That’s why originally, ECNL started at the older age groups. It got you past those “development” ages into when competition and recruiting should start to become more important. At least that was the intention.
ECNL expansion 2021-2022
- Thread starter Surf Zombie
- Start date
SoccerFan4Life
PREMIER
Honestly that’s what should happen. This year the 09’s get to step up to ECNL but I just don’t see a large enough pool of kids to fill all ECNL and ECRL teams. The other challenge is that most 12 year old kids don’t have a clue of the commitment needed for ECNL. It should start at 13 or 14 for the girls and 12 for the boys.
I suppose the development is in the eye of the beholder. Most top clubs don't do a lot of developing, they do a lot of recruiting of the "developed" players from other clubs.
Th rest of your statement is
dolla dolla bills.
I notice you are always talking about cost, wondering if you do this at restaurants and grocery stores as well. The beauty of being a consumer is that you don’t have to part with your money, you can choose to spend it elsewhere!
I suppose the development is in the eye of the beholder. Most top clubs don't do a lot of developing, they do a lot of recruiting of the "developed" players from other clubs.
Th rest of your statement is
Development happens well into the mid 20s. Playing with better players day in and day out accelerates development.
yes, and?
Better articulate your point.
azsnowrider
SILVER ELITE
Good points as well and I like the take on it, but let me ask this question. In AZ we already basically have a Pro/Rel system in our St leagues. In our top St league the APL it's basically Bottom 2 out next top 2 in with an Application system thrown in. Then we have St league 1&2 that basically runs on the same principles. Does Cali not run a system similar for its St leagues? Why is it ok for one and not the other, Development still happens in the St Leagues right? I agree it will never happen, but wouldn't you agree as a club if your getting manhandled as a club on a consistent basis, maybe you don't belong anymore?
SoccerFan4Life
PREMIER
Unfortunately it doesn’t for most leagues due to the following:
- too many prized parents (especially in south oc -north San Diego area) demanding to be in the highest level at whatever price it takes.
-there’s too much money to be made.
- clubs hyping up that ECNL dream to all parents. Let’s face it, it’s the primary path but the ROI makes no sense unless you get more than 30% scholarship money.
the fact is pro-rel should exist and we should only have a handful of ECNL/DA teams. Eliminate ECRL and condense the tiers. Wegave Flight 3,2,1, 1a,1b, ECRL, ECNl, DA, mls next, ayso, signature, bronze, silver, silver elite, gold, premier, what else......
I suppose the development is in the eye of the beholder. Most top clubs don't do a lot of developing, they do a lot of recruiting of the "developed" players from other clubs.
Th rest of your statement is
Nonsense. That’s just what you tell yourself to justify being a cheapskate.
Why a cheapskate?
MacDre
PREMIER
True dat. But you also can’t squeeze blood from a turnip. You need players with the requisite genetics and drive to develop them well into their 20’s. Nerds like Steve Urkle will have a much lower ceiling and will max out earlier...much earlier!
Just a salesman in a cheap suit.
If you had a superior product, you wouldn’t invest so much in guild restrictions.
Glad to see GA is doing well enough to force you to accept Beach and Legends. Always nice to see competition.
In AZ you do not have pro/rel. You have ECNL at the top, just like everywhere else. Sure you have some s**t leagues that put different teams into different brackets, just like everyone else, but that is not pro/rel since it does not have any impact on the top of the food chain. It’s just sorting the lower tiers who don’t matter. It’s pro/rel about as much as MLB and the minor leagues, meaning not at all. the
Furthermore, AZ pretty much sucks at soccer, especially once you get out of ECNL, at least on the girls side. I doubt there is a single U15 or higher girls team in AZ that doesn’t play ECNL that wouldn’t lose to top SoCal ECNL clubs 20-0. It’s BS if you think there is nearly the same level of development going in. At least AZ’s ECNL can keep the score in the single digits.
The other thing people like you and @happy9 magat fail to comprehend is that one of the most important factors in development is commitment, and not just commitment of your own kid. You need the same high level commitment from the coaching staff and teammates. That never happens in cheapskate leagues. You never get dedicated committed coaches because you don’t get the income necessary to secure high level coaches, so you get daddy ball part time coaches, and idiots willing to work for some s**t per diem. But go ahead and trust your kid to someone willing to make $8 an hour or sometimes less.
The higher cost of ECNL means that players and families are also committed and serious about it, as they must for that kind of coin. Maybe everyone in AZ is a cheapskate who grew up ok with teammates skipping out all the time because it just isn’t that important to them, or their parents can’t focus on four practices a week because they have two jobs or are single parents, but that does not lead to good soccer develolment.
@happy9’s feelings about pro/rel prove exactly how dumb he is and why no one should believe anything he says. The mere fact that ECNL is highly successful and the vast majority (if not all) elite college girls soccer players come out of ECNL proves him wrong, no ifs ands or buts. The fact that the WNT in the ECNL era is the strongest it has ever been proves the same. The fact that ECNL killed off GDA in a few short years also proves the same. He can claim all he wants that everyone really learned all their development in AYSO when they were 9, bit we all know that’s BS. @happy9 is just another dumb magat who is wrong about everything all the time. His perspective is based on his subconscious irrational belief in American Individualism. He thinks that it’s just as likely a kid will develop into being great simply based on one’s own efforts, with no help from others. You can go to a s**t team, play for free under a daddy coach, and still have the same odds of becoming great as if you spent your formative years training consistently under professional coaches with the best, most dedicated teammates around four days a week for six years. BS. If that were true, why aren’t there there college All-Americans who did not play ECNL? If a kid could become great without ECNL, why isn’t it happening ever? It is because ECNL is where the development really happens.
Hep me explain Harry Kane who was let go by the Youth Academy he played for because they thought he was to “heavy” and slow?
Kane first played for a local club, Ridgeway Rovers, and joined the Arsenal youth academy when he was eight years old. He was released after one season for being "a bit chubby" and not "very athletic", according to Liam Brady who was then in charge of Arsenal's academy.[20]
ECNL will kill GA off as a potential competitor at the top level just like it did GDA. Why? Because it is a far superior product. Professional coaching. Better and more consistent training. Better college opportunities. Better showcases. Better competition. It provides stability to families. It has better freakin’ everything.
The one mistake ECNL made that even opened the door to GDA, and which I pointed out when it happened, was that it was too selfish in SoCal about admitting qualified clubs. It is obviously a lesson learned and a mistake that will not happen again. And it will benefit Legends and Beach tremendously.
Do you work for ECNL? I didn't know you were an expert in AZ girls soccer...nice
VegasParent
SILVER ELITE
I think a better question is why didn't ECNL let them in last year? Specifically Beach and Legends. This was clearly the league they wanted which is why their tops teams were in ECRL. They barely played any games this season so ECNL can't say they earned their spot from play on the field. This was clearly to damage GA in the SW and I can't blame the strategy of it. I would do the same if I ran ECNL. Actually I would have added them last year.
zags77
SILVER ELITE
So if 18 is too big for SW conference league, what is the right number? With Beach and Legends in who would you remove from the current landscape? Some smaller clubs are going to have a hard time pulling kids in now with the new landscape. The south bay just shifted back to Beach as the #1 option. Also assuming Pats, WC and LA surf stay in ECRL what is the pitch for them to put their top teams in the league? Wasnt the talk for 2020-2021 that if you performed in ECRL you would have a chance to be promoted to ECNL?