November 23, 2007

To MSC Players & Parents,

It’s hard to believe that another season of Fall soccer is winding down! We have just finished what I believe was the most successful season in club history. Consider for a moment that 10 teams made the trip to Decatur to participate in the State Cup semi-finals and finals and Governor’s Cup during the weekend of November 10th & 11th. We had 5 teams return to Mobile with championship medals in hand!

Congratulations to our U-12 Boys Blue Team, U12 Boys White Team, U-13 Boys Team, U-11 Girls Team, and U-14 Girls Team who all received Gold Medals. Congratulations should also go out to our U-18 Boys Team who finished as Finalists in the State Cup. We are very proud of this team for their accomplishments. It should be noted that this team participated in the Region III league and were very competitive with many nationally ranked teams. In fact, this team is not yet finished with their season as they have been invited to the Tampa Sun Bowl at the end of December. Just to be invited to this tournament is an honor of its own. On behalf of MSC, I wish them all the best in Tampa!

I would also like to recognize our U-16 Boys who finished as Semi-Finalists in their division of the State Cup. Despite a semi-final loss to eventual champion HYSC they had a tremendous season and we expect great things from them in the future. Other teams deserving mention for their Governor’s Cup appearance are the U-12 Girls and the U-15 Boys who both finished in 3rd Place and our U-17 boys who finished as Semi-Finalists in their respective divisions. I also want to congratulate our U-14 Boys Division 1 team who had a successful first year in league play. We also had several other teams that did not participate in the State Cup or Governor’s Cup that had much to be proud of this fall. All of our young players and teams got better as the season progressed and the future is bright for all of them and for MSC. Great job to everyone!

I especially want to thank each of our Managers who have worked tirelessly to support each of their teams. I also want to acknowledge and thank our DOC, Mohammed El-Zare, for his dedication and commitment to helping our Club to be the best it can be for all involved.

While our fall season is winding down, this is a very busy time for Mohammed and the Board. We have already begun preparations for the upcoming Spring season which include the planning of Spring tournament schedules, reviewing current fee structures, establishing new accounting procedures, planning our Spring Tournament (May 16th – 18th, 2008), reviewing and implementing new policies and procedures, and ultimately positioning MSC to make even greater strides in the future.

As I look back on the season I consider the accomplishments of our club from an administrative viewpoint as well, including drafting and approval of a new Mission Statement, drafting and approval of a Coach’s Contract, implementing a more efficient method for the payment of Coaches and vendors, creation of a Volunteer Coordinator position, development of Sponsorship/Marketing material, the establishment of a Sponsorship and Fundraising Committee, establishing policies and procedures where none existed before, working on fundraisers to improve our financial position, improved relationships with the City of Mobile which resulted in better maintenance of our practice facilities and more.

Have you taken the opportunity to view our club website recently? If you have not done so I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to check it out. Our Webmaster, Kent Baxley, has done a fantastic job on continually updating and adding new information. And would you believe we are averaging over 3000 hits per month on our site? It’s true! What a great opportunity for future sponsors of our club and tournament!

As you visit the club website let me draw your attention to a special “Newsletter” section on the left side. This is certainly worthy of mention in the accomplishments column. In September, Geoff Peacock prepared the very first issue of our club newsletter entitled, MSC Sidelines. Two issues have now been published and next will be available soon.

I am especially pleased that the Board has made significant strides in discussions with other clubs in our surrounding area with regard to greater cooperation in scheduling of tournaments, friendlies, and other activities.

I am sure that you will also be interested to know that several of our Board members have been engaged in serious discussions around a potential soccer complex in Mobile. I am optimistic that our recent efforts will one day “bear fruit” and give our club fields that we can call home.

While I am on the subject of the Board I would like to welcome our two newest Board Members, Katherine Klyce and Jeff Moore. Both of these individuals were nominated by the general membership. Their nominations were reviewed by the Nominating Committee and later submitted to the Board who then approved their nomination. I am very excited to have both of them join us as I believe each will bring a positive attitude and hard work ethic that will help us continue the positive momentum as we move forward.

Without each of our players, parents, managers, and coaches we could not have enjoyed the success we had this season. It is my belief that we have established a solid foundation on which we will continue to build our club into the premier soccer club along the Gulf Coast.

As I close this letter, I would like to thank the Board of Directors that have put in much effort over the last 3 months to promote and enhance the sport of soccer throughout the City of Mobile; Mobile County, the state of Alabama and the Northern Gulf Coast. While each is worthy to be named one by one, let me “blanket” my entire Board by simply stating that it is a pleasure to serve with a group of people who share the same passion of developing players at all levels of play.

I do hope that each parent and player will look back upon the 2007 Fall Season as a step forward as we anticipate even greater things in the future.

Lastly, I am grateful to each parent, player, and coach for supporting the Board and me as we strive to make MSC the very best soccer club along the Gulf Coast. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns. Go MSC!

Regards,

Troy Tarter

President – Board of Directors
Mobile Soccer Club
Email: troy@mobilesoccerclub.org