Not Only a Soccer Problem

Every player on the club's roster is a paying customer. It costs thousands to play on a competitive soccer club nowadays. Clubs have costs in the form of equipment, coach salaries, travel expenses, etc. There is a minimum roster size and it’s determined by the total costs for the season. It’s a simple equation. Total players payments less the total expense for the season ought to be above zero. Or, eventually, the club will fold.

However, in sports, skill matters. Especially when it comes to competitive soccer leagues. Too little skill and the team cannot compete, the players lose interest, and there is less buy-in in future seasons. To ensure a certain level of skill, the club must draw a line: any player under X level of competency cannot play. Tryouts must be held and, unfortunately, some players must be cut.

If we cut too many players, the club cannot financially survive. If we don’t cut enough players, the club cannot compete, and due to a lack of interest in subsequent years, cannot financially survive.

There’s a short term solution and a long term solution.

The first is simple. Lower the bar of competency and include more players. Easy to do, but it fails in the end. It’s cosmetic. And creates quick success but more problems in the end.

The second solution is harder. Work on developing the soccer club in a way that makes it more attractive to the abundance of quality players that exist. This solution requires desire, creativity, and vision. It requires an overhaul. A re-imagination of goals. New objectives. Better benchmarks.

This dilemma is not only a soccer problem. It’s a parable that fits almost any context—your team, your work, your faith community.

The first solution to the difficult problem is a race toward the bottom and only helps stop the bleeding. The second solution, which is usually harder, is a race toward the top, toward better, toward innovation. It’s thoughtful and demanding. But it’s the only long term solution.

People like us are unsatisfied with only stopping the bleeding. We want to get to the infection. And heal it.