC can also field a U16 that would compete with Bolts. On the other hand I no club could put a U16 team on the field that can compete with the Revs U16.

[Unregistered]

Looking at it from another angle, from a business aspect, why would GPS ever want to become a DAP club? They have a far better shot at winning national titles in the NPL, which is still loosely organized. What business and clinical benefit is there to become a DAP club?

Agreed. While DAP (and the Revs in particular) will always be appealling to certain top players, GPS appears to have carved out a potentially appealling alternative model: Quality squads aggregated from their various regional teams, year-round training, access to a high level of national (and occasional international) competition through high school ages, good relationships with ISL schools and other quality high school programs (no need for the waiver battles), and an established college admission track record.

Not claiming that GPS model is as good as DAP--for now and the foreseeable future, DAP obviously is the top rung (plus, its hard to beat free), and DAP is likely to be the first and primary stop for Div 1 and national coaches. But NPL angle may be a better business model for GPS in the long run--it may allow them to tap into a broader market (more teams/more players/more regions) and provide more flexibility to address kids' and families' needs on a case-by-case basis. And, depending upon individual circumstances, some kids and families may prefer the GPS approach.

[Unregistered]

There are Clubs that can field 98/99's that are better than the U16 Bolts DAP. I base this on the two losses the Bolts 98 pre-DAP had against then Stars U15 and GPS U16 last year. I'll put forward that last years 98 pre-DAP was a better team than the current U16 DAP team. The current team lost three key starters to ISL schools and IMO have not replaced them with better players. The Stars U15 team is a younger team than the current U16 DAP team whereas GPS is an older team. GPS team could bring players up from the U16 to field a a team of 98/99's that would compete with the Bolts U16 DAP. I know of five (there could be more) ex 98 Bolts players that left and now play for GPS which is a strong core of 98's. NEFC can also field a U16 that would compete with Bolts. On the other hand I no club could put a U16 team on the field that can compete with the Revs U16.

It is a telling fact that top players who might have gone to Bolts DAP choose ISL - probably a wise choice for kids who have enough smarts to use of schools that offer good opportunities for education. There's a certain drudgery to DAP - the same coaches and teammates from August to June, same practice regimen, similar games and travel. I think doing ISL, and then club is more fun - I know the DAP crowd is thinking this isn't about fun, its about achieving something. But your kids will find out when they get to college that 99.5% of them are not achieving that much with all the investment they're making in soccer.

[Unregistered]

It is a telling fact that top players who might have gone to Bolts DAP choose ISL - probably a wise choice for kids who have enough smarts to use of schools that offer good opportunities for education. There's a certain drudgery to DAP - the same coaches and teammates from August to June, same practice regimen, similar games and travel. I think doing ISL, and then club is more fun - I know the DAP crowd is thinking this isn't about fun, its about achieving something. But your kids will find out when they get to college that 99.5% of them are not achieving that much with all the investment they're making in soccer.

If both kids end up at the same college who has invested more? A good student and excellent soccer player will get into the same (maybe better) school than the ISL student. DAP is free for most and athletes get the girls!

[Unregistered]

Growing too fast is not always good

Especially when they cut into the GPS pie. You don't realize what an asset the Valeo Center is. It's helping attract the best young players from Newton, Needham, Wellesley, Brookline, Cambridge etc. And that was *before* the current two MA #1s. And the 10s are on par with 12s. No wonder GPS and NEFC are so worried. If they are not they are fools.

[Unregistered]

Especially when they cut into the GPS pie. You don't realize what an asset the Valeo Center is. It's helping attract the best young players from Newton, Needham, Wellesley, Brookline, Cambridge etc. And that was *before* the current two MA #1s. And the 10s are on par with 12s. No wonder GPS and NEFC are so worried. If they are not they are fools.

That is absolutely the secret sauce and why Valeo should be patient and then take over the Bolts.

One other big piece to the puzzle is that Valeo loves to offer extra days to train. I have 2 kids in Valeo and we get offered extra games, friendlies, and training that was never in our contract.

The only other club that does that is NEFC. There is a ton of extra training with NEFC.

Bolts, GPS, Stars, etc. were is the extra training. Too profit oriented.

[Unregistered]

the truth and nothing but

That is absolutely the secret sauce and why Valeo should be patient and then take over the Bolts.

One other big piece to the puzzle is that Valeo loves to offer extra days to train. I have 2 kids in Valeo and we get offered extra games, friendlies, and training that was never in our contract.

The only other club that does that is NEFC. There is a ton of extra training with NEFC.

Bolts, GPS, Stars, etc. were is the extra training. Too profit oriented.

hate to burst your bubble but heard they are canceling training, overcrowded, overenrolled, very expensive, additional costs for everything, lack of direction, total nepotism and favoritism by the NU directors.

[Unregistered]

hate to burst your bubble but heard they are canceling training, overcrowded, overenrolled, very expensive, additional costs for everything, lack of direction, total nepotism and favoritism by the NU directors.

Dumb and Dumber To doesn't open for three weeks but thanks for the reminder.

[Unregistered]

hate to burst your bubble but heard they are canceling training, overcrowded, overenrolled, very expensive, additional costs for everything, lack of direction, total nepotism and favoritism by the NU directors.

I lead off by saying I have 2 kids there and you follow by "I heard"

that is just asinine.

See that you were inquiring. I will respond in order of statements

1. Initially training did not line up with the stated contract, however, that has been remedied and then some.

2. The field/indoor is full. I wouldn't quite say it is crowded but we are probably at close to our maximum at this location.

3. Lack of direction. This could not be more false. EW is clearly the general and then there is a whole group of underlings that act as his lieutenants. The consistency among the age groups and genders is really unparalleled in any club experience that my children have had.

4. We are not in the U12/U13 so I can not comment.

We recently received our winter training and our kids are going to get 3 days a week training. 2 of the days are during the week. You can't beat that.