Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas One And All!

 

 

 

2013 AA Alignments

AA Varsity 2013

The current round of proposals for tiering etc, if passed, would take effect in 2014.  Suffice it to say, the decisions to be made by the membership will be important.    In the interim, aka 2013, the following divisional alignments will manifest themselves.

West                                

1. Argyle
2. Ballenas
3. Carson Graham
4. John Barsby
5. Nanaimo District
6. Sentinel
7. Windsor

East

1. Abbottsford Collegiate
2. G.W. Graham
3. Langley
4. Pitt Meadows
5. Mission
6. Rick Hansen
7. Robert Bateman
8. Samuel Roberts Technical

South

1. Eric Hamber
2. Frank Hurt
3. Holy Cross
4. Hugh Boyd
5. Seaquam
6. South Delta
7. Spectrum

Interior

1. Clarence Fulton??
2. Kalmalka
3. Mount Baker
4. Norkam
5. Okanagen Mission
6. Salmon Arm (League Only)
7. South Kamloops

North

1. College Heights
2. Correlieu
3. Dutchess Park
4. Kelley Road
5. Nechako Valley
6. Prince George

Schedules are currently being drawn by the BCSSFA executive and ought to come out via e-mail prior to 25 December. 

2012-2013 BCSSFA Numbers

BCSSFA School Enrollment 2012-2013

2012-13 Number of Boys G. 11 and 12  combined/Projected 2013-14 Enrollment (current 10/11)

591  Kelowna                                                                        597
540  New Westminster                                                          506
516  Rutland                                                                          461
473  Mt. Boucherie                                                                511
454  Belmont                                                                          448
451  Centennial                                                                      404
390  Earl Marriot                                                                    396    
382  Lord Tweedsmuir                                                           381
381  Eric Hamber                                                                   326
376  West Vancouver                                                             363
364  Terry Fox                                                                       380
364  WJ Mouat                                                                      388
360  Spectrum                                                                        327
348  Prince George                                                                 303
332  Mt. Douglas                                                                    294
323  Vancouver College                                                          325
318  Salmon Arm                                                                    303
316  Mt. Baker                                                                       318
313  Handsworth                                                                    310
311  Georges P. Vanier                                                          317
309  Moscrop                                                                         334
300  Argyle                                                                             279
298  Correlieu                                                                         287
296  South Delta                                                                     312
292  Seaquam                                                                         284
291  South Kamloops                                                             290
287  Frank Hurt                                                                      256
284  Carson Graham                                                               268
269  Abbottsford                                                                    236
262  Robert Bateman                                                              277
224  Okanagen Mission                                                          242
223  Langley                                                                           226
222  Pitt Meadows                                                                  249
218  College Heights                                                                211
217  Rick Hansen                                                                    237
214  Hugh Boyd                                                                      202
211  Samuel Robertson Technical                                             201
210  Timberline                                                                        213
205  Vernon                                                                             188
203  Sentinel                                                                             217
200  Ballenas                                                                            216
199  Mark Isfeld                                                                       209
199  Nanaimo District                                                               217
196  Howe Sound                                                                    186
194  Windsor                                                                           202
192  Mission                                                                            195
189  Duchess Park                                                                   204
176  Holy Cross                                                                       161
171  GW Graham                                                                     181
158  Edward Milne                                                                   161
157  Westsyde                                                                          160
157  Kelley Road                                                                      174
154  Kalmalka                                                                           144
154  Valleyview                                                                         167
151  John Barsby                                                                       168
126  St. Thomas More                                                               128
126  Notre Dame                                                                       140
90    Nechako Valley                                                                 127

   

2013 Alignments

The Vote

Well, it would seem that the vote to hybridize did not pass.  The status-quo at varsity will by and large stay the same with several programs joining AA Varsity, notably Spectrum, GW Graham and SRT.  I believe that due to numbers we will likely see Belmont and Handsworth joining AAA ball.  Tier 2 will likely continue to exist as is.

JV ball however, could be in for some big changes.  It appears that there is a distinct possibility that AAA/AA conferences may blend into regional groupings, play each other during the season and then seed into their respective playoff pools.  The cost of travel for the current AAA groupings is the driving force behind this direction.  It has little or nothing to do about competition and I predict spates of forfeiture when for instance a struggling quasi-tier 2 squad is scheduled to play a Mount Douglas or Fox type program.  Dollars and convenience from the smallest grouping of programs in the association are set to alter the majority of programs who have been for the most part, thriving with league play amongst themselves.

Let's be honest gang, at the provincial level, AAA is going to whither on the vine until the one factor that cannot be couched, manipulated, massaged, contextualized, etc. is altered.  That my friends is numbers of boys in g.11/12 combined.  The number currently used to separate the herd is 300.  It has been very, very successful in terms of providing stability and withstanding the human tendency to gerimander and fiddle to gain advantage.  The only problem is that 300 is archaic.  Schools are on balance smaller than when 300 was determined to be the dividing line. 

The number to be used?  Something between 250 and 270 would be more appropriate.  Arguments against this with demographics as their starting point be damned.  Humans are humans and they all respond to proper motivation.  The right formula, well that's the nut that has to be cracked.

In closing, I would humbly suggest that sustainability and growth be the driving factor with our provincial structure as opposed to perception/aesthetics.  The latter will come along if you take care of the former.

Scenario A

The Guiding Rule: Thou shalt not move down out of your number driven tier, only up and then by choice. 

BCSSFA Super-League: 6-8 historically dominant AAA programs.  Great Football and can deservedly be media divas all they like

AA 250 and up numbers of boys g. 11/12 combined.  Competitive and geographically represents a true provincial league.  Monsters that emerge may want to try their hand at the super league.

A  249 boys g. 11/12 combined.  Competitive, geographically represents a true provincial league, room for movement to AA league by choice.  Can petition for 9 man league if coaching/resources/participation are historically limited. 

B-9  Nine man ball.  (Football would spread like wildfire and some of these programs would germinate into single A league programs.)  Keeps hope and the game alive!!

Net effect: There is a spot for everyone, the game will grow and do so in health. The tired arguement that there are not enough teams to justify 4 banners will lose even more validity. Lastly, A or AA teams that may fold (will actually be only a few) will by their absence, strengthen the provincial herd so to speak. 

Scenario 2

Same as above, no super league and raise cutoff from 250 to 270.

The Vote

To Hybridize or Not To Hybridize

Last January BCSSFA formed a competition committee to accept proposals and study alternatives to BCSSFA's current competitive structure/tiering.  The perceived problem, only 14 teams at AAA level of play.  Though balleyhooed, celebrated and propagated as the best,  the league is tiered within itself, not truley provincial in scope, inbred and quite frankly, dying on the vine.  A call for solutions was sent forth and the competition comittee composed of former and current AA and AAA coaches was struck to filter, digest, ruminate and report.

The complete report may or may not be posted on the BCSSFA site (for the sake of transparency, it should be).  All programs were e-mailed the report months ago.  A vote on the comittee reccomendation is currently taking place.  Ballots will be accepted til Dec. 7th or Dec. 8th depending on which e-mail from the executive you read.  Use the 7th to ensure your voice is heard.



Essentially the proposal eliminates Tier 2 and consolodates HS football into AA and AAA play.   There is an AA post-season tourney an an AAA post-season tourney.   The radical difference is as follows:

The current AAA conferences will blend with the historically stronger AA programs for league play. This is the Hybrid AAA-AA league. At the end of the regular season, the historically stronger AA teams still seed into the AA playoff tourney against the top seeds from the "pure" AA conferences.  At season's end and the AAA teams head on into  their tourney.

At the end of the day, what really changes is league play.  Hopefully more equitable across the board.  Playoffs, are not affected.  The best from each tier determined by numbers of boys in g. 11 or 12  (300 combined) still play one another.

I am not going to print the report verbatum as I believe BCSSFA needs to make that choice.  As the vote is taking place at present I am not going to reccomend a vote one way or another.


I do have two observations I would like to make public.

1) The report was presented to the membership prior to the season beginning. Its proposed alignments are already outdated.  In the span of the 2012 season, it is evident from the performance of some JV programs that their overall program is headed to elite status in the very near future at the varsity level.  There is also a new school coming on board in Greater Victoria that has AAA numbers and will be instantly competitive.   Some programs included at the AA level in the new proposal won't be in existence come 2013.   It is therefore incumbent upon the BCSSFA executive to accurately research who is in and viable, adjust accordingly and then have alignments and league schedules ready to go by the AGM date.  This produces stability for the rest of the year and programs can plan and organize with certitude.

2) Eliminating Tier 2 is a double edged sword.  It brings more teams back into the fold ,but it also brings the accompanying instability that is attached to struggling programs ie. unwanted byes during the regular season due to August collapse.  Some means testing mechanism must be attached by the BCSSFA executive that does not allow for a team to be scheduled if they don't have spring ball/a specific number of players registered by June 21st.  BCSSFA then has to be leaders and adjust the overall schedule to mitigate lost games/depleted conferences no matter how unpopular.

 

A thought, keep Tier 2 around ,but make it 9 man ball.  The main excuse for "folding" year after year has always been numbers and inability to compete.  Well hec, have tier 2 be 9 man ball.  It "keeps hope alive", it acts as a way to float programs til they can play 11 man ball, it helps schools which for a variety of reasons cannot sustain large rosters year-after-year to maintain football.  If a program wants to play 11 man ball, we have it, at AA and AAA.  The true sandbaggers would have very little to go on in terms of hiding at tier 2.

 

BCSSFA benefits by having more stability at the AA level as a result, a larger membership and importantly, a platform for future growth, particularly in the smaller communities and frontier areas of the province geographically.  There is no downside to this at all and we are quite frankly missing a strategic opportunity to improve our overall health as an organization not to do it!

 

Nuff for now.  Go vote.

 

GI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012 BC Champions

South Delta Wins AA Varsity and Mission Wins AA JV

Congratulations to both squads on their decisive victories at this year's Provincial Championship games.  I am quite sure that the road to victory is rich and replete with lessons and memories that will pollinate lives and future groups of footballers for years to come.  Well Done!!

All,

Enjoy your upcoming holliday break and a big thank you for a very entertaining 2012 season!  Am looking forward to 2013 and what it brings.  Be sure your HC votes on the executive proposal regarding hybridized AA/AAA conferences.  The deadline is 7 Dec. according to one e-mail and 8 Dec. according to another.  Use the 7th as your deadline.  Your votes go to Mr. Kris Pechet.  One vote per-school/program.


All The Best,

GI