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Disappointed, soccer coach may leave
By LENNIE BENNETT
© St. Petersburg Times, ST. PETERSBURG -- Les Ambush and the popular soccer program he created 17 years ago may be parting company. The longtime coach has asked the Northeast Raiders to remove his name from the clubhouse in Puryear Park, an honor bestowed in 1997, and he is talking to parents about forming a new league that would offer recreational soccer only. "I'm very upset with the turn that soccer has taken to big clubs," said Ambush, 58. "I know it sounds like sour grapes, but the bottom line is this: I will not have my name represent a program that ignores the recreational program." "I'm sorry it's come down to this," said Richard Bell, president of the Raiders board of directors. "He has been a legend for the club. I think when he said it was out of spite, I think that's true. And I think he will come to regret his decision." At the heart of the argument is a philosophical difference between club soccer and recreational soccer. Club soccer is considered far more competitive and more expensive. Players must try out for limited slots on the teams. The registration for a Raiders club team is $375, plus the expense of tournaments, many of them out of town requiring overnight stays. Recreational teams' registration fees range from $65 to $90, depending on the child's age. Players are guaranteed a spot on a team and generally play teams within their organization or other local teams. Ambush contends that the emphasis on competition and club soccer has diminished the recreational program within the Northeast Raiders. "It's what I call the Little League effect," Ambush said. "Less nurturing, less self-esteem." Ambush started an indoor, off-season soccer program in 1984 at Roberts Youth Center when one of his sons was young. "We had 47 kids. It was so hot," he said. The program caught on "with a tremendous infusion of younger children." When Penny for Pinellas money built a new air-conditioned facility at Gladden Park in 1995, the program moved there. It evolved into Ambush's Everyone's a Winner soccer program that stresses the game and not the outcome, the effort rather than the level of skill of a child. He also helped start the outdoor soccer program that was developing at Puryear Park, which became the Northeast Raiders. The Raiders now number about 900 children, 4 to 18 years old; 225 of them, Bell said, are in club soccer. The group has a budget of about $250,000, he said, which is raised through fees, two tournaments they put on, concessions and donations. The money is spent on uniforms, using and maintaining the soccer facilities, insurance and membership in the Florida Youth Soccer Association. Several years ago, the Raiders hired Tony Paris to be the director of coaching for about $42,000, Bell said. "He was supposed to do club and rec and he totally ignored rec," Ambush said. "I went to the board and told them for a minimal amount, $7,000 or $8,000, I would be in charge of the rec program so it would have the same synergy as the club." "We came back and offered him $4,500 to do just the younger kids," Bell said. "He seems to get more joy working with them. We did what we could and he decided not to accept it." "The only reason they voted anything was because I was sitting in the room. And they left out the age group that needed the most help, the under 10s," Ambush said. "I turned it down. I was hurt and angry." Parents interviewed speak of Ambush with near-reverence. Carmine Locicero, whose daughter has played both recreational and club soccer, said "Les is a great man. Every child that walks through the door to play indoor soccer is a winner and that's because of Les. I don't know about politics. If Les sees something, then something is there." "Les is phenomenal," said Sandy Waterbury, whose three sons have played on recreational teams. "I trust Les enough to know he has a valid point." Parents have varying views about the merits of the recreational versus club teams. "Club was never a consideration for me because I have three kids," said Sandy Waterbury, "and the commitment, the travel was just too much. When my kids talk to other kids and say they're not on a club team, they almost hang their heads in shame. It's like Little League. It's very sad that you can't just take your kids out to play for an hour on Saturday." "I think there is much more emphasis placed on the club than rec," said Deanah Soto. Her twins play with the Raiders, her son on a recreational team and daughter on a club team, which she said she is ambivalent about. "It's that win-at-all-costs attitude. My kids are 8 years old. I just want them to have a good time." "I have had a very good experience with the club program. Tony Paris is an excellent coordinator," said Carmine Locicero. "He's why we're at Northeast." Bell, the Raiders president, has two teenage daughters who have played on recreational teams, never club. "We are seeking to improve the rec program every year," he said. "We run training sessions every year for the rec coaches and we're going to do more this year. When you say they're not getting the money or the training, I point out that ours is one of the largest rec programs in Pinellas. The club program supports itself. Les is at times under misinformation about that." Ambush is talking to parents about forming a new league "in the spring, going through summer, with an indoor-outdoor concept. It would be totally recreational," he said. "I don't know how that would affect us," Bell said. As part of his protest, Ambush has asked Bell, whom he describes as "my friend ... a wonderful man," to have his name removed from the small clubhouse at Puryear Park, home of the Northeast Raiders. Bell, who also describes Ambush as "my friend," said he will call Ambush before his name is removed "so his feelings won't be hurt down the road." "I am not anti-club," Ambush said. "I am in favor of club soccer, of the talented child playing soccer. I am not in favor of letting the rec program die."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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