start was far less than the sellout of 20,672 the Crew said it

Two years ago, the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) was embroiled in a bitter governance struggle. Two opposing forces - the old guard, who wanted to maintain the status quo, and the reformers, who wanted to see the CSA adopt a more progressive, effective governance structure - were at an impasse. The media spotlight was shone on the problem, leading to a groundswell of support from across the country in favour of governance reform. In the end, the greater good prevailed, the old guard were outnumbered and the membership of the CSA voted in favour of change. The result of that struggle now sees the CSA being governed by a diverse, professionally-qualified, functional board of directors. They have done a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes, have empowered staff to do their jobs, and created a unique, inclusive strategic plan that will provide a blueprint for the development of the game in Canada for years to come. A key component of that strategic plan will be alignment of governance structures between the national and provincial/territorial organizations. It sounds complicated, but when it is put into context, it is really quite simple to understand. While the CSAs national governance structure is very much in order, the same cannot be said for the provincial associations, their respective district associations, nor for their respective clubs. A perfect example of this occurred last weekend in Ontario. The Ontario Soccer Association (OSA)s Board of Directors voted to reject a Request for Decision - RFD 2013-009 - that would have seen OSA-recognized non-club academies permitted to participate in the OSAs new standards-based, high-performance youth soccer league (the OPDL) next season. The request for decision was brought forward by the OSAs Technical Advisory Council (TAC), a group of experienced professionals with backgrounds in player development, coach education, high-performance and professional soccer, refereeing and administration. TAC was commissioned by the OSA to conceive and develop the OPDL, and to advise the OSA staff in making technical recommendations to its board of directors. The OSA board gave no explanation as to why it voted against the recommendations of the OSA technical staff and TAC - but it is not difficult to figure out. The vote to deny the RFD was motivated by petty politics, rather than what is in the best interest of player development. With a board composed of 21 district representatives and a seven-member Executive, the OSAs governance structure is fundamentally flawed. The same conflict of loyalty that plagued the CSA two years ago - where provincial association presidents on the CSA board sought mainly to further the interests of their respective provinces, rather than the greater interest of the game at a national level - now plagues the OSA. District representatives on the OSA board defend their own respective interests instead of working for the greater interest of what is best for the game across the province. This vote to deny RFD 2013-009 in Ontario is just one example of the governance problem; similar issues plague other provincial associations. So how does the CSA go about fixing this problem? The ideal solution would be the achievement of a consensus between the national and provincial levels on a consistent governance structure throughout the CSA: each Association would have the same basic structure, with a skill-set, professional board performing a strategic function and management/staff performing technical and program functions. This consensus approach would create the least amount of bad blood, and result in the maximum amount of buy-in by the provinces. An alternative approach is to mandate that each provincial association mirrors the CSAs national governance structure, or some kind of variation that is acceptable to the CSAs board of directors. The CSA board would be wise to consider this option, even while it might not be its first choice. Instituting parallel governance structures at the provincial level need not entail a fight like the one that occurred two years ago at the CSA. There isnt the same uncertainty surrounding the impact of governance reform: the provincial associations are aware of what kinds of changes would have to occur within their organizations. The challenge would be for the CSA to work with the provincial associations to craft unique solutions for each provincial/territorial association, according to the principles of good governance. Canadian soccer supporters would much rather hear stories of our national teams qualifying for World Cups, or of the steps being taken in player and coach development across the country. But governance impacts all of those things. We must continue to work towards implementing good governance structures at every level of the game across Canada - so that decisions like the one made in Ontario last weekend never happen again. Cheap Air Max 95 Wholesale . Louis Cardinals a hard-fought victory. The Colorado Rockies intentionally walked Yadier Molina with one out and runners on first and third to load the bases for Kozma. Air Max 95 Wholesale China . For the Athletics, hes extremely important at the top of the order, especially with Coco Crisp hurting. Jaso drove in three runs Sunday night, helping Scott Kazmir and Oakland beat the Texas Rangers 9-3. http://www.airmax95cheap.com/ .com) - Avery Bradley scored 21 points and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets, 89-81. Air Max 95 Cheap Authentic . The team sent out a press release on Friday stating Poile was resting and recovering and that he will remain in hospital for further observation. The Predators were preparing for the game against the Wild when Poile was hit by a puck that flew off the ice at him where he was standing in a tunnel behind the bench. Cheap Air Max 95 China . So true. It is one thing to create a winning football team, and another to keep it winning. Each and every week it changes. The NFL creates a unique interest of not who is "the best", but much more who is "the best this week".COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Columbus Crew and FC Dallas paused before their scoreless draw Sunday to support the recovery of a firefighter who was struck by lightning in the southwest parking lot of Crew Stadium. The Major League Soccer teams were scheduled to play on Saturday night, but their game was rescheduled after Stu Tudor was hit during a pregame storm. The 54-year-old lieutenant in the Columbus Fire Department is in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Ohio State Medical Center. The Crew and FC Dallas held a moment of silence before their game, and fans held up signs in support of Tudor, who was off duty at the time of the strike. "Here, you have a man like that who saves lives on a regular basis, who comes out on his off day to see us play," Crew forward Justin Meram said. "For something like that to happen to him, were hoping for the best for him and his family." Dallas defender Zach Lloyd said he and his teammates were affected by the situation. "I know a lot of guys were thinking about his family and their well-being," he said. "That was tough for our group. I think we did a good job of refocusing for the game." Columbus Fire Department Battalion Chief Tracy Smith said its not known if Tudor was struck directly but he had to be resuscitated. Smith said it takes between two and three days to determine the effects of a possible lightning strike. "Were all in (Tudors) corner. Hes one of us," said Columbus coach Gregg Berhalter, who sported a small red ribbon on his shirt during the game as a sign of support. "He was certainly on our minds the last 24 hours." A brief, heavy downpour began 18 minutes into Sundays game, but it was quickly replaced by sunshine for the remainder of the match. There was a chance for more thunderstorms later in the afternoon as the temperature reached the mid-80s with high humidity. The weather was not a deterrent for Tim Hoehnke of the Columbus suburb of Bexley, who brought his family back to Crew Stadium for a seecond straight day.dddddddddddd. "Im not worried," he said before the game. "It was kind of a freak storm (Saturday) that popped up real quick." Stadium officials directed Hoehnkes family to go underneath the stands for cover when rain and lighting moved into the area Saturday, but he was still outside the entrance. "I saw the flash of the guy who got struck by lightning," he said. "They took care of him quickly when he got struck." A Crew spokesman said the team followed MLS policy when it learned lightning strikes were within range of the stadium and immediately ordered fans to exit the double-deck venue in which the majority of the seating is aluminum bleachers. "They handled everything quite well," Hoehnke said. "They got everybody out of the stadium all right. No one panicked." The match was not officially rescheduled until 12:45 a.m. Sunday and the crowd of 4,680 for the 2 p.m. start was far less than the sellout of 20,672 the Crew said it would have had for Saturdays match. MLS Executive Vice-President Dan Courtemanche said in a statement it is league protocol to try and play rescheduled games the next day. Crew defender Eric Gehrig had no problem with the decision to postpone the game once he heard of the circumstances. "Our minds were off soccer at that point," he said. There was a subdued atmosphere before Sundays game, and it was evident Tudor was on the minds of many. Some people paused to stare at the spot where Tudor was struck before continuing to the gates and two Columbus Division of Police officers working the stadium plaza said they visited Tudor earlier that morning. In one corner of the parking lot members of the teams support groups -- collectively known as the Nordecke -- painted black words on two gold banners an hour before the kickoff. They later moved to the northeast corner of the stadium and before the Star Spangled Banner unfurled their work, "Nordeckes with Stu" and "Get well Stu." ' ' '