According to the Carleton Place Soccer Club, joining forces with its Almonte counterpart was anything but a winning combination.

Carleton Place Soccer Club president Ruben Vella explained that a recent decision by his board of directors not to continue with the Mississippi United initiative the C.P. club began with the Almonte Soccer Club in 2007 was made with the best interest of would-be Carleton Place soccer players in mind.

"Mississippi United was originally started to see if it was something that could work," Vella said. "It was conducted on a trial basis and it had its problems last year and this year. The most important thing, however, was the fact that we did not want to close the doors on any new members registering with our club."

Vella went on to note that, in 2005, the Carleton Place was able to form 16 competitive teams, but that number was reduced to 14 with the birth of Mississippi United.

"It hit us as far as membership is concerned," he continued. "We do not want to lose members, so our board voted 7-1 in favour of not continuing with Mississippi United."

Vella added that Mississippi United provided no room for player development, adding that Almonte would have a wide selection of competitive players to choose from in its own league if the time is taken to provide development opportunities.

"We're not trying to hurt anyone (players) with our decision, but Almonte wants ready-made players," he said. "It doesn't work that way. We're not about to change the way we operate just so we can have this affiliation."

Vella reiterated his opinion regarding player development, stating that it is "a joke" as far as Mississippi United was concerned, adding that the Carleton Place club had the highest per capita of high level coaches in Canada in 2002.

"This stopped when we formed Mississippi United," he said. "The whole thing wasn't really beneficial to our club. I think both clubs are good clubs, except some of the things that some people want to do are not helping the individual clubs."

As was reported in a recent edition of The Gazette, the Mississippi United initiative was launched by the two clubs in 2007 as a response to the increasing difficulty of competing against larger Ottawa clubs. By fielding joint teams through Mississippi United, the clubs' objectives were to create stronger competitive teams by pooling player resources; allowing members to play at the highest level possible, keeping more of the better athletes playing in their own communities; and to create a unique identity for Mississippi United, including a jersey and logo, that is independent of the two clubs.

Andy Illingworth, president of the Almonte Soccer Club, still cannot fathom why Carleton Place no longer wants to continue with something he felt was working quite well. He shared his comments in the wake of a Mississippi United coaches meeting, which took place in Carleton Place on Nov. 6.

"We had about 12 or 13 coaches attend that meeting, which is not too many," Illingworth said. "I went through a presentation, explaining to them what had happened and then asked for feedback as far as what our next step should be."

Illingworth said that, of the small number of coaches on hand, there was a strong showing of support for the continuation of Mississippi United.

"The majority wasn't there," he said. "But, I think the general consensus from those who were there is that Mississippi United is the right thing to do. This sentiment was also shared with representatives of the East Region Soccer League (for which Mississippi United competes) who were also in attendance. Changing the Carleton Place club's mind could be another thing."

Illingworth also informed The Gazette that Vella had circulated an e-mail, which outlined the C.P. club's reasoning behind its decision, but stated that many of the claims made were unfounded.

"One thing said that we (Almonte) didn't bring coaches to the Mississippi United venture, but that is not true," Illingworth said. "At the end of the day, I feel that basing a decision around the club is not always in the best interest of the players. When the Goulbourn Soccer Club came together five years ago (Munster, Stittsville, Richmond and one other club combined to form the Goulbourn club), there were issues that needed to be overcome. There are still issues that club needs to deal with, but we understand that is something that is quite normal. It is not a good enough reason to can the initiative."

As for what happens next, Illingworth said the Almonte club's board of directors will be making a decision in the next few weeks. A decision is needed rather swiftly because registration for the 2009 season begins in January.

"From my perspective, we should not split the communities, but instead look out for what is best for the players," Illingworth added. "Do we have what it takes to form our own competitive teams? Will we partner with another club? We may have to call a special general meeting and invite our membership and ask them what they would like us to do. Before we do that, however, we need to have some scenarios on the table.”