WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THIS SUMMER?

The current 2019 spring/summer programs (Academy, Preseason, Competitive & Mini Kicks) will continue as advertised and registered for.  Coaches, uniforms, locations, times, etc. all will remain unchanged.

You will start to be included on information coming from MN Rush as we begin to align.

WHAT WILL THE FUTURE OF EURO LOOK LIKE?

Very similar to what we have now. 

The easiest way to look at this, is that traditional Euro programming model with the same structure and coaching model will exist as we know it within the larger MN Rush organization.

• Rochester soccer players will be able to choose to participate in any of the programs that have traditionally been offered by either club.  Players who have played Euro can continue to register for the tournament only program.
• Tournament only teams will continue to practice at a single location (Kepp Fields)
• Tournament only teams will continue to be formed by the programs Directors (Angelo and Humberto) based upon coaching evaluations and without try-outs
• Tournament only teams will continue to be coached by Tetra Brazil coaches
• The Euro board will act as an advisory committee during the transition period to minimize the effects on the program
• At some point after this Spring/Summer season (still under discussion), the tournament only teams will transition to MN Rush uniforms

HOW WILL THIS AFFECT MY CHILD'S TEAM?

To put it simply, if every player that has been choosing to play Euro in the past continues, we will see no more change in teams than would be typical from season to season.

Our goal as a soccer club has always been (and will continue to be) to place players on the most developmentally appropriate team.  This has always meant that as players come and go, and/or develop at different rates, their teams could potentially change from year to year.  This will be no different.

how will euro be protected going forward?

During the partnership discussion with MN Rush, this was important to both leadership groups.  We feel that the final agreement provides this protection:

1. During this transition period, the full Euro FC board will remain as an advisory committee to the operations of the tournament only program
2. The MN Rush board has been restructured to be inclusive of Euro FC Board Members
   1. A new MN Rush Board has been created with a 1:1 ratio of members that came through the RYSA Board Leadership and members that come through the Euro FC Leadership
   2. This assures balanced and well representative stewardship of all programs moving forward
3. Angelo and Humberto will continue to provide oversight of the tournament only program
4. Tetra Brazil will continue to be the preferred coaching provider for the tournament only programming

IF nothing is changing, then why do this?

There are several reasons that we this was felt to be in the best interest of our membership.

1. Academy level players - There have been difficulties in forming the Academy teams at the older ages.  When teams can be formed, they have often taken players from the pool of players in the competitive program, and that has hurt those teams.  By running an Academy/Elite program from a combined pool of players, a better program offering will be available to more highly competitive players that are seeking opportunity beyond the club level.
2. Guest players - Too often teams have had to attend a tournament with one or two substitutes, or had to request guest players.  This partnership will simplify a tournament only team using a guest player from a league team, and vice versa.
3. Girl's programming - At the younger ages, our girl's programming has not seen the growth that the boys has had.  Out of necessity, we've had to form teams spanning multiple years.  This has led to poor experiences for those players and families.  Our hope is to provide more balanced programming for all players, but this will likely benefit the girls program significantly.
4. Rec exposure - RYSA (now MN Rush) has a very robust Rec program.  When players become ready to make the transition into competitive soccer they will have great exposure to the choice of choosing either the tournament only or the league play options.  We feel this will benefit everyone involved in a positive way.
5. Rush programs - There are specific Rush programs that we felt would be a good fit for some of our players that we simply could not otherwise provide:
   1. College Fit Finder - To help the players that want to continue to play at a collegiate level
   2. Rush Fest - An annual opportunity for 12U players to participate in the first step of Rush's national player selection program
6. Operational efficiencies - Euro has grown significantly in the past years and running our operations has clearly gone beyond the scope of relying on a volunteer workforce to continue to offer programming at the increased demand.  This partnership will allow Euro and MN Rush to benefit from combined resources to appropriately administer soccer programming for our youth.  Out players and parents will benefit greatly from MN Rush's experienced administrative team.  They are passionate about soccer and will be an invaluable resource as soccer continues to grow in our community.

In conclusion

After considering all the benefits of working with MN Rush and understanding our limitations and challenges when trying to provide the best programming for our players, this collaboration made complete sense.  The soccer landscape is changing, clubs are consolidating across the state, and our local competition (rather than collaboration) was creating a competitive disadvantage for the youth of the community. When the leadership of both clubs came together, put the players first, and found a way to create a model that preserved the programming choices our members collectively cared about, this became a very obvious decision.  We are truly excited for the future of soccer in our community and for all of the kids that love the game!