There are ECNL clubs with half a dozen teams for the same age group. Anyone not on the first team, with SOME exceptions, might as well be on the bench. We call those families "facebooks" or "revenue generators" in the business.
ECNL and Scholarships
- Thread starter tjinaz
- Start date
There are ECNL clubs with half a dozen teams for the same age group. Anyone not on the first team, with SOME exceptions, might as well be on the bench. We call those families "facebooks" or "revenue generators" in the business.
Since this thread is about Youth Leagues and scholarships I looked up how scholarships work according to NCAA rules.
"D1 women's programs can give out a maximum of 14 soccer scholarships a year. These can be a mix of full-ride scholarships and partial scholarships."
"Almost every team will consist of approx. 28 players."
I'm sure there's other ways to fund players. (Grants etc) however this tells me that 1/2 of the players on a D1 roster dont have a scholorship and likely half of the players that do have a scholorship are partial.
"D1 women's programs can give out a maximum of 14 soccer scholarships a year. These can be a mix of full-ride scholarships and partial scholarships."
"Almost every team will consist of approx. 28 players."
I'm sure there's other ways to fund players. (Grants etc) however this tells me that 1/2 of the players on a D1 roster dont have a scholorship and likely half of the players that do have a scholorship are partial.
VegasParent
SILVER ELITE
Also, not every D1 program is fully funded so they will have less then 14 scholarships to spread around.
16 half scholarships where tuition and books are paid completely. 4 full rides tuition, books, room and board. 8 quarter scholarships with books and part of tuition equals 14 full scholarships.
Some programs are giving 28 half scholarships, then NIL money, grants, GI bill scholarships, etc can cover the balnce for some players as well.
From the Spot
SILVER
Also, keep in mind a lot of families have a D-1 or bust mentality. This limits the scholarship opportunities for the players based on the factors several others have posted already. If your player is open to D-2 or NAIA schools the scholarship opportunities greatly expand.
You know its funny you say that. I know of several families where their daughter hasn't been starting 11 for years. They are given the option to move on and try to get starting 11 on a different team but they choose to stay. They only go in if they are up by more than 2 or if there is an injury. They simply want ECNL player on their college application. They don't get Power 5 but plenty get smaller D1 schools in the east with total enrollment of 3k students (smaller than some high schools here). This is a choice they make and it works.
And I love that the option exists, but it's a money grab. I love that it exists because only a trooper shows up every game and never gets a start. Those are the kids you root for, right? Show up to practice 3 days a week, put on a happy face in the pregame clap-it-up and cheer for their teammates. I wouldn't have been mature enough to do it. You just hope it isn't mom's facebook page driving it.
... and I remember, not very long ago, many of these rosters had 35-40 players. I suppose that's attributed to the extra Covid year.
Desert Hound
DA
That is a mistake on the part of many.
I used to track a lot of players in and around my DDs age. Many who went D1 ended up quitting or transferring to smaller D1 or D2 schools to actually get to play. If you track it, there is a ton of turnover.
My DD went the D2 route and got offers. They can get a good degree and actually play.
Unfortunately in our case right before it was time to go...she got a boyfriend and decided to stay in the area. He fortunately moved on. She still stayed.
Those boyfriends do a lot interfering in our kids' lives, especially when their young. I tracked my dd 2022s and all I can say is this: None of you know shit until the shit hits the fan personally. Most of the kids I know have quit, transferred or went Pro before college or during college. Woman's college soccer is about the Clubs, the Doc and the all the coaches, that get paid close to $200,000 a year. Very few girls get much except tough love from the school of hard knocks.
These threads always make me chuckle a bit. If your DD wants to play in college…
1.Today, if you are not playing ECNL or GA you are not going to get in front of many coaches. It’s reality. Deal with it. Life is not fair.
2. The days of if you are good enough they will find you are gone. Schools are sending out info to Freshman and Sophomores, marketing themselves to the kids they have identified…waiting until June 15th after Sophomore Year is too late.
3. You (parent) and player need to market themselves on social media…video, etc.
4. You need to start marketing Freshman Year and start going to camps.
5. You don’t need a high paid firm to help, but it takes an investment of time.
6. Unless a YNT Camp Invite, you will need to go to camps, multiple.
7. Research schools…some stack Athletic and Academic creating a great financial offer, some do not. Lots kids we know getting 30-60% Athletic and then stacking 25-40% Academic on top of it.
8. Almost always, schools with football have better facilities and are fully funded - 14 Scholarships.
9. Investing in Club Soccer for a Scholarship is a bad investment, unless your goal is having a great time with you kid and enjoying the journey, then you are doing it wrong.
10. Playing a sport in college is fun, going to a lesser known school is not a limiter, it’s what you get out of it…I worked with quite a few Ivy League Dopes and Panhandle U Studs…don’t let the sweatshirt letters define your kid.
11. Every kids Journey and situation is different…stop comparing…lots of IG Sweatshirt Posts with no money.
12. The market defines the rules, play the game if you want, or don’t, nobody is forcing you.
13. Check in with your kid often and make sure they are doing it for themselves and not for you. Lots of kids suffer in silence to not dissapoint Mom and Dad.
14. Most importantly know your kids punching weight…if they are playing AYSO at U16, chances are they are not going to North Carolina…be realistic about where your kid fits, Division, Level, etc. Be honest with your kid and yourself…”The world needs ditch diggers too”…playing college soccer at any level is something to be proud of.
15. ECNL / GA have member clubs that are non-profits, that does not mean the people running the clubs make paupers wages…its for profit, do not kid yourself, the model is not going anywhere and the clubs have access to a platform that draws the coaches in and if you want your kid to be seen, be ready to pay-up. Youth Sports is big money. Not saying it is the right model, but is the model today. Not going anywhere so I would get over it.
16. There are always exceptions and outliers, not the norm for most.
BTW….what sport in the US is not pay to pay? They all are.
1.Today, if you are not playing ECNL or GA you are not going to get in front of many coaches. It’s reality. Deal with it. Life is not fair.
2. The days of if you are good enough they will find you are gone. Schools are sending out info to Freshman and Sophomores, marketing themselves to the kids they have identified…waiting until June 15th after Sophomore Year is too late.
3. You (parent) and player need to market themselves on social media…video, etc.
4. You need to start marketing Freshman Year and start going to camps.
5. You don’t need a high paid firm to help, but it takes an investment of time.
6. Unless a YNT Camp Invite, you will need to go to camps, multiple.
7. Research schools…some stack Athletic and Academic creating a great financial offer, some do not. Lots kids we know getting 30-60% Athletic and then stacking 25-40% Academic on top of it.
8. Almost always, schools with football have better facilities and are fully funded - 14 Scholarships.
9. Investing in Club Soccer for a Scholarship is a bad investment, unless your goal is having a great time with you kid and enjoying the journey, then you are doing it wrong.
10. Playing a sport in college is fun, going to a lesser known school is not a limiter, it’s what you get out of it…I worked with quite a few Ivy League Dopes and Panhandle U Studs…don’t let the sweatshirt letters define your kid.
11. Every kids Journey and situation is different…stop comparing…lots of IG Sweatshirt Posts with no money.
12. The market defines the rules, play the game if you want, or don’t, nobody is forcing you.
13. Check in with your kid often and make sure they are doing it for themselves and not for you. Lots of kids suffer in silence to not dissapoint Mom and Dad.
14. Most importantly know your kids punching weight…if they are playing AYSO at U16, chances are they are not going to North Carolina…be realistic about where your kid fits, Division, Level, etc. Be honest with your kid and yourself…”The world needs ditch diggers too”…playing college soccer at any level is something to be proud of.
15. ECNL / GA have member clubs that are non-profits, that does not mean the people running the clubs make paupers wages…its for profit, do not kid yourself, the model is not going anywhere and the clubs have access to a platform that draws the coaches in and if you want your kid to be seen, be ready to pay-up. Youth Sports is big money. Not saying it is the right model, but is the model today. Not going anywhere so I would get over it.
16. There are always exceptions and outliers, not the norm for most.
BTW….what sport in the US is not pay to pay? They all are.
2,200 girls in the college soccer transfer portal last year. This year’s portal number is still rising. Be realistic about your DD’s ability. Coaches get fired/hired, assistant coaches who recruited your daughter become head coaches at another school, west coast kids (California) hate east coast weather, kids recruited to Power 5 schools sit the bench for 2-3 years, international transfers are becoming the norm just like in men’s college soccer. Oh, and graduate school 5th year players love to transfer in for that last year of eligibility with a guaranteed promise of playing time. All kinds of good news.
All of my kids play club soccer and it indeed costs a lot of money. At the same time, I have zero desire for them to play in college. I had college offers to play soccer but opted to focus on academics. There are so many benefits to club soccer that really have little to do with the sport:
- We get to spend a lot of quality time with our kids taking them to all of their events.
- They learn how to build a strong work ethic.
- They learn how to be physically active and healthy.
- They learn how to work with a team.
- They learn about all the other countries in the world that play the beautiful game.
- They learn how to recover from making mistakes.
- They stay busy and out of trouble.
- In high school they have the sport they can lean on from a social perspective.
and on and on....
Surely you could achieve this by other means. This is just the path that manifested in our household after our kids experimenting with other sports/activities. For us, the cost is worth it when you look at the list above.
I love to chuckle, it's good for the soul. Great takes Woobie. Soccer for girls was only about the college deal. If you need a degree, then this is a great way to have fun and get that door opened. Parents pay to watch child play and then the child gets a deal. That's Golden!!!
Is she still playing?
I consider the college years to be pure bonus. Any level that they play. More opportunities to watch your kid do something they like or love as well as spending time with them after games. Mine didn't play a minute, but was the top backup at keeper so travelled. She ended up redshirting and still has 4 years. We still went to every game, talked with her, spent time with her. All was great. Looking forward to many more years.
Soccerfan2
GOLD
Great outlook! It’s nice to hear from people with this healthy perspective!