If Surf goes all in with the GAL League, then ECNL is toast to be top league, just like it was when Surf went all in with GDA. Enjoy the shell game of confusion folks.
Girls Academy 2 Finally Coming!
- Thread starter soccerpalace
- Start date
DeaconSoccer12
BRONZE
It seems like this is mutually beneficial for GA and DPL. DPL likely had no choice because if there was a GA2, DPL would lose all their best teams and essentially die. GA gets access to all the current DPL teams and I'm guessing some sort of financial boost from the deal.
That's how I see things as well.
Keep it home grown and reward those who stay local, play local and then go pro bro. It's what I said in 2018 and why we jumped ship in the first place, to go pro. All the Elites on here went ape shit and later bat shit (wuhan bro) crazy on me. Not everyone wants to go to college, especially the best of the best soccer male and female futbol players from around the world. It's why the world was watching us blow it and now we have finally awakened the sleeping lion. It's game on where merit will be the foundation and not pay for play backroom kickbacks with kickball. It's time to treat this game professionally and the players with respect. Go GA!!!
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Just to be clear a homegrown rule with NWSL would most likely be like MLS with a 60 mile reach around each NWSLs home field. It wouldn't matter if the player was GA or ECNL or whatever they'd all be considered that clubs homegrown player.
Where it will get interesting is how the "Academies" line up if they even do. Will they be GA only? A mix of different clubs/leagues? I don't see how this would happen but maybe.
We need one top league for the boys and girls to focus on going Pro, MOO. ECNL is more for Elite soccer for elite colleges. That's a more specialized league and they can be second option.
Right now other than the clubs participating GA and ECNL are nearly identical leagues. They do roughly the same league schedule and events.
You know how it works. No matter if it makes sense or not some people will only associate with the top league. Having ECNL focus on college only won't work long term. You can see it with the boys in MLSN. College recruiters want all the Academy players that aren't able or don't want to play professionally before looking at other leagues / players.
GA is not a bridge to a professional career. GA is, in most regions, the 2nd most prestigious youth girls league. Nothing wrong with that.
But that's not a reason to tell ten thousand parents that their kid really needs to get ready to cash their upcoming Nike endorsement checks.
Look at how MLSN is structured. This is what needs to happen on the girls side to support a homegrown rule implemented by NWSL.
A guess you could do talent id's like the USYNT then pick homegrowns from there. But how would they associate with a specific NWSL club?
Basically there needs to be one youth club that is tied to each NWSL team where all homegrowns are developed and funneled through. Will those clubs be GA ECNL etc? I don't know just pointing out that NWSL can't reinvent the wheel that much which means they'll likely end up like MLSN.
This would be wishful thinking for GA if NWSL buys into it but NWSL will NOT because they don't have the incentive nor the finance to do so.
Currently the girl's landscape is:
1. ECNL
2. GA=ECRL
3. DPL =NPL and ECRL 2
Venantsyo
GOLD
The stronger DPL clubs want to be in GA, not in this stupid bridge league..
When will the list of new local clubs accepted be announced for 2025 GA season? And when GA season begins?
Noticer
SILVER
Frankly, this is cope. GAL has (relative) strength in the west and specifically California, but outside of (and inside of) the west, ECNL is currently and clearly the more prominent/ dominant league. It's not even a question. That won't always be so, but it's wild to make a statement like "If Surf goes all in with the GAL League, then ECNL is toast..."
Unless US Soccer (or to a way lesser degree NWSL) steps up and and declares "we won't id/roster players unless they play in 'X' youth league," then there is no incentive for anything to change.
And we know from history that US Soccer had an opportunity to do just that with DA, and they didn't freeze out other leagues.
We all love GAL. I get it. But let's be realistic.
I was just saying, "if" not "when." I agree with you. I want one top league for girls and boys in socal. No travel. Two average leagues are not going to make the players better because cream only rises to the top with real merit and real competition, not pay for play and pay even more to secure a starting spot and if you pay even more than that, you get all access.
rainbow_unicorn
PREMIER
US Soccer did freeze out ECNL and started only selecting YNT players from DA. And DA still crumbled.
justasoccerfam
BRONZE
My daughter's GA club has destroyed every ECRL team they have ever played. ECRL on the West Coast is just as bad as DPL, as far as we have come across. Most of the better players at ECRL in the younger age groups end up at GA clubs due to the college exposure they get/fed up of the lies of "you will get moved up" by the ECNL coach.
You get the odd decent ECRL or DPL team at the younger ages of 11v11 but they soon get broken up.
"Locked" out is a better word. I had one Doc tell me to my face that if I dared pulled my dd from the GDA to ECNL she would miss out on all the fun & prizes, be labeled a troublemaker because of her father and 100% retaliated against, all because she wanted to play HS Soccer with her friends.
"I see you moving up soon Susie. Tell your old man to pony up more cash for my privates and you will be on my team."