1000% percent, same fields. the wave girls (USWNT) train with the surf girls. If you want to be NWSL or USWNT its not the only way but it definitely doesn't hurt to be around all that. Its only going to grow stronger as time goes on.
GA & ECNL need to merge, or play nice.
- Thread starter Surf Zombie
- Start date
SoCalGirlsSoccer
BRONZE
I think my daughters game had 5 or 6 scouts watching…UCSB, LMU, Pomona, UW, UCSD, NAU…and I think CSUSM…pretty sure I saw University of Arizona.I can confirm US and College scouts at Silverlakes even though the weather was super shitty. I doubt they would ever chose GA over ECNL unless they are "sponsored"
WatchthemPlay
BRONZE
The same scouts over a season see ECNL and GA players equally. You can track it by looking at the scouts signed up at the big events. More scouts watch more competitive games/better teams. There may be more or less scouts depending the time of year. However, they all see top ECNL and GA teams. Ideally, be a starter and play a lot on a top ECNL or GA team to get the most exposure. At this point it truly doesn’t matter which league.
I'll add that its not about the number of scouts at a league event.
The only scout that matters is the one in contact with your kid and at the event to watch them play.
This is all assuming that your kid wants to play in college not professionally. (If that's an option)
So, for the college coaches here (or anyone who knows from first-hand experience): when a college coach shows up to one of the events that is promoted as a college showcase, are they really there to identify players whom they've never heard of or are they there to check out a particular kids or two or three) and decide a "yes" or "no" on that kid based on previous contacts with that kid (video submissions, references from a club coach, etc)? What's the ratio of the former to the latter?
The answer is “it depends.”
For the big power 5 schools, the coaches are getting emailed by the top players, so they will have a “scouting plan” all set up to see these players based on field numbers and game times to maximize who they can see over the weekend. For the smaller D1 schools and D2/D3, they are realistic on who they can successfully recruit (for instance, they won’t bother with even trying to recruit USYNT players), so these coaches are much more likely to watch games just looking for intelligent/athletic players who stand out. In this case, your kid can get an email or text from those “small” school coaches after the event to initiate contact.
Thank you for the editorial, from the CEO of the Girls Academy.
It's all about politics and money for the league owners. Any time politics and money are involved there is separation. A merge will never happen. However, with a few strategic moves on the part of the ECNL, I could see the GA collapsing. Just not sure those juggernaut clubs that pull the political strings in the ECNL would ever support that. What's good for the competition and what's good for the college coaches isn't necessarily good for the biggies in the league.
Also, as long as parents pay the price of admission, more leagues will come along selling the dream as everyone wants to be a part of something they perceive to be better (even when it's not).