# Boys ENCL



## Calisoccer11 (Dec 6, 2018)

Boys ENCL has been around for two years now.  Can anyone provide any feedback on their son's experience - the good, bad, and ugly?  Is the competition comparable to DA or is it more like a really good Tier 1 team (or Discovery)?  How do the fees compare?  Is the travel reasonable?


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## jpeter (Dec 6, 2018)

My son knows about a dozen or so players u16 & u17 that did or are still playing boys ECNL and we've seen about that many games also.

The good is there is a bulit in break for high school but the break is almost too long and teams don't get playing again to later March.    The local showcase in SD where good, the Midwest or east coast ones not so much.  Playing some of the AZ, & NV team is a change from the same old ones

The comp is closer to CSL premier or flight 1 disco vs DA IMO.  There are some great players but overall not the depth you see in DA and there is generally more goals and less defense. 

Fees are greater than normal for club teams but travel not too bad.  Travel less than DA at those ages for example.  Normally train 2-3x week so one day less training vs DA.


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## Calisoccer11 (Dec 6, 2018)

Thanks!  That was what I had gathered so far as the competition.  Interesting to hear about travel because someone had told me it was bad (like going to AZ for just one game)--but maybe that's on the girls side.


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## vegasguy (Dec 7, 2018)

It is coming to NV that is travel for 1 game due to the fact there are no other ENCL clubs in NV on either the boys or girls side.  AZ you may have to drive to Tucson for one game and then a game in Phoenix the next.  When we drive to SoCal we have to transfer hotels as well as the games are never at the same fields.


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## futboldad1 (Dec 7, 2018)

My stepson was in boys ECNL. He recently joined a DA team and on the boys side we prefer DA (bit more travel, but more talent and the boys have a something of a pro pathway unlike the girls where college is the end goal). On the girls side, we'd prefer ECNL but there isn't club near us so it's Pre-DA for my 06.

Basically girls DA was a réponse to girls ECNL and Boys ECNL was a response to boys DA. Not sure how much thought went in to either of the responses.


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## JackZ (Dec 12, 2018)

Calisoccer11 said:


> Boys ENCL has been around for two years now.  Can anyone provide any feedback on their son's experience - the good, bad, and ugly?  Is the competition comparable to DA or is it more like a really good Tier 1 team (or Discovery)?  How do the fees compare?  Is the travel reasonable?


It's OK. The competition is adequate. Team level is on par with Discovery and CSL Premier, meaning the center halves of each of those groups would be equal level, the top of Premier would do well in ECNL. (DA is better at the olders, no question in my book).  ECNL is more of the same, clubs always looking to find their niche$. Playing the NV and AZ teams is good and the travel is good for boys (especially at the older ages) thinking about trying to play college ball and learning how to be responsible with school and other demands while traveling.  The requirement to travel for the showcases is a little silly (and my biggest gripe), traveling to Florida, Oklahoma, or Pennsylvania to play in three games is not great considering the talent pool and level of competition here in SoCal.

Fees for our club '18-19: club $2300 + team fee (based on each teams individual budget) $600, +uniforms $200 - these prices are reasonable for our family.
*BUT * the $$ adds up quickly with the travel, that's where they get you. One trip to Vegas, two weekends in AZ, a showcase in SD in April and a trip to PA in May. Additionally, if you finish top 4 in bracket you travel for playoffs. Do the math there, it's not cheap and that's the tougher pill to swallow.

The big sell they push is college recruiting and exposure, I don't really buy it, as a kid can just go to a few big tournaments (get on a guest player list), do big college camps, or individual college camps, etc. In the end it's going to be how much the kid pushes himself to get in front of coaches/teams and find his/her fit.

I do like game day feel, all five teams play on the same fields in staggered order, and they will often will pull up an cheer for each other. EDIT, should add that 90% of the time the fields are great!


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## Calisoccer11 (Dec 14, 2018)

JackZ said:


> It's OK. The competition is adequate. Team level is on par with Discovery and CSL Premier, meaning the center halves of each of those groups would be equal level, the top of Premier would do well in ECNL. (DA is better at the olders, no question in my book).  ECNL is more of the same, clubs always looking to find their niche$. Playing the NV and AZ teams is good and the travel is good for boys (especially at the older ages) thinking about trying to play college ball and learning how to be responsible with school and other demands while traveling.  The requirement to travel for the showcases is a little silly (and my biggest gripe), traveling to Florida, Oklahoma, or Pennsylvania to play in three games is not great considering the talent pool and level of competition here in SoCal.
> 
> Fees for our club '18-19: club $2300 + team fee (based on each teams individual budget) $600, +uniforms $200 - these prices are reasonable for our family.
> *BUT * the $$ adds up quickly with the travel, that's where they get you. One trip to Vegas, two weekends in AZ, a showcase in SD in April and a trip to PA in May. Additionally, if you finish top 4 in bracket you travel for playoffs. Do the math there, it's not cheap and that's the tougher pill to swallow.
> ...


Thank you for your response.  This is great information.


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## NumberTen (May 3, 2020)

JackZ said:


> It's OK. The competition is adequate. Team level is on par with Discovery and CSL Premier, meaning the center halves of each of those groups would be equal level, the top of Premier would do well in ECNL. (DA is better at the olders, no question in my book).  ECNL is more of the same, clubs always looking to find their niche$. Playing the NV and AZ teams is good and the travel is good for boys (especially at the older ages) thinking about trying to play college ball and learning how to be responsible with school and other demands while traveling.  The requirement to travel for the showcases is a little silly (and my biggest gripe), traveling to Florida, Oklahoma, or Pennsylvania to play in three games is not great considering the talent pool and level of competition here in SoCal.
> 
> Fees for our club '18-19: club $2300 + team fee (based on each teams individual budget) $600, +uniforms $200 - these prices are reasonable for our family.
> *BUT * the $$ adds up quickly with the travel, that's where they get you. One trip to Vegas, two weekends in AZ, a showcase in SD in April and a trip to PA in May. Additionally, if you finish top 4 in bracket you travel for playoffs. Do the math there, it's not cheap and that's the tougher pill to swallow.
> ...


Renewing this thread for all the new Boys ENCL teams.


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## Dargle (May 3, 2020)

NumberTen said:


> Renewing this thread for all the new Boys ENCL teams.


Will there be ECNL and ECRL in Southern California Boys ECNL just like Girls ECNL?  I know there was only one division last year, but with a bunch of Boys DA teams joining Boys ECNL, some of whom already had Boys ECNL teams (e.g., FCGS), it seems like this might be the market to offer the second team regional league option.


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## Caltek (May 3, 2020)

Dargle said:


> Will there be ECNL and ECRL in Southern California Boys ECNL just like Girls ECNL?  I know there was only one division last year, but with a bunch of Boys DA teams joining Boys ECNL, some of whom already had Boys ECNL teams (e.g., FCGS), it seems like this might be the market to offer the second team regional league option.



Yes Fcgs already announced they have 3 teams 1 in Pomona Ecnl one in Pasadena ecnl and the one ecrl team


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## Banana Hammock (May 4, 2020)

At our first informational meeting they said that the first team would be ECNL and the second team will Play ECRL.


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## Banana Hammock (May 4, 2020)

the southwest has close to 20 teams already


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## Banana Hammock (May 4, 2020)

JackZ said:


> It's OK. The competition is adequate. Team level is on par with Discovery and CSL Premier, meaning the center halves of each of those groups would be equal level, the top of Premier would do well in ECNL. (DA is better at the olders, no question in my book).  ECNL is more of the same, clubs always looking to find their niche$. Playing the NV and AZ teams is good and the travel is good for boys (especially at the older ages) thinking about trying to play college ball and learning how to be responsible with school and other demands while traveling.  The requirement to travel for the showcases is a little silly (and my biggest gripe), traveling to Florida, Oklahoma, or Pennsylvania to play in three games is not great considering the talent pool and level of competition here in SoCal.
> 
> Fees for our club '18-19: club $2300 + team fee (based on each teams individual budget) $600, +uniforms $200 - these prices are reasonable for our family.
> *BUT * the $$ adds up quickly with the travel, that's where they get you. One trip to Vegas, two weekends in AZ, a showcase in SD in April and a trip to PA in May. Additionally, if you finish top 4 in bracket you travel for playoffs. Do the math there, it's not cheap and that's the tougher pill to swallow.
> ...


JackZ, can you give us an update on the cost after a year?


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