ECNL Expansion In NorCal

H

Highlander

SILVER ELITE
Any thoughts on if ECNL will expand in NorCal? I'm sure Bay Area FC now Bay Area Surf will try to get into ECNL. It's always bothered me that there isn't an ECNL option in the Central Valley (Stockton to Fresno), so much great talent there. My only thoughts are there isn't enough $$$ there for ECNL to expand...what other reason could it be?
 
Highlander said:
Any thoughts on if ECNL will expand in NorCal? I'm sure Bay Area FC now Bay Area Surf will try to get into ECNL. It's always bothered me that there isn't an ECNL option in the Central Valley (Stockton to Fresno), so much great talent there. My only thoughts are there isn't enough $$$ there for ECNL to expand...what other reason could it be?
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San Juan likes being able to take the best players from the north end of the Central Valley.

If you let in any Cental Valley team, it would be Ajax. And then San Juan wouldn’t be the only game in town.

The other big hole is the east side of SF bay. All the ECNL clubs are across the ridge or across the bay from you. (Assuming your name is a reference to Piedmont).
 
dad4 said:
San Juan likes being able to take the best players from the north end of the Central Valley.

If you let in any Cental Valley team, it would be Ajax. And then San Juan wouldn’t be the only game in town.

The other big hole is the east side of SF bay. All the ECNL clubs are across the ridge or across the bay from you. (Assuming your name is a reference to Piedmont).
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Rancho Cordova is pretty far from Modesto. Are players making that trek?
 
NorCalDad said:
Rancho Cordova is pretty far from Modesto. Are players making that trek?
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Players from Modesto area were/are coming into the southbay to MVLA and Force and were to Quakes/FC Bay Area too. Is Rancho Further than that? I think the 8 teams are going to make it difficult for any more teams into ECNL for a multitude of reasons.
 
youthsportsugghhh said:
Players from Modesto area were/are coming into the southbay to MVLA and Force and were to Quakes/FC Bay Area too. Is Rancho Further than that? I think the 8 teams are going to make it difficult for any more teams into ECNL for a multitude of reasons.
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Well Rancho Cordova is about an hour and a half away, which is closer than heading out to the South Bay. Pretty crazy. I don't know how folks do that.
 
NorCalDad said:
Well Rancho Cordova is about an hour and a half away, which is closer than heading out to the South Bay. Pretty crazy. I don't know how folks do that.
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I agree, but then again I live in the south bay where there are multitudes of clubs at every level to choose from and excellent coaching at many despite what people say who leave those clubs -- Shiny objects and green grass!!
 
youthsportsugghhh said:
Players from Modesto area were/are coming into the southbay to MVLA and Force and were to Quakes/FC Bay Area too. Is Rancho Further than that? I think the 8 teams are going to make it difficult for any more teams into ECNL for a multitude of reasons.
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That is crazy. I feel for those kids. Exactly why there should be a couple ECNL teams in the valley. The talent is there for sure. Curious what you think the reasons would be for them not adding more ECNL clubs?
 
Highlander said:
That is crazy. I feel for those kids. Exactly why there should be a couple ECNL teams in the valley. The talent is there for sure. Curious what you think the reasons would be for them not adding more ECNL clubs?
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If they can get the people to come to their clubs and have consistently high level of play what would be the incentive to allow more clubs come into the fold. When the DA folded -- Lamorinda, Quakes/FC Bay Area/Bay area Surf, Placer were all available for ECNL and were "left out". They are also pretty paired up as well with the 8 clubs in. Personally I like NPL where all the teams can compete and no national travel, but like I say above people always want the Shiny Object and the Green Grass.
 
Highlander said:
That is crazy. I feel for those kids. Exactly why there should be a couple ECNL teams in the valley. The talent is there for sure. Curious what you think the reasons would be for them not adding more ECNL clubs?
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I think one of the problems with ECNL is the binary nature of it. Clubs are all in or all out. Yet, if you go look at the ECNL standings (boys and girls), some clubs at various age groups really struggle. That doesn't seem like an optimal situation for anyone.
 
youthsportsugghhh said:
If they can get the people to come to their clubs and have consistently high level of play what would be the incentive to allow more clubs come into the fold. When the DA folded -- Lamorinda, Quakes/FC Bay Area/Bay area Surf, Placer were all available for ECNL and were "left out". They are also pretty paired up as well with the 8 clubs in. Personally I like NPL where all the teams can compete and no national travel, but like I say above people always want the Shiny Object and the Green Grass.
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Couldn't agree with you more on the NPL thing. I have a buddy with a kid in ECNL and they have to travel to Boise/Seattle/etc and some of the players barely play. Crazy.
 
NorCalDad said:
I think one of the problems with ECNL is the binary nature of it. Clubs are all in or all out. Yet, if you go look at the ECNL standings (boys and girls), some clubs at various age groups really struggle. That doesn't seem like an optimal situation for anyone.
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I've looked at those standings too...some of those teams are getting crushed. NPL with pro/rel is so much better.
 
dad4 said:
For travel, NPL is hard to beat. Take the top 8 or 10 teams in NorCal and let them play each other.

Most other models you end up flying past decent teams on your way to play weaker competition.
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In ECNL, you travel once a year for league games. DA was a travel nightmare.....
 
ECNL will never add Central California teams, at least on the girls side. There are enough good clubs in the Bay Area and therefore no need to travel that far. The entire point of ECNL is to allow the best clubs to stop having to put up with riff raff, which is not good for business. Never in history has there been a Bay Area ECNL parent/customer who has said "heck yeah, I want to drive my daughter three hours each way to play that team in the Central Valley". Regardless, never in history has there been a single Central Valley team, let alone one in every age group at a club, with enough talented girls whose parents have the time and money to spend every other weekend in the Bay Area for league games plus travel to the showcases.
 
GoldenGate said:
ECNL will never add Central California teams, at least on the girls side. There are enough good clubs in the Bay Area and therefore no need to travel that far. The entire point of ECNL is to allow the best clubs to stop having to put up with riff raff, which is not good for business. Never in history has there been a Bay Area ECNL parent/customer who has said "heck yeah, I want to drive my daughter three hours each way to play that team in the Central Valley". Regardless, never in history has there been a single Central Valley team, let alone one in every age group at a club, with enough talented girls whose parents have the time and money to spend every other weekend in the Bay Area for league games plus travel to the showcases.
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Taking a look at the top 10 NorCal teams for my daughter's year, only five are ECNL. The other five are apparently "riff raff".

There are good teams in ECNL, and good teams outside of ECNL. We play against both. There is no need to get up on a high horse when my kid could be playing soccer against good teams.
 
GoldenGate said:
ECNL will never add Central California teams, at least on the girls side. There are enough good clubs in the Bay Area and therefore no need to travel that far. The entire point of ECNL is to allow the best clubs to stop having to put up with riff raff, which is not good for business. Never in history has there been a Bay Area ECNL parent/customer who has said "heck yeah, I want to drive my daughter three hours each way to play that team in the Central Valley". Regardless, never in history has there been a single Central Valley team, let alone one in every age group at a club, with enough talented girls whose parents have the time and money to spend every other weekend in the Bay Area for league games plus travel to the showcases.
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I'm not so sure about your assessment. All a central valley club would need to do is partner with a couple of Turf/Sod growers + run tournaments on their land + give the property owners a taste of the $15 parking fee each weekend.

If you're the only game in town talent will happen.

Would be an ideal ECRL situation. (At first)

Might also be a good GA option.
 
Carlsbad7 said:
I'm not so sure about your assessment. All a central valley club would need to do is partner with a couple of Turf/Sod growers + run tournaments on their land + give the property owners a taste of the $15 parking fee each weekend.

If you're the only game in town talent will happen.

Would be an ideal ECRL situation. (At first)

Might also be a good GA option.
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Clovis has a GA club
 
Nor Cal ECNL geographic spread looks good compared to So Cal (still can't get over how there are four SW ECNL clubs that practice at same location with talking of adding a fifth).
 
GoldenGate said:
ECNL will never add Central California teams, at least on the girls side. There are enough good clubs in the Bay Area and therefore no need to travel that far. The entire point of ECNL is to allow the best clubs to stop having to put up with riff raff, which is not good for business. Never in history has there been a Bay Area ECNL parent/customer who has said "heck yeah, I want to drive my daughter three hours each way to play that team in the Central Valley". Regardless, never in history has there been a single Central Valley team, let alone one in every age group at a club, with enough talented girls whose parents have the time and money to spend every other weekend in the Bay Area for league games plus travel to the showcases.
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Wow, it's amazing how you know so much history about the financial resources and time of every Central Valley club. You must be a genius or an electric car driving, latte sipping, entitled douche bag.
ECNL teams don't develop kids in a special way. The ECNL tag attracts the best players to join that club and that's why the teams get better. Currently many ECNL clubs are still no better than most NPL teams cough* Santa Rosa cough* Marin.
If there were 2 central valley clubs, say Ajax and Clovis, I can guarantee you they would be just as good or better than your precious Mustang or MVLA. There are a number of central valley players already on ECNL teams so they would play "locally" which would strengthen the central valley teams and weaken the Bay Area teams.
GoldenGate, your attitude is the problem with US soccer and I really hope you are just an ignorant parent and not part of a club.
 
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