BREAKING NEWS Cardinals looking to merge!
12/21/07

Dear Cardinal Parents,

I am writing to you concerning an opportunity that has been developed by the Cardinal Board over the past month. As the face of competitive soccer continues to change it has become very clear that the GSE Cardinal Soccer Club will need to change in order to remain competitive. Local and national trends to merge clubs has left our club quite small in relative terms which makes it very difficult to compete on a state and national level. One example of such a merger is being discussed in the northern Cincinnati area that would see Sycamore, Lakota and Warren County combine to create a club with over 200 teams compared to our 35.

Recently, the Cardinal Board has engaged in conversations with NK United Soccer Club and Town & Country Sports Complex concerning a merger of the three operations. NK United has already entered into an agreement with Town & Country which has recently come under new ownership. A merger of the three operations would provide many opportunities for both soccer clubs. Partnership with another strong CUSL organization, year-round skills training, weight and fitness training, meeting and homework spaces, indoor and outdoor fields, a greater capacity for college guidance, potential for a larger tournament draw and a convenient location are among the benefits that such a merger could bring for our daughters. The larger vision would be to provide unprecedented levels of support for young athletes from very young ages up to professional level will maintaining our core philosophies about developing excellent young people. In regards to personnel, Jon Pickup would still play a primary role in developing players and recruiting the finest trainers.

There has been no final decision made at this point and there are still questions to be answered about the nature of such a merger. There will be no changes in the plans for the spring season. Everything will go on as planned. Our intent at this point is to simply make you aware that work is proceeding and our goal is to have a decision in the next 60 days as to the feasibility of a merger.

Keeping Cardinal parents updated will continue to be very important in this process. We will move forward with the best interests of our daughters driving the decision-making process. I am sure that many of you will have questions concerning this information. In order to keep you "in the know" we will communicate back through these same avenues every two weeks. Expect our next e-mail no later than January 5. Have a wonderful holiday season.

Sincerely,

Jeff Brokamp

GSE Cardinal Board