Side story from the AGM ---

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=ec02001e-f74c-4ba1-9242-7a34cf0a3eaf

"Learning about how to connect with the local media"

I guess everybody figures they're going gangbusters with that already, based on the number of people in that seminar.

Most of the teams represented in there were new teams, or teams moving to different leagues, so it's not surprising that there weren't a great number of teams represented, though it did fill in a bit after I took the picture.

But it was also apparent that teams do need to learn to deal with the media better, so I think more seminars like this one are definitely needed.

Sure. But people have to attend. And share best practices. And all that.

One of the problems with soccer at all levels in this country is that too many people think they're the experts and have everything figured out, when it's obvious from 30,000 feet that not a lot of them do.

Sure seems like the USL front office closed up shop since the AGM....no announcements and no updates on the website.

Allison, any chance of posting your report(s) beyond the second day? Thanks for your efforts!

Most soccer people in charge have the attitude of "This is soccer; that won't work for us," when nothing could be further from the truth. The USL needs to take a hint from Minor League baseball, whose marketing and merchandising deals have basically raised the minor leagues from the dead. What has worked for them will work for soccer.

I have just posted a very long article on my blog about this very subject that I've been working on for about a week now. That is, the lack of info coming from the USL, particularly concerning the USL Owners Association and how they are unhappy with their lack of control and the USL's lack of responsiveness in trying to compete with MLS. I will have part 2 tomorrow. (Click on the link below)

With that said, I will tell you that Jeff DiVeronica of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. He interview Tim Holt right after the AGM's. DiVeronica has made a few comments since then concerning that interview and a conversation he had with the Rhinos owner. DiVeronica will be filling a report with ESPN Soccernet soon concerning this article. For now you will have to read his blog and what I have to say on my blog.

Cleveland will be announcing there move up to USL-1 tomorrow and the MN Thunder will be having a press conference tomorrow as well.

The big question as I see it, and as I wrote in my article, is why isn't Holt and USL being more forthcoming about this information and using it for their benefit instead of seeing it as bad press?

Two reasons I can think of; USL is waiting to get all their ducks in order, or the info is nothing more than a rehash of previous proclamations that never came to fruition.

You're daft. You can't do cutesy marketing and merchandising and overcome the intrinsic non-interest in the sport.

Minor league baseball was on the decline at the time the National Association figured out in the early 1990s that they'd better do something about the ballpark experience. Ballparks were in bad shape and changes had to come.

But baseball itself, as a spectator sport and as a part of the American DNA, was already way popular, it just needed a nudge. It wasn't going away, it was just stagnating.

Americans don't have that level of interest in soccer, may never have that level of interest, and sure as hell aren't going to have an interest sparked by frigging marketing and merchandising deals and cute nicknames and mascots like Mudcats.

I disagree Bernie. In this country as a whole and in most every individual market more youth play soccer than any other sport - in most areas more play soccer than all other sports combined. The struggle has been translating enthusiasm for youth soccer all the way to the professional level. Certainly there is a high school shift of athletes from soccer, there are elements of shortcomings in the organizational structures and perceived politics of clubs, development of referees. Many soccer "elitists" abandon all American soccer to follow the "stars" and superstar clubs in foreign leagues to the detrimant of our own leagues. The enthusiasm is there rooted like a love for baseball is an ever increasing army of people who played the game as a youth - just looking to be guided to how they can support and love their local team. We all have to be better at communicating the information and hooking people into the communities of soccer teams - without disparaging the differences or fans of other sports.