Academy vs. ECNL

This is not about DA vs. ECNL. It's about DA vs. High school.

My dd likes her varsity jacket. Girls that play DA won't be recognized as athletes at high school.
 
Sorry no dual club will field a good B team. Will members stock around on an average team, waiting to be pulled up to DA. NO way. What B team is good in so cal?
 
offthecrossbar said:
It's about maximizing college exposure. DD can't get on the DA team, look for the next best option an ECNL team.
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And. If your B team isn't good who will watch?

Perhaps DA will be the B team? The reason why so cal dual clubs are holding on to ecnl's status is because they aren't sure da will be successful. If they were certain Ecnl would have been dropped.
 
eastbaysoccer said:
Sorry no dual club will field a good B team. Will members stock around on an average team, waiting to be pulled up to DA. NO way. What B team is good in so cal?
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Um , so your Saying with GDA, the SOCAL Blues ECNL Teams (their B-Teams) are not going to be any good next year? thats laughable.....
 
DA as of now only takes about 10 players per age group and field each game with approximately 14 players. Think about that. The rest of these extremely talented players will not be seeing the field much. These top notch players quickly stagnate on the bench and will no tolerate it. What's the use of being on a DA squad if they're not being played (or scouted?). These players would (I believe) would rather play on the ECNL team and increase their sense of worth by increasing their playing time (keep in mind they'll be getting plenty of looks as scouts will attend both ECNL and DA in first few years). A large top notch club that has both ECNL and DA will be able to field a competitive ECNL team no problem for these reasons. Also if a player has a choice between a "B" team at a DA club vs ECNL team at a club that has both, where do you think they'll go? ECNL won't have problems until DA is able to put together a team per age year IMHO.
 
eastbaysoccer said:
And. If your B team isn't good who will watch?

Perhaps DA will be the B team? The reason why so cal dual clubs are holding on to ecnl's status is because they aren't sure da will be successful. If they were certain Ecnl would have been dropped.
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doesn't matter if da or ecnl is b team colleges will have to watch both as there still are ecnl or da only clubs
 
eastbaysoccer said:
Committed players want to have fun before heading to college before their full time job, soccer begins.
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Committed players that want to have fun and not work hard at getting better end up sitting the bench and get recruited over. The players that play as freshman work hard their senior year. My player played the least amount of competitive games due to various reasons as a senior but worked the hardest (including the offseason) and it is paying HUGE dividends now at the beginning of the college season.
 
Arsenal and Strikers are screwed!

11 DA clubs....why stop there might as well add Arsenal, Strikers, FC Golden State, Albion, Fullerton Rangers, Lancaster Lollipops, Victorville Vikings, Palm Springs Panthers, Chula Vista Coyotes, the Santa Monica Saints and rename DA to Coast Soccer League.

Seriously, IMO...ECNL is in trouble 2-3 years from now.
 
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NoGoal said:
Arsenal and Strikers are screwed!

11 DA clubs....why stop there might as well add Arsenal, Strikers, FC Golden State, Albion, Fullerton Rangers, Lancaster Lollipops, Victorville Vikings, Palm Springs Panthers, Chula Vista Coyotes, the Santa Monica Saints and rename DA to Coast Soccer League.

Seriously, IMO...ECNL is in trouble 2-3 years from now.
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Never thought this was really about development it was just a way to be involved and compete against ecnl. If it was about development the academy ages would be in the younger age groups. Adding the other 2 So California ecnl teams deals a real blow to ecnl. So what does the ecnl group do now? Offer the non ecnl DA clubs Ecnl? Wouldn't that muddy the so called Development waters.
 
Silky Johnston said:
Never thought this was really about development it was just a way to be involved and compete against ecnl. If it was about development the academy ages would be in the younger age groups. Adding the other 2 So California ecnl teams deals a real blow to ecnl. So what does the ecnl group do now? Offer the non ecnl DA clubs Ecnl? Wouldn't that muddy the so called Development waters.
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I think the ONLY way ECNL can fully compete with DA now that these remaining clubs have been added (especially in So Cal), is for ECNL to add all DA only clubs to their repertoire.

At this point, ECNL is truly a 2nd tier league and all situations remain fair. There will be fallout. ECNL should want to capture fallout from ALL "top tier" clubs. Then you can market that. Then you have something to sell to Colleges.

All the big shot ECNL clubs are in the DA. So WTF do they care, really!? But some of the DA only clubs are still tied up. As ECNL, I'd rather get rid of the non DA chosen (yet still ECNL) few and pick up the others. Makes long term sense.

Really, ECNL can make their play by allowing HS soccer and having more subs per game. This in itself could give them a hands up. But ONLY, and only if they accept their role.
 
NoGoal said:
Arsenal and Strikers are screwed!

11 DA clubs....why stop there might as well add Arsenal, Strikers, FC Golden State, Albion, Fullerton Rangers, Lancaster Lollipops, Victorville Vikings, Palm Springs Panthers, Chula Vista Coyotes, the Santa Monica Saints and rename DA to Coast Soccer League.

Seriously, IMO...ECNL is in trouble 2-3 years from now.
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Why don't they just give DA to Arsenal and Strikers and all the other ECNL clubs and call "Checkmate" on the ECNL League. With 74 DA clubs, why stop there to only add more in the next years to match ECNL 84. Get it all over with now so we as parents have a chance at providing some stability in our daughters training and team these next few years. "And I thought the Age shake up was bad". Looks like my Daughter will be playing with all new girls every year for the next 3 years the way things are going.
BTW when is the next batch of DA clubs going to be announced or are they done?
 
MakeAPlay said:
My player played the least amount of competitive games due to various reasons (i.e., I stopped banging the H.S. coach) as a senior but worked the hardest (including the offseason) and it is paying HUGE dividends now at the beginning of the college season (i.e., because I started banging the DD's college coach).
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You go girl!
 
Couldn't all the ECNL teams get together and say to US Soccer that we've changed our minds and areally rejecting your request for DA status. We have decided to improve on the ECNL league and make it bigger and better. By requiring 3 trainings per week, A&B license coaches. Rules for promotion into ECNL and regulation. How would DA survive without the ECNL clubs? What is US Soccer offering these ECNL clubs that is making them desert ECNL?
 
Round said:
I predict that in 8 years there will be a whole bunch 20 to 26 year olds with a lot of regrets about how much they gave up for what really amounted to very little.
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We all have our experiences. I'm 20+ years out of high school, never played college sports and don't regret the time, energy and devotion I gave to the sports I played. In fact, I apply the disciplines I learned during those years everyday as a person in the workforce and a parent. I relate to both my young athletes better because of it and it helps create a bond.

Being a high level athlete is hard and having people who understand your successes, struggles and pains physically, spiritually and emotionally helps the process. My children are now at the age they understand that their parents understand what is going on and it builds a better family bond. Hopefully they will take these lessons and use them wisely in their lives. No wasted time when developing good human beings.


Now on Academy vs ECNL. I agree Academy will be top dog just like in the boys program. I prefer Academy because the training, development and quality of play remains high while travel costs and fees remain reasonable (or even free). ECNL has financial barriers that can keep higher level players with less money off these teams.

Almost all the boys Academies are not costs to the parents. With how much money most of these larger clubs are making (3 teams per age group all at the same pay level), I would suspect the girls academies to follow suit in the near future. My son is younger than my daughter and both play. He has always developed in the Academy system and frankly, I find it superior. The atmosphere at 95% of these places is much more enjoyable for us and him. None of it is perfect and we all have to find the right fit for our children and families. Many of us have even more choices and opportunities now.
 
Flex said:
Couldn't all the ECNL teams get together and say to US Soccer that we've changed our minds and areally rejecting your request for DA status. We have decided to improve on the ECNL league and make it bigger and better. By requiring 3 trainings per week, A&B license coaches. Rules for promotion into ECNL and regulation. How would DA survive without the ECNL clubs? What is US Soccer offering these ECNL clubs that is making them desert ECNL?
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Most of the DA clubs are ECNL also. More opportunities for the girls and clubs. Neither DA or ECNL says a club has to be one of the other. Best of both worlds?
 
Flex said:
Couldn't all the ECNL teams get together and say to US Soccer that we've changed our minds and areally rejecting your request for DA status. We have decided to improve on the ECNL league and make it bigger and better. By requiring 3 trainings per week, A&B license coaches. Rules for promotion into ECNL and regulation. How would DA survive without the ECNL clubs? What is US Soccer offering these ECNL clubs that is making them desert ECNL?
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That ship sailed long ago.
 
C.A.M. said:
We all have our experiences. I'm 20+ years out of high school, never played college sports and don't regret the time, energy and devotion I gave to the sports I played. In fact, I apply the disciplines I learned during those years everyday as a person in the workforce and a parent. I relate to both my young athletes better because of it and it helps create a bond.

Being a high level athlete is hard and having people who understand your successes, struggles and pains physically, spiritually and emotionally helps the process. My children are now at the age they understand that their parents understand what is going on and it builds a better family bond. Hopefully they will take these lessons and use them wisely in their lives. No wasted time when developing good human beings.
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There are several on this board that project their bitterness and cynicism over expectations not met onto the process as a whole. For these young women, its an exciting high when they are recruited by a university and their hard work and talent is recognized and validated. Does it always work out for any number of reasons? Of course not.

I stand by my personal belief that in the scope of your life, being a college starter at a great school (especially at the D1 level) is absolutely hard to top... And in many cases is more satisfying and exciting than what you will later experience entering the job market and the business world.
 
I would have never thought there would be more GDA organizations in So Cal than ECNL organizations.

Originally I thought US Soccer was developing GDA for the betterment of the girls. Now it looks like US Soccer just wanted to control the "top" tier of talent.
 
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