DA...ECNL...where?

[Desert Hound]

So now that the season has started...where have the players ended up?

Did most go to DA clubs?

How has ECNL been affected? Substantially different in terms of quality this coming year?

And I suspect on the older end less incentive to move?

In AZ it didn't make too much of a difference. We had 2 ECNL teams and now we have 1 DA and 1 ECNL. On the older end there was not that much movement from Sereno to del Sol.

At the 04 end del Sol was aggressive in recruiting and got some good players. This year Sereno has new leadership and made a concerted push and I think their 04 team will end up better vs years past. I have not seen the 04 del Sol team play but would have to assume their 04 team is better vs 04 Sereno.

The DA2 teams out here seem average. It would SEEM that if a kid didn't get on the DA team most opted not to go del Sol DA2.

 

[Mystery Train]

My impression:
In the younger ages, DA has taken a large number of kids out of ECNL teams, basically shifting the balance from ECNL to DA. In the older ages, seems like the impact has been to water down both sides. The DA teams (the ones I'm familiar with anyway) have added some of the players they wanted but have a bunch that they still aren't sure about and the ECNL teams had to scramble and bring up players from their EGSL teams or undergo major turn-over. If what I read on another thread is true, the older Blues teams will now certainly dominate ECNL (even more) because they took the approach of making their second teams the DA teams and keeping their top teams ECNL in the olders. With the other ECNL teams weakened by DA defections, look for some ugly scores in the Blues 02 games. Not that it was particularly close last year anyway.

 

[Dos Equis]

My impression:
In the younger ages, DA has taken a large number of kids out of ECNL teams, basically shifting the balance from ECNL to DA. In the older ages, seems like the impact has been to water down both sides. The DA teams (the ones I'm familiar with anyway) have added some of the players they wanted but have a bunch that they still aren't sure about and the ECNL teams had to scramble and bring up players from their EGSL teams or undergo major turn-over. If what I read on another thread is true, the older Blues teams will now certainly dominate ECNL (even more) because they took the approach of making their second teams the DA teams and keeping their top teams ECNL in the olders. With the other ECNL teams weakened by DA defections, look for some ugly scores in the Blues 02 games. Not that it was particularly close last year anyway.

There will be some lopsided scores in both DA and ECNL, but you might want to lo0k at the scores of the Blues '02 ECNL games so far (and in the past) before making too many predictions about this year being more lopsided. In '02 ECNL, Blues, Arsenal, Strikers and Surf (so I have heard) had very few players "defect" to DA, and some rosters may have improved. For girls who are committed or deep in the process, the appeal of moving to DA is often overshadowed by other factors, including having time for academics so you actually remain eligibile for admission (and are prepared for success) at that highly ranked school you want to attend.

 

[Mystery Train]

There will be some lopsided scores in both DA and ECNL, but you might want to lo0k at the scores of the Blues '02 ECNL games so far (and in the past) before making too many predictions about this year being more lopsided. In '02 ECNL, Blues, Arsenal, Strikers and Surf (so I have heard) had very few players "defect" to DA, and some rosters may have improved. For girls who are committed or deep in the process, the appeal of moving to DA is often overshadowed by other factors, including having time for academics so you actually remain eligibile for admission (and are prepared for success) at that highly ranked school you want to attend.

I did notice a slip late in the tournament season, that showed signs that others were closing the gap, so I hope you're right.

 

[Outlier]

At least three girls on our ECNL team were actively recruited by DA coaches and truly offered spots. They turned down the offers to participate in more than one sport, play for school teams or to have more control over the "fourth day" of practice, scheduling privates, etc., when it works for them. Time will tell if this affects their college prospects. It will be interesting to see what happens when the current middle schoolers on DA teams hit high school - will they still love the game enough to accept the time commitment and potentially limited playing time of DA (for girls 12-18) when school becomes more demanding and life becomes more complex? Or will ECNL start to look more appealing. (True national team-level prospects not withstanding.)

 

[El Clasico]

It is unfortunate that in this day and age, parents don't have enough common sense to guide their children in the right direction. The sheer number of DA teams in the So Cal region demonstrates that. How many DA teams? How many on each roster? How many elite players is that? I don't see it. Since a large percentage of girls playing DA won't even be playing college ball, it is incredulous that parents push their kids in that direction.(love when full of sh*t parents post - their choice, not mine) Some of these parents don't really understand the trade-off that they are making for their kids. Play in DA so the parents can brag to EVERYONE about it while costing their child ALL the benefits of playing for their home town team and school. Now, on the plus side for everyone else, it just got a lot easier for your child to get into an elite school since their grades haven't suffered due to all the extra training days, travel days, far away showcases, etc.

 

[beachbum]

It is unfortunate that in this day and age, parents don't have enough common sense to guide their children in the right direction. The sheer number of DA teams in the So Cal region demonstrates that. How many DA teams? How many on each roster? How many elite players is that? I don't see it. Since a large percentage of girls playing DA won't even be playing college ball, it is incredulous that parents push their kids in that direction.(love when full of sh*t parents post - their choice, not mine) Some of these parents don't really understand the trade-off that they are making for their kids. Play in DA so the parents can brag to EVERYONE about it while costing their child ALL the benefits of playing for their home town team and school. Now, on the plus side for everyone else, it just got a lot easier for your child to get into an elite school since their grades haven't suffered due to all the extra training days, travel days, far away showcases, etc.

I agree with most of what you are saying except a large portion of the DA players will play in college. If you look at the statistics of how many from the ECNL played college and now plug that into the DA, the numbers will be high. There are after all something like 4300 Div 1 scholarships= + D2, D3.
The fact of the matter is, that there will be maybe a total of 2 or 3 girls from each age group in the entire country that will ever make the WNT. As it stands now there are 75 DA clubs with 1200 girls per age group. So yes get a grip, let them have fun.

 

[Kicker4Life]

Lots of Hater-Aide and Generalizations....{face palm}

 

[SocalPapa]

There will be some lopsided scores in both DA and ECNL, but you might want to lo0k at the scores of the Blues '02 ECNL games so far (and in the past) before making too many predictions about this year being more lopsided. In '02 ECNL, Blues, Arsenal, Strikers and Surf (so I have heard) had very few players "defect" to DA, and some rosters may have improved. For girls who are committed or deep in the process, the appeal of moving to DA is often overshadowed by other factors, including having time for academics so you actually remain eligibile for admission (and are prepared for success) at that highly ranked school you want to attend.

Yes, seems to be a minimal impact on '02 ECNL. Of the DA roster's I've looked at:

1) Legends 01/02: Only three 2002 birth year players on the roster. Transferred from: Legends FC G02 Academy I (flight 1 team), Arsenal FC ECNL, and Legends FC G01 Academy (playing up flight 1)

2) Beach 01/02: seven '02 players; all 7 had previously played on their Beach FC G02 Academy team (SCDSL flight 1).

3) West Coast FC's 01/02: have three 02 players on their Academy team; all 3 came over from their ECNL team.

4) Socal Blues 01/02: Mostly '02s, but most from the disbanded So Cal Blues Holley 02 Flight 1 team. There are also 5 former WCFC 02 ECNL players though.

5) Pateadores 01/02: have three '02 players, from 1) Slammers ECNL, 2) CDA Slammers FC - HB 02 Elite EGSL (Flight 1), and 3) a girl that seems to have been playing up with a Chelsea SC 2000 team.

6) LA Galaxy 01/02: have two '02 players, from 1) Beach FC G02 Academy team (flight 1), 2) one girl who played Arsenal ECNL

7) Legends FC 01/02: have four '02 players, two from Legends FC G02 Academy I (flight 1) and 1 each from Arsenal FC ECNL and Legends FC G01 Academy (flight 1)

 

[bababooey]

It is unfortunate that in this day and age, parents don't have enough common sense to guide their children in the right direction. The sheer number of DA teams in the So Cal region demonstrates that. How many DA teams? How many on each roster? How many elite players is that? I don't see it. Since a large percentage of girls playing DA won't even be playing college ball, it is incredulous that parents push their kids in that direction.(love when full of sh*t parents post - their choice, not mine) Some of these parents don't really understand the trade-off that they are making for their kids. Play in DA so the parents can brag to EVERYONE about it while costing their child ALL the benefits of playing for their home town team and school. Now, on the plus side for everyone else, it just got a lot easier for your child to get into an elite school since their grades haven't suffered due to all the extra training days, travel days, far away showcases, etc.

El Clasico, I think you are making a few too many generalizations about the GDA. Yes, I do believe some parents were quick to jump at the DA chance for their dd not totally recognizing the commitment needed time-wise or the reality that once their dd is subbed out of the game, she is done for the game. I also agree that there are too many DA teams in So Cal (and there are/were too many ECNL teams in So Cal), but these elite leagues are always filled with parents willing to pay the fees, so I cannot really blame the clubs or governing bodies.

I disagree with your point about college soccer. First off, since we are in the first year of GDA, there is no way to gauge your statement. However, I think you will see a much higher percentage of GDA and ECNL players playing in college versus SCDSL, Presidio, CSL, etc. players.

I have stated before that the commitment to GDA was too much for my dd (her opinion and mine). She is in her first year of high school and we both agree that academics is more important that soccer at least for this year. We can reassess next year and see if pursuing a DA spot is right for her. Although I don't think she will give up HS soccer for GDA.

Lastly, I think there are plenty of GDA players who can commit to the extra soccer along with maintaining great grades that would get them into an elite school. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[casper]

DA, ECNL, DPL, ECNL Reserve, SCDSL, CSL, Presidio, and any other league that anyone's dd plays for good luck and have fun. I don't post much anymore despite having two daughters still in the game. I find reading through a majority of the posts they tend to be emotionally driven, either positive or negative based on the experience of the poster. Generalizations are also the theme, unless its kid specific to that poster. It's hard to draw any specific conclusions on the success or failure of the DA based on a few weeks. Also with the combined 01/02 age groups it's hard to measure the impact DA had on the 02 ECNL team's as only 54 players or roughly 24% of the DA 01/02 Southwest conference is made up of 02s. You would get a better idea at the 03 and 04 levels for that comparison. I have learned over the years that even parents and players on the same team can have two completely different experiences, so generalizations don't work when it comes to club soccer. My best advice would be to enjoy the little things and the family time you get to spend with your dd on this journey. Let your dd carve her own path on the pitch and regardless where that takes her support her. There is enough to worry about in their teen years than worrying about playing time, which league is the best, which team is the best, or which program deserves what. It all comes to an end one day for all our dds. All the trophies, medals, are meaningless, to the life lessons learned, friendships, travel, and their memories they will cherish. One day they might be a parent and pass down their love and passion for the game to their kids. If we are blessed we will be around to watch them play, a little wiser, and a lot older hopefully (lol). Good luck out on the pitch this season and I hope all your dd's have a great year.

 

[Mystery Train]

DA, ECNL, DPL, ECNL Reserve, SCDSL, CSL, Presidio, and any other league that anyone's dd plays for good luck and have fun. I don't post much anymore despite having two daughters still in the game. I find reading through a majority of the posts they tend to be emotionally driven, either positive or negative based on the experience of the poster. Generalizations are also the theme, unless its kid specific to that poster. It's hard to draw any specific conclusions on the success or failure of the DA based on a few weeks. Also with the combined 01/02 age groups it's hard to measure the impact DA had on the 02 ECNL team's as only 54 players or roughly 24% of the DA 01/02 Southwest conference is made up of 02s. You would get a better idea at the 03 and 04 levels for that comparison. I have learned over the years that even parents and players on the same team can have two completely different experiences, so generalizations don't work when it comes to club soccer. My best advice would be to enjoy the little things and the family time you get to spend with your dd on this journey. Let your dd carve her own path on the pitch and regardless where that takes her support her. There is enough to worry about in their teen years than worrying about playing time, which league is the best, which team is the best, or which program deserves what. It all comes to an end one day for all our dds. All the trophies, medals, are meaningless, to the life lessons learned, friendships, travel, and their memories they will cherish. One day they might be a parent and pass down their love and passion for the game to their kids. If we are blessed we will be around to watch them play, a little wiser, and a lot older hopefully (lol). Good luck out on the pitch this season and I hope all your dd's have a great year.

With that kind of contribution, please post more often!

 

[Simisoccerfan]

There will be some lopsided scores in both DA and ECNL, but you might want to lo0k at the scores of the Blues '02 ECNL games so far (and in the past) before making too many predictions about this year being more lopsided. In '02 ECNL, Blues, Arsenal, Strikers and Surf (so I have heard) had very few players "defect" to DA, and some rosters may have improved. For girls who are committed or deep in the process, the appeal of moving to DA is often overshadowed by other factors, including having time for academics so you actually remain eligibile for admission (and are prepared for success) at that highly ranked school you want to attend.

Very few 02 girls "defected" because they are on the younger side of the 01/02 age group and most of those DA players are 01's. I know a number of girls already committed that are still playing DA. If you ask their future college coaches they likely want them playing at the highest level to get ready for college.

 

[Kicker4Life]

DA, ECNL, DPL, ECNL Reserve, SCDSL, CSL, Presidio, and any other league that anyone's dd plays for good luck and have fun. I don't post much anymore despite having two daughters still in the game. I find reading through a majority of the posts they tend to be emotionally driven, either positive or negative based on the experience of the poster. Generalizations are also the theme, unless its kid specific to that poster. It's hard to draw any specific conclusions on the success or failure of the DA based on a few weeks. Also with the combined 01/02 age groups it's hard to measure the impact DA had on the 02 ECNL team's as only 54 players or roughly 24% of the DA 01/02 Southwest conference is made up of 02s. You would get a better idea at the 03 and 04 levels for that comparison. I have learned over the years that even parents and players on the same team can have two completely different experiences, so generalizations don't work when it comes to club soccer. My best advice would be to enjoy the little things and the family time you get to spend with your dd on this journey. Let your dd carve her own path on the pitch and regardless where that takes her support her. There is enough to worry about in their teen years than worrying about playing time, which league is the best, which team is the best, or which program deserves what. It all comes to an end one day for all our dds. All the trophies, medals, are meaningless, to the life lessons learned, friendships, travel, and their memories they will cherish. One day they might be a parent and pass down their love and passion for the game to their kids. If we are blessed we will be around to watch them play, a little wiser, and a lot older hopefully (lol). Good luck out on the pitch this season and I hope all your dd's have a great year.

Welcome back @casper, it's been a while. Hope all is well.

 

[splinter]

As a parent of 2 / 2004's I can tell you it was a pretty easy decision in the first year to give DA a try. Fully funded, still have one more year till high school and being able to continue with a large group of girls that have become good friends over the last 4 years made the decision easier. Next year will be the tough decision as school loads get tougher and playing with their high school friends and the chance to play other sports become a bigger factor. For now we are enjoying the extra practices they get along with the first class treatment academy affords. Great fields, water stations, easy ups, trainers and video taping are all part of experience. If my girls decide to change next year I have no problem with taking them to ecnl. It is a proven entity and is not going anywhere. ECNL also allows the girls a chance to play in some more tournaments as well.

 

[timbuck]

I was talking with an parent of an kid on an 04 DA team. He said that the kid really liked it and was thriving. But he felt that 4 days a week of mandatory practice with driving back and forth to the Great Park was a bit too much. And he wasn't looking forward to a 10 month season with no real breaks.
He said he would be leaving future decisions up to her, but he was secretly hoping for a different route in the future.

 

[jose]

I don't have any insight to DA2 teams so can't speak to that. I do know that the switch to DA will impact some of our local HS teams. I think my daughter's HS team had at least 6 players that won't be returning bc of DA.

The DA will allow HS soccer this year. Going forward they are going to reevaluate

 

[Simisoccerfan]

What I have heard is individual DA programs are telling girls no HS. Which makes sense since DA games start back up on January 20th right in the middle of HS season. HS does not allow outside play. Do you really think DA is going to allow their teams to be weaker for 2 months waiting for HS to end?

 

[jose]

What I have heard is individual DA programs are telling girls no HS. Which makes sense since DA games start back up on January 20th right in the middle of HS season. HS does not allow outside play. Do you really think DA is going to allow their teams to be weaker for 2 months waiting for HS to end?

i emailed US soccer that is what they replied to me. i would believe individuals are definitely saying that. they are just selfish. if my kid had to make that choice i would encourage HS. if a kid is talented enough they will let her play after school season is over

 

[Kicker4Life]

I was talking with an parent of an kid on an 04 DA team. He said that the kid really liked it and was thriving. But he felt that 4 days a week of mandatory practice with driving back and forth to the Great Park was a bit too much. And he wasn't looking forward to a 10 month season with no real breaks.
He said he would be leaving future decisions up to her, but he was secretly hoping for a different route in the future.

Funny....many that I know in the '03 and '04 age range went DA or DPL so they would NOT have to travel so far to play ECNL. Just proves that every case is different and who are we to say what is best for someone else.

 

[SocalPapa]

I think a lot of us are just trying to understand how the landscape has changed. It has changed a lot, especially in Southern California (with our TWO new closed leagues). So I have really appreciated the insights people with knowledge on the topic have been sharing on this site.

In the hope of adding something of value to the conversation, I did some research to try to get a sense of how the national landscape has changed this year. Here's what I found out (I don't guaranty the following is 100% accurate, but it should be pretty close):

1) What happened to last season's ECNL clubs?

Last season there were 84 ECNL clubs nationally. Of those, 66 are still in ECNL. Of the 66 that came back, 14 are dual DA-ECNL. It appears all 18 that left ECNL are now DA-only clubs. At quick glance the 14 dual DA-ECNL seem by and large to have been among the most successful clubs in ECNL's history. The 18 that left to become DA-only, perhaps less successful. (But I'll reserve final judgment on that.)

The change from 2016-17 in the Southwest ECNL Conference was as follows:

Now Dual DA-ECNL:
So Cal Blues
Slammers FC
San Diego Surf
West Coast FC

Still ECNL-Only:
Strikers FC
Arsenal FC
Heat FC
Sereno SC

Left ECNL and Now DA-Only:
SC del Sol
Eagles SC
Real So Cal

So 8 of 11 teams in So Cal's regional ECNL conference are back. (There is a separate issue as to how rosters might have changed. The roster impact likely varied by age group, as others have noted above.)

2) What teams joined ECNL?

Though 18 clubs left ECNL, they were replaced by only 14 (to bring the total back up to 80 nationwide). In the Southwest Conference the Del Mar Sharks were the only new club invited to join (meaning our area conference is down 2 teams).

3) Where did the rest of the DA clubs come from?

There are 69 total DA clubs. As indicated above, 31 DA clubs were in ECNL last year (14 still are). That means there are 38 clubs that, for whatever reason, did not participate in ECNL previously and are now DA. Though they are without ECNL experience these 38 clubs now claim they can offer a more elite soccer experience than has ever existed for girls before.

In the case of So Cal, that could theoretically be possible. The non-ECNL clubs that joined DA are pretty good. They include:

Albion SC
Beach Futbol Club
LA Galaxy FC
LA Galaxy San Diego
Legends FC
Los Angeles Premier Futbol Club
Pateadores

4) What are the odds of DA players earning a spot on the USWNT?

Not high enough to give any serious thought to. There are 23 or so roster spots on the USWNT. Current players range in age from 19 to 32 (spanning 14 different age groups). Assuming DA rosters average 20 players, the 69 DA clubs might have 27,000 or more players over 14 different age groups. So the odds would probably less than one in a thousand, even if you assumed all future USWNT players will come out of DA.

5) My daughter plays for ECNL (or DA). How big will her college scholarship be?

I estimate there's fewer than 4,000 Division I and Division II partial women's soccer scholarships handed out to each graduating high school class. ECNL was very good at placing players on college teams. But there used to be 84 ECNL teams and are now 149 DA and ECNL teams each year combined (ignoring the dual age years). Nevertheless, the odds of earning a partial scholarship still look pretty good. ECNL and DA would seemingly graduate only about 3,000 players a year who might be the first to compete for those 4,000 scholarships. (And that's not accounting for other levels of college soccer that some ECNL and DA players might choose to play, including none at all.)

That said, the average Div I women's soccer scholarship is $17,121. For Div. II it's $7,756. If you are looking for financial help for your daughter to attend college, a much smarter investment would be to hire a tutor and have her study year-round for the PSAT. If she makes National Merit Finalist she'd get an automatic 1/2 tuition scholarship at USC (worth about $26,000 annually). A side benefit is your child's odds of actually getting into USC would be much better too!

6) Where does the Development Player League (DPL) Fit In?

Personally, I don't know. The 10 DPL clubs in our region are the only DA teams in the country that decided to form a second closed league like this. I've heard the DPL clubs argue that it is needed because they don't have an ECNL team. But that seams pretty weak given that there are 69 DA clubs nationally and only 14 are dual DA-ECNL. Given the success the dual clubs had in ECNL, you can see why they stuck with it. It doesn't otherwise seem like there is a compelling reason to have a second team participating in a closed league. And given that DPL is not national, a closed league would seem to limit opportunities, if anything. The only purpose I can imagine is as a marketing tool to try to draw more top players to their clubs, which is part of the reason I've been so critical of DPL in my other posts, including of their decision to hide their rosters this fall. But I recognize others may have a different view, especially DPL parents and those directly involved in the league's founding.

7) Is DA a good thing?

That's both subjective and to be determined. If this becomes simply a fight for market share between DA and ECNL clubs (which it has kind of started out to be given that most clubs joining DA were non-ECNL clubs), then I think it could be harmful and destabilizing. However, if it results in an increased investment in top coaches and facilities beyond what exists in ECNL and area leagues, it could be quite positive.