Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve
The ACE coaches program includes some education aspects, a $5M liability policy, a criminal background check, and was pushed as a response to ASA's insurance carrier suggesting some of these programs as a risk managemnet program.
The teams have had some concern about the cost of registration (which includes insurance); ASA pushed the ACE program to educate and insure the coaches, while protecting the players from predator adults and attempting to hold the costs of registration/insurance. Since it wasn't presented that way, the coaches decided (as they almost always conclude) that ASA did it to make money.
So far as I am aware, there is almost zero positive cash flow from requiring ACE certification of coaches in the youth programs; the cost benefits were to hold the line on future insurance premium increases.
Wade, I won't be logging in as a user on heybucket, although I do read it from time to time, so feel free to pass this perspective to the coaches. IMO, it is a red herring, anyway, as is the college player issue (SPY listed 97 college participants out of more than 1000 overall; 64 teams with 15-20 roster players).
IMO, the positives are really only to the SoCal teams; they can get more teams in, while staying at home. The East Coast (and probably most nonCal) teams will actually pay more to participate in the Premiere; but they are convinced that they need to rebel, that ASA doesn't listen to them, (and mostly, that they won't be accepted into the OTHER showcases they want to be in, like the Champions Cup, if they don't buy into this). Flights into OKC aren't cheap; LAX is certainly better. But I seriously doubt hotels, restaurants, rental cars, and "the other things to do" are cheaper in Huntingdon Beach, CA, than OKC!!
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