Girls Development Academy

[C.A.M.]

Does it really matter how many clubs they add if they lose Michigan Hawks, Eclipse and PDA? Michigan and PDA are 2 of the top 10 GDA clubs in the country. Eclipse is top 20. This is big news.

Added 3 GDAs. Only one I heard of is Utah Royals (NWSL).

So you feel this is a death kneel for the GDA?

I think its a big blow, but the system will continue forward.

I'm not surprised once I looked at the schedules after the Florida showcase. I saw how the middle of the country takes nearly a 3 month break due to weather and how far some of these teams travel.

What are the players suppose to do during that break when their counterparts in So Cal go year around? ECNL allows them to keep playing during high school and keep in shape and developing while playing games. Big difference.

Thing for me is my kids play here in So Cal and the best overall competition for the $ is the GDA to me, along with the cirriculum. If the GDA grows like the BDA, eventually those clubs will return and US Socxer will welcome them with open arms. Look at how many boys clubs are flocking to the DA system now.

The real question is how much patience will US Soccer have to grow the program and make the proper adjustments? No, I don't see them allowing high school.

 

[MakeAPlay]

Added 3 GDAs. Only one I heard of is Utah Royals (NWSL).

So you feel this is a death kneel for the GDA?

I think its a big blow, but the system will continue forward.

I'm not surprised once I looked at the schedules after the Florida showcase. I saw how the middle of the country takes nearly a 3 month break due to weather and how far some of these teams travel.

What are the players suppose to do during that break when their counterparts in So Cal go year around? ECNL allows them to keep playing during high school and keep in shape and developing while playing games. Big difference.

Thing for me is my kids play here in So Cal and the best overall competition for the $ is the GDA to me, along with the cirriculum. If the GDA grows like the BDA, eventually those clubs will return and US Socxer will welcome them with open arms. Look at how many boys clubs are flocking to the DA system now.

The real question is how much patience will US Soccer have to grow the program and make the proper adjustments? No, I don't see them allowing high school.

On the boys side serious dilution is going on. When everybody is elite then nobody is elite. The best players on the boys side don't play DA for long. They go pro. We have a flawed system on the boys side of DA and now we have thrown a monkey wrench in the works on the girls side. I am curious as to how this will sort itself out.

 

[Multivitamin]

Forums around the country are verifying that these clubs below are leaving GDA.
These are high level clubs with multiple national titles and National players.
There is more but these have let it be known as of today!

PDA
ECLIPSE
FC STARS
HAWKS

 

[El Clasico]

It's a good starting point for the elite boys of the US. The ones that have the chops though try to get on an international team. FC Dallas is awesome for finding overseas destinations for players.

I agree but it is only because DA needs FC Dallas more than FC Dallas needs DA. The founder of FC Dallas has been very outspoken about the need for elite players to bail out of DA and head to Europe (if you have the option). You can be sure that USSF is not happy about him being outspoken and they reluctantly roster players developed in Europe out of necessity. They know they can't win without them. I don't see this changing anytime soon. So Sad!

 

[Multivitamin]

 

[C.A.M.]

So they are going back to ECNL and will take the things they love about the DA with them such as film study, etc.. .

 

[davin]

Forums around the country are verifying that these clubs below are leaving GDA.
These are high level clubs with multiple national titles and National players.
There is more but these have let it be known as of today!

PDA
ECLIPSE
FC STARS
HAWKS

One of the others that are rumored to be leaving GDA is Crossfire Premier.

 

[MWN]

I agree but it is only because DA needs FC Dallas more than FC Dallas needs DA. The founder of FC Dallas has been very outspoken about the need for elite players to bail out of DA and head to Europe (if you have the option). You can be sure that USSF is not happy about him being outspoken and they reluctantly roster players developed in Europe out of necessity. They know they can't win without them. I don't see this changing anytime soon. So Sad!

The MLS may not be happy, but I don't think the USSF really cares because the USSF knows that the DA is merely phase 1 in development. Phase II for the men, is skip college and go play professionally for 4-6 years. Phase III make National team.

The girls have an entirely different path. Phase I - ECNL/DA. Phase II - College. Phase III make national team and keep you skills up while playing for a semi-professional financially struggling subsidized woman's team.

 

[MakeAPlay]

One of the others that are rumored to be leaving GDA is Crossfire Premier.

That is yet another top club....

 

[MakeAPlay]

The MLS may not be happy, but I don't think the USSF really cares because the USSF knows that the DA is merely phase 1 in development. Phase II for the men, is skip college and go play professionally for 4-6 years. Phase III make National team.

The girls have an entirely different path. Phase I - ECNL/DA. Phase II - College. Phase III make national team and keep you skills up while playing for a semi-professional financially struggling subsidized woman's team.

That is a very succinct and accurate summary. Thank goodness that our best players go pro and the unicorns go to Europe or Mexico.

 

[C.A.M.]

Do you guys think these programs are partially pulling out because they aren't getting the results they are use to concerning victories. With the clubs pulling out I'm seeing that even in the divisions they lead, they aren't just dominating in most cases. What brought this to mind is how the announcement says "most competitive regional competition possible". Reading that I figured these clubs were just drilling the competition and dominating. I see they are winning (like they always have since they are top clubs nationally), but they aren't dominating at will.

Check it out..

http://www.ussoccerda.com/sam/standings/league/standings.php?leagueId=MTAwOA==

Just a sample - #1 and 2 in their conference - #12 & 15 in the playoff contention.

 

[MWN]

That is a very succinct and accurate summary. Thank goodness that our best players go pro and the unicorns go to Europe or Mexico.

Thank you. Its one of the shortest posts I have written in a very long time.

The mistake US Soccer is making regarding the girls DA stems from the fact that the girls DA was never needed because of the player path. Digging deeper, appreciate that he girls DA is a response to litigation threats from the women regarding inequality between the men's and woman's national team (i.e. fields and pay). Their position was that the Federation systemically treats women unequally and used the boys DA as evidence of that. Their argument was, we are paid less, we have to play in inferior stadiums and on artifical turf and the Federation doesn't even have a girls DA after 8 years. The response by the federation was to increase pay for the women, avoid artificial turf fields, funnel more subsidies into the WPSL, and start the girls DA (knowing that the clubs via the parents would be paying the lion share of the cost).

At the time, everybody was happy with the ECNL, but truth be told, the women shot themselves in the foot with the girls DA by trying to play under the same rules as the boys. Whether this works out in the end will ultimately depend on the U.S. public finding an appetite for women's team sports and soccer ... so maybe sometime in the year 2093.

 

[MakeAPlay]

Do you guys think these programs are partially pulling out because they aren't getting the results they are use to concerning victories. With the clubs pulling out I'm seeing that even in the divisions they lead, they aren't just dominating in most cases. What brought this to mind is how the announcement says "most competitive regional competition possible". Reading that I figured these clubs were just drilling the competition and dominating. I see they are winning (like they always have since they are top clubs nationally), but they aren't dominating at will.

Check it out..

http://www.ussoccerda.com/sam/standings/league/standings.php?leagueId=MTAwOA==

Just a sample - #1 and 2 in their conference - #12 & 15 in the playoff contention.

View attachment 2387

Those records look pretty dominant.

 

[MarkM]

One of the others that are rumored to be leaving GDA is Crossfire Premier.

I'm surprised the Colorado clubs didn't lead the charge. They love their high school soccer in Colorado.

 

[C.A.M.]

Those records look pretty dominant.

Not to me. They look like very good teams.

LAFC Slammers & FC Dallas 01/02 and Solar Chelsea 99/00 look dominant to me.

 

[MWN]

Do you guys think these programs are partially pulling out because they aren't getting the results they are use to concerning victories. With the clubs pulling out I'm seeing that even in the divisions they lead, they aren't just dominating in most cases. What brought this to mind is how the announcement says "most competitive regional competition possible". Reading that I figured these clubs were just drilling the competition and dominating. I see they are winning (like they always have since they are top clubs nationally), but they aren't dominating at will.

Check it out..

http://www.ussoccerda.com/sam/standings/league/standings.php?leagueId=MTAwOA==

Just a sample - #1 and 2 in their conference - #12 & 15 in the playoff contention.

View attachment 2387

I think its probably due to the fact their customer is more educated and was questioning the value. We are talking about girl's parents, who tend to be a little bit more involved and a little more protective. Just compare a boys U17 game v. a girls U17 game -- twice as many parents at the girls game than the boys. Girls are also emotionally different than boys. Much more social animals and place far more importance on what their friends think/feel. The no HS rule is a killer for many girls, who think to themselves: "WTF? I can't play with my friends. If I make the USWNT team great, but I want to go to college and be an engineer or lawyer or doctor, etc., if I can play in college and get a scholarship that is my end game."

Now, if its the college Coach saying don't play that is OK because the goal of college has been achieved.

I suspect that parents figured this out after 1 year in the DA ... no real benefit over the ECNL in that part of the country. Told the clubs ... we are moving to an ECNL team good luck. The clubs said ... whooaaaa ... "After several month of discussion ..."

 

[Multivitamin]

Not to me. They look like very good teams.

LAFC Slammers 01/02 and Solar Chelsea 99/00 look dominant.

Solar Chelsea 99/00 Dominat really???
Half their team has left for college already for the Spring graduating early.
Solars program has moved everyone up an age group so essentially the top 5-6 players accross the board in their respective age groups have moved up in the Spring to fill the gaps.

This is happening around the country and in ECNL as well.

 

[El Clasico]

I think its probably due to the fact their customer is more educated and was questioning the value. We are talking about girl's parents, who tend to be a little bit more involved and a little more protective."

Looks like we got ourselves a winner here. Here, there is more Vanity.

 

[outside!]

Digging deeper, appreciate that he girls DA is a response to litigation threats from the women regarding inequality between the men's and woman's national team (i.e. fields and pay).

At the time, everybody was happy with the ECNL, ...

That is a good point about the inequality.

Back then, the ECNL club DOC's were very happy with their little monopoly, but everybody was not happy. If ECNL had not been so busy protecting certain clubs' area monopoly and had been willing to add more clubs, then GDA would have had a much more difficult time attracting clubs to join. What will happen to the lower tier clubs like Sharks that ECNL added after GDA was founded? Are they going to ignore the GDA clubs like Legends and LAGSD that should have been added to ECNL and instead keep clubs like Sharks? If they do, they will be in a very similar situation to the one they were in before, with many top clubs not included (and the same could be said for GDA). And all of this is because the grown-ups at US Soccer and ECNL could not work out a compromise.

 

[C.A.M.]

View attachment 2390

I think its probably due to the fact their customer is more educated and was questioning the value. We are talking about girl's parents, who tend to be a little bit more involved and a little more protective. Just compare a boys U17 game v. a girls U17 game -- twice as many parents at the girls game than the boys. Girls are also emotionally different than boys. Much more social animals and place far more importance on what their friends think/feel. The no HS rule is a killer for many girls, who think to themselves: "WTF? I can't play with my friends. If I make the USWNT team great, but I want to go to college and be an engineer or lawyer or doctor, etc., if I can play in college and get a scholarship that is my end game."

Now, if its the college Coach saying don't play that is OK because the goal of college has been achieved.

I suspect that parents figured this out after 1 year in the DA ... no real benefit over the ECNL in that part of the country. Told the clubs ... we are moving to an ECNL team good luck. The clubs said ... whooaaaa ... "After several month of discussion ..."

Great post