Soccerreccos
BRONZE
Hindsight is 20/20. DA is not the right fit for my DD for many reasons but DPL is turning out to be a joke. She would have been better off in Flight 1. ECNL not an option within reasonable driving distance.
Girls DPL?
- Thread starter Soccerreccos
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soccer661
SILVER ELITE
I think playing HS soccer really comes down to the individual kid & the geographic location.
Out in Ventura County-- where Eagles and Real mostly reside-- we lost ECNL-- so DA is what those teams are transitioning right into OR DA2 if your daughter really wants to play HS or was on ECNL composite/2nd team...some really good HS soccer programs (Moorpark, Westlake, Newbury Park, etc) had bunches/mostly ECNL girls on those varsity teams...MOST (if not all the girls we know) are moving to the DA teams within Eagles or Real now since no ECNL...those HS soccer programs will be drastically different this year. A bit sad for the seniors that won't play HS their last year, but I think the thought process was (along with my own senior) that since they were all moving to DA out here-- none of her old teammates/friends would be playing HS either!! And honestly--the DA competition games going all the way into summer will help her be more prepared leading up to going straight into her college program right after...
But again, we are in a different situation in Ventura County..
bababooey
GOLD
I hear what you are saying about the difference between ECNL and DPL. ECNL is proven and has been the best feeder system for college soccer players. Over the next 5 years, it will be interesting to see if they put as many ECNL players into college soccer with GDA out there.
However, you are missing a crucial point in my eyes. The coaches in GDA versus ECNL. Here in Orange County, the teams that maintained ECNL along with GDA (Blues, Surf, Slammers and West Coast) have moved their best 03 coaches to GDA and now the ECNL teams are coached by lesser coaches. You could say okay, what about Strikers......well, AR is the likely the worst coach I have ever come across face to face. RB at Arsenal is a joke, so that's not an option either. One thing is certain with the GDA.....they hold their coaches to a much higher standard than ECNL.
I have said it before and I still believe this to be true.....DPL is an unnecessary league. It offers nothing different from CSL, Presidio, SDDA or SCDSL. Then add in the fact that it is a closed league and you have strike 2. The majority of the DPL organizations are still in SCDSL, why not have the DPL teams play there?
Mackerel Sam
BRONZE
None of the clubs in the DPL offer ECNL. In fact, if you look at the list of ECNL clubs in Southern California (http://www.eliteclubsnationalleague.com/southwest-conference/) you will see that there are several million people in Los Angeles county and north for whom ECNL is not really a viable option.
Simisoccerfan
PREMIER
I completely disagree with your comment that kids have "no chance of showcasing in front of colleges in DA2". None of the fall leagues will have much of a chance of showcase in front of colleges during league. That includes DA/ECNL/DPL/CRL/SCDSL/CSL etc. College soccer is in season and coaches are focused on their own teams right now. After that clearly ECNL has done a tremendous job at attracting coaches to their showcases. I expect the same from DA. Most of their national events are on different dates except for their Spring Showcase. Also remember that ECNL is no longer in LA or Ventura County.
Regarding DPL/CSL/SCDSL all of them are competing for entry into showcases such as Players College Showcase, Surf, Silverlakes, and National Cup etc. Those events are held on dates when the college season is over and also they do not conflict with the DA or ECNL events. So coaches will be at those events like they have been in the past. Whether you agree with it or not all DPL teams have been guaranteed entry into Silverlakes and Players Showcase. While it is not the same opportunity as ECNL, for their girls that want to play high school and live in an area not serviced by ECNL it is still a very good option.
My daughter and I recently went to watch a few games for G03 DA and DPL teams at Silverlakes over the past month or two with the intention of seeing if there was anything to learn. Not impressed to say the least. These are the same girls she's played against in the last year or so. Of course there are standout players and faces you recognize as being skilled players. I was expecting to see some very polished players. Saw two girls from our old club. One who played F2 with us last year and couldn't quite cut it on the F1 team (occasional guest) is now on a DA team. Another who was on the F1 team is now on a DPL team with another club. I think one club is being a little more realistic while the other is trying to fill slots. LA Premier, Legends, WCFC, and a few NorCal teams were but a few of the teams we saw. Some obviously belong there. Some would be better off staying F1 in SCDSL or Premier in CSL without shelling out all that money to say you're on a DA or DPL team. My .02
You kind of have that backwards. Understand that DPL is unique to SoCal Girls DA Clubs. Further, the DA Clubs that are in ECNL didn't join DPL because they already have ECNL.
Presumably the non-ECNL DA clubs hope their DPL teams will be considered on the same level as ECNL some day, but for now they are on a bit of an island without the structure to compete with ECNL. The dual DA/ECNL clubs I think recognize that both can have their place.
I agree with bababooey that DPL seems an unnecessary league. It only makes sense as a rival to ECNL and right now it's not even a clear rival to SCDSL Champions or CSL Premier.
GoWest
GOLD
Good point. The national footprint of ECNL will be difficult to compete with as well. DPL is a neat idea for the SW DA teams not members of ECNL. In this inaugural DPL season, the small DPL division has a lot to prove.
How exactly is GDA holding its coaches to this higher standard? GDA says its "future goal is for each Academy coach to hold a minimum of a USSF B license". Each of the Strikers' three ECNL coaches has USSF A licenses and either professional or Division I women's head coaching experience. West Coast FC's 03 ECNL coach has an A license and was the 2015 Cal South Developmental Girls Older's Coach Of The Year. (I'm also pretty sure the Baker brothers are coaching both DA and ECNL at Blues.) I understand that there may be individual coaches people don't like but I'm curious for the basis of the "much higher standard" comment.
Simisoccerfan
PREMIER
So what team did your DD stay with? How much do you pay and do you know what they charge? For us DPL is $2300. Front what I have seen that is a reasonable price. On many big clubs you pay more and your in SCDSL or CSL. If you club does not pay much to their coaches you likely pay less.
jpeter
PREMIER
Yep feel the same way.
Our daughter is now a junior and wants to continue to play on her HS team. ECNL is able to accommodate her again but she wanted to check out DA and maybe DPL also. But skipped the DPL thing because she thought it didn't make any sense even over regular flight 1 or gold/premier teams.
The DPL premise is almost a illusion:
Does DPL expand the GDA pool?
Nope not related or sanctioned by ussda
Does DPL provide a path for a player to make the Jump to DA?
Possible but no more than any any flight 1, Gold, Premier, or other league team does
Does DPL players have a oppourunity to be call up as a ussda DP?
Possible but same as any other Cal South League such as CSL, DSL, Presido, etc.
Player must be regularly training with the DA team, have to sperately register, pay and meet all the requirements, tests, fees, etc.
Does DPL provide for greater exposure to college scouting?
Nope same as any Cal South teams that enter's the college showcase events
Does DPL mimic DA?
Nope only trains 2-3 days a week, 7-9 game fall season, plays at the dissimilar venues, only local teams, on a closed circuit, etc.
She couldn't find or fiqure out any of the advantages of DPL so my player opted not even to take a future look
DA acutally can work with HS play if you get a wavier before hand and club agrees to letting player go during the 3 months. Have to file for reinstatment after HS season is over.
Simisoccerfan
PREMIER
It's funny how parents of kids not in DA or DPL are the ones that are always posting negative comments here. This is exactly what happened here back when SCSDL was formed. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but ultimately if the parent's and kids in DA and DPL are happy with their leagues that is all that matters.
For families based in the LA area DPL is the next best choice after DA as ECNL is not a local option. In the 2003 age group for example there are only a couple of really solid teams in CSL Premier and SCDSL FL 1Champions and neither are in the LA area. Many of these teams failed to qualify for CRL...losing out to DPL teams. If ECNL were a local option in LA the conversation would be different and more similar to the OC narrative.
Someone had posted a link to the SW list of clubs in an earlier post and I'd looked at it, bit puzzled.
Why is that? Wasn't RSC once an ECNL club and how about the Eagles in Ventura area?
I don't know the history or know all the good clubs in LA/Ventura Cos but its odd that there isn't a club with ECNL program.
I get that USClub Soccer wants to limit the number of clubs and spread them across the country but OC appear to have heavy concentration in a very small radius, compared to the rest of the southland.
Just curious....
Bababooey, good stuff, thanks for sharing and I appreciate the advice, it is well taken! The DA2 club that gave my DD an open invitation allows HS sports for their players. I may have not explained that correctly in my post. My DD is in HS sports right now and practicing 5x week. Joining DA2 that trains 3-4x week on top of HS sports 5x week was just too step. So she chose to pass joining DA2 in favor of HS sports and F1 soccer. It’s still a steep schedule, but manageable. Without her knowing, I felt she made the wrong choice and was going to miss out by playing in SCDSL vs DPL. To be honest I still kind of feel that way because what I see is most, if not all, DA clubs without ECNL are fielding their 2nd teams in DPL not SCDSL. So that tells me DPL is geared to be more of a competitive league. But the choice is hers and I’ll always support her choices. The good news is my DD was asked to guest play with her clubs DA2 in DPL this opening weekend. So maybe I just need to keep my mouth shut and appreciate that she’s getting to experience a little bit of everything for the moment. Best of luck to your DD and Pats DA2 this season!
I hope you aren't taking criticism of the decision of certain clubs to form DPL as criticism of the families who chose to participate in it. From what you've described, I'm sure my family would have made the same decision yours did.
I hope you also understand that non-DA/DPL parents have a legitimate interest in what's going on here. I think the common goal for most of us is that our girls get quality training with similarly-talented girls and the opportunity to regularly play similarly-talented teams. The more diluted the talent pool gets, the more closed leagues that are formed, the less likely that will happen. As a casual observer here, it seems the formation of the DPL is more about a battle between ECNL and non-ECNL clubs in SoCal than about truly improving the soccer landscape for girls here.
My understanding, and I may be wrong, but isn't there a DA requirement that a club's top players must play on the DA team? I wonder how they would enforce that one.
They may be guaranteed entry into the tournaments but not that coaches will show up to watch your games. Don't count on any coaches if you are not in a top flight.
I guess Soccerreccos does not count as a DPL parent that has a negative comment about it?
No, there is not.