DPL expands nationally to include top clubs in key markets

Overtime said:
DPL in SoCal has been a inferior league overall. Look at the National Cup results. I believe only 1 DPL team left (Legends 02- great pre DPL team). There are multiple teams remaining from clubs where there is DPL in the age group (Beach 02, Legends 03, Beach 03 and RSC). How is ECNL in trouble when DPL isn’t the next best option to DA at these big clubs? The best competition for non DA teams at these clubs is CRL not the DPL league season.
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I hope you realize that the vast majority of the DPL teams did not compete in National Cup. I took a quick look at the brackets and it appears that only around 20% of the teams event competed. You need to look at the facts before you draw conclusions.
 
wc_baller said:
I don't see how this DPL setup could be attractive to anybody who is from the East Coast(or Texas). The East conference of DPL has 5 teams and stretches across 5 states, which is over 1000 miles between the two furthest clubs. Imagine the travel to play the same 4 teams over and over again across multiple state lines over the course of a year - that's nuts.
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If I am a Texas DOC w/DA (and no ENCL for my 2nd team) I can offer a league (DPL) that has 5 in state teams and the chance to play meaningful games (it is expected that playoffs will be added) against East Coast & West Coast teams. Girls get to play HS soccer. Lower commitment (3 days a week versus 4) and I can claim that the DPL team feeds to my DA team. What is there to not like?

I am not saying that DPL is a great league. I am saying that it appears that the clubs that run it are trying to provide a better circuit than existed the first 2 years. Far from perfect, but better. And likely the 1st steps towards a nationwide league that mirrors DA (somewhat). DA/DPL vs ECNL ENCL II battle continues.
 
Simisoccerfan said:
I hope you realize that the vast majority of the DPL teams did not compete in National Cup. I took a quick look at the brackets and it appears that only around 20% of the teams event competed. You need to look at the facts before you draw conclusions.
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For the 20% that did play 1 team remains yet multiple sister teams advanced over their DPL teams in the same age group. Maybe some of those DPL team chose State Cup as an easier route!
 
agree with overtime, other than SD Surf the DPL teams don't often compete very well against the top flight one teams....
 
Here is the thing about dpl

If you have been on this board for awhile you saw/read the following.

- this league will never happen
- ok yes they did actually do a league but they are not ever going to pull kids to da.
- this league doesn't do showcases, etc
- it won't make it to yr 2

Etc etc.

Is it ECNL? No

But every year it has gotten better. This upcoming year it now includes TX and some teams along Atlantic states.

This yr they played Silverlakes, Players, and will play Legends. All pretty good showcases. They also had a combined DA/DPL showcase which had a lot of good college coaches committed to go (bad weather cancelled it).

So yr by yr it has gotten better.

Does it have some way to go? Yes.

Based on what we have seen it is not a stretch to say after next season another region may offer it.
 
Overtime said:
DPL in SoCal has been a inferior league overall. Look at the National Cup results. I believe only 1 DPL team left (Legends 02- great pre DPL team). There are multiple teams remaining from clubs where there is DPL in the age group (Beach 02, Legends 03, Beach 03 and RSC). How is ECNL in trouble when DPL isn’t the next best option to DA at these big clubs? The best competition for non DA teams at these clubs is CRL not the DPL league season.
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Many DPL teams do not participate in National Cup. And National Cup (or any other non-showcase tournament) does not really matter in the big picture. People are still getting hung up on which league is the best, and that really does not matter, either.

Focus on what team gets you in front of college coaches, reach out to coaches before and after the showcase, and play well when they come watch. Don't worry about league letters, tournaments, etc. Winning leagues games and tournaments (other than helping get teams into showcases that are not directly tied to league affiliation) really do not matter if you focus on the end goal for most-- getting into college and getting financial aid to offset costs.
 
G03_SD said:
I think the consensus on this board is coaches will watch players they want to watch, regardless of clubs, leagues, or teams.
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I think the key word in your whole sentence is "watch players they want to watch". In order for this to happen they need to be on a strong team that gets in front of coaches (easier path) or work the system by writing and calling coaches, attended camps, sending vidoes to try and generate interest (the much harder path). I am telling you way more coaches attend DA and ECNL showcases.
 
Overtime said:
For the 20% that did play 1 team remains yet multiple sister teams advanced over their DPL teams in the same age group. Maybe some of those DPL team chose State Cup as an easier route!
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I see two DPL teams remaining in U19, one in U17 and two in U16.
 
Simisoccerfan said:
I was a proponent of DPL as a secondary league. My dd participated in the first year of the league and we know a number of girls in the league this past year. Clearly DA and ECNL are a better destination if your focus is getting to play in college. DPL offered a good structure from my perspective for secondary teams. I am skeptical though of the move to Regional and National Showcases and the costs involved. College coaches are already torn between attending ECNL and DA showcases along with other major tournaments. Will they really attend DPL Showcases? To me the better endgame for DPL would be for it to be officially part of the the DA and to allow for a free flow of players between each league (with some rules about not playing more than a certain amount of games in a weekend). This would allow the end of the DA bench to get playing time and would also allow DPL girls even more chances to earn their way into the DA. The goal here is to manage a pool of about 30 players or so for each age group.
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Agree for the most part of your entry. However, the reality is, my daughters DPL team would whole handily beat the bottom half of the ECNL bracket at her age group. The SW ECNL very very weak from the mid table to the bottom across ever age group. At the younger age groups other than the powerhouse of Slammers and a club here or there DPL stronger. To say college exposure doesn’t exist at DPL simply not true. We have 1/2 of our team with college offers. Are they all perfect fits... only time will tell...
 
Overtime said:
DPL in SoCal has been a inferior league overall. Look at the National Cup results. I believe only 1 DPL team left (Legends 02- great pre DPL team). There are multiple teams remaining from clubs where there is DPL in the age group (Beach 02, Legends 03, Beach 03 and RSC). How is ECNL in trouble when DPL isn’t the next best option to DA at these big clubs? The best competition for non DA teams at these clubs is CRL not the DPL league season.
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It is only because the majority of the DPL teams DID NOT play National Cup this year. Next year different story...
 
DPLLove said:
That is because DPL will play in its own CRL bracket next Spring. Across all age groups...
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CRL starts in the summer and finishes in the spring. This would be a closed DPL/CRL spring league? Awesome more chances to play the same weak teams from the fall and protect DPL teams from their sister flight 1 teams that beat them in CRL and National Cup.
 
Simisoccerfan said:
I hope you realize that the vast majority of the DPL teams did not compete in National Cup. I took a quick look at the brackets and it appears that only around 20% of the teams event competed. You need to look at the facts before you draw conclusions.
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Plus the fact that many of the DPL teams were missing their rostered players during Round 2. Many of the stronger DPL players were not even playing in National Cup.
Simisoccerfan said:
I hope you realize that the vast majority of the DPL teams did not compete in National Cup. I took a quick look at the brackets and it appears that only around 20% of the teams event competed. You need to look at the facts before you draw conclusions.
Click to expand...
A number of the DPL teams had lost some of their best players to DA. Especially the few that played National Cup. DPL players pulled up to play on DA teams across the board in most age groups. Had National Cup really meant anything to most of the DA clubs they would not had pulled the stronger players up to play DA.
 
wc_baller said:
I don't see how this DPL setup could be attractive to anybody who is from the East Coast(or Texas). The East conference of DPL has 5 teams and stretches across 5 states, which is over 1000 miles between the two furthest clubs. Imagine the travel to play the same 4 teams over and over again across multiple state lines over the course of a year - that's nuts.[/QU
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shales1002 said:
The DOC of Real Colorado stated just last week that he would go ECNL if they could bring in two teams. I guess we all know ECNL's answer to that one. ECNL doesn't appear to be worried one bit, as they seem more than willing to let top clubs go (Surf, Real Colorado, and Tohpat) without even blinking. I honestly just wish we could all play each other and call it a day.
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What would this accomplish? Weren't we doing that just a couple of years ago?
 
MyDaughtersAKeeper said:
If I am a Texas DOC w/DA (and no ENCL for my 2nd team) I can offer a league (DPL) that has 5 in state teams and the chance to play meaningful games (it is expected that playoffs will be added) against East Coast & West Coast teams. Girls get to play HS soccer. Lower commitment (3 days a week versus 4) and I can claim that the DPL team feeds to my DA team. What is there to not like?

I am not saying that DPL is a great league. I am saying that it appears that the clubs that run it are trying to provide a better circuit than existed the first 2 years. Far from perfect, but better. And likely the 1st steps towards a nationwide league that mirrors DA (somewhat). DA/DPL vs ECNL ENCL II battle continues.
Click to expand...
The Texas DPL division has six teams, and has a 15 game league schedule. That means that each teams plays all their league games against the same 5 teams, and plays each for those 5 teams 3 times during league play.

The East DPL division will have 5 teams, and by the look of things, each team will have to play each of the 4 other teams in the league a total 4 times each during league play. The teams are spread out over 5 states.

The repetitive nature of playing only the same 4 or 5 teams over and over again is something "not to like", and the amount of travel in the East is something not to like even more. And the kicker is, these are B teams traveling to play other B teams in other states. Sounds like tough sell to me - but then again, there's always someone around who will drink the kool-aide.
 
DPLLove said:
Agree for the most part of your entry. However, the reality is, my daughters DPL team would whole handily beat the bottom half of the ECNL bracket at her age group. The SW ECNL very very weak from the mid table to the bottom across ever age group. At the younger age groups other than the powerhouse of Slammers and a club here or there DPL stronger. To say college exposure doesn’t exist at DPL simply not true. We have 1/2 of our team with college offers. Are they all perfect fits... only time will tell...
Click to expand...

I did not say it doesn't exist. I believe more than half of our DPL is committed also to a mix of D2, D3, and NAIA schools. But I bet your DA team has every girl committed like our team does. When we played DPL we would get maybe 10-20 coaches at a good game at a showcase (most D2 or lower) but at the DA we had games with over 80 coaches (mostly D1). I have seen other DA clubs draw over 120 coaches at a game. I am sure that ECNL has a similar draw. Until you actually attend an ECNL or DA showcase you have no idea how crazy it is. If the goal is to play college soccer then getting into one of these two leagues should be the goal.

You may not like to hear this but it doesn't matter that you believe your DPL team will beat half of the ECNL teams. Those ECNL teams get way more exposure and likely are placing way more girls into college programs. It is what it is.
 
Both the DA and the ECNL websites show college commitments for seniors. These lists were done in the fall before all commitments were in. ECNL also a section called College Impact. It shows the ECNL alumni in every D1 conference and school.
 
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