New rules for 2023-2024 season
- Thread starter Wheelman
- Start date
Yeah, several NorCal teams play NPL and such but we’re hearing that might be a “no-no”
As long as it's the 2nd team (behind GA) I'm not sure it really matters. GA probabaly wants participating clubs to put their 2nd teams in DPL because GA and DPL both use USSSA as their sanctioning body. This makes it easy for players to go from DPL to GA and vice versa.
NPL uses US Club Soccer as its sanctioning body. If a GA club was playing 1st teams in GA and 2nd teams in NPL it's a lot of extra paperwork + movement between GA and NPL wouldnt be a smooth.
You see how it works. Clubs arent being forced to do anything just lightly nudged in certain directions. I'm sure theres also price breaks the more you register with certain groups.
There is more force than you want to admit. Both ECNL and GA have an implicit threat of dropping the top team if the club doesn’t toe the line with the lower teams.
So, if you are a weaker club and want to keep ECNL, then your top boys team had better be ECNL, too. Apparently, if you are a GA club and you want to keep GA, then your lower teams had better be DPL.
Apparently, it is not enough to split the talent pool for the top tier kids. Now we are chopping up the talent pool for the lower flights as well.
Good points and at least this makes sense.
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There are Norcal teams who play in GA and NPL at the same time, same season (Santa Clara Sporting GA, West Coast Soccer GA, Sacramento United, etc..). Also, there are Norcal teams who play in DPL, NPL, ECRL at the same time, same season (Allstars United, DeAnza Force, etc..). E64 is in the mix as well with Diablo playing the same team in E64 and NPL during the same season. I'm sure there are others playing in cross leagues as well. Norcal NPL is really a mixed bag of teams from multiple leagues. If it is a no-no, GA would have to drop most the Northwest Division from the League. Don't see that happening. Good on the Norcal Clubs for resisting the division/seperation of clubs.
I hope you’re right; this is just chatter on the 2023-2024 season, but I agree it would be problematic
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I just realized you are asking about the upcoming season. I have no idea what the GA may be trying to enforce. If GA does push to force teams to play exclusively in the league, it will only hurt the GA's future attempts to compete with E64 and ECRL in Norcal. Seems like a foolish move.
See section 5.b.i
The use of the word "only" implies the expectation that specific teams/players are only playing GA. Whether or not they choose to enforce that is a different matter.
Player status:
i. Primary/P:
a. Player from your club on a GA team who only participates in the GA.
b. A minimum of 10 Primary (P) players per roster.
ii. Secondary/S:
a. Part time/development player within your club, but not on a GA team as a P.
b. Part time/development player from another club.
i. A written formal agreement signed by both clubs then emailed with both clubs copied to the GA Director of Operations prior to being added to the roster.
ii. ii. Player must participate in one day a week in- person training at the GA club main facility (not satellite). i.e. Zoom is not in-person training.
c. Players can only play age appropriate or up, unless designated and approved by the league as a “Late Developer”.
*CP not available for S players due to GotSport set- up/functionality.
* Add in roster builder for approval by the GA.
d. After 14 games, all GA competitions including league and event matches, the player moves to a P player in the GA or returns to original club
e. Forfeit and fine of $500 if not followed.
Very clear that primary GA players can only play GA.
I suppose secondary players could play in 2 leagues as long as they weren't registered as a primary GA player + the league other than GA they are playing in ends before 14 GA games.
How many league games do teams that are playing multiple leagues have during the course of one year/season? Sounds like a scheduling challenge to be in multiple leagues at once. No?
In direct violation of pretty much every one of the GA's stated core values (development, fun, dedication, passion, ownership, etc.) I know the GA has threatened to fine and discipline one of their own clubs if they don't actively stop a particular player from continuing to also play with Solar.
So while enforcement is spotty, the answer is no, GA does not want any GA players also playing in other leagues.
So while enforcement is spotty, the answer is no, GA does not want any GA players also playing in other leagues.
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So, in the Fall season the NPL teams play 7 or 8 games in divisions separated by geographic location.
The results of Fall play determine which Spring NPL Bracket you will play in (ECRL, NPL1, NPL2 NPL3, etc..) , which is also 7-8 games. I noticed Sacramento United GA07 didn't play all their NPL games, they did have a GA game on the same day, so it looks like they just said forget the NPL game, they were already doing pretty bad in the NPL Flight 3 bracket anyway. None of the GA07 teams made it into the ECRL Bracket.
Here is a cross reference to the G07 Northwest GA Division results for this past season.
In both the NorCal G09 and G08 groups a GA team placed high enough (and a DPL team) in the NorCal NPL/ECRL brackets to move onto the ECRL West Playoffs taking place at Silverlakes in a couple of weeks. However, they are not on the teams list for ECRL Playoffs. It looks like ECRL placed the next highest NPL teams into the playoffs. I wonder if the GA, ECRL, or both leagues put a stop to it? It would have been interesting to see the results. I have a feeling it was the GA who is applying the pressure, as across the board, the NorCal GA teams did not perform too well against the NorCal NPL teams throughout the NPL Fall and Spring season. Seeing the GA teams get handled at the ECRL playoffs would not be a good look for the league.
Here is a link to NorCal NPL if anyone wants to look around at the other age groups. https://norcalpremier.com/competition/national-premier-league/news/
And a link to the GA Brackets: https://system.gotsport.com/org_event/events/16349
My take away from looking through the Norcal NPL brackets today:
-If the GA enforces its rules, most of the Northwest GA Division has forfeited their 22-23 season.
-The NorCal NPL teams are on average, stronger than the Northwest GA/DPL/E64 teams.
-I am a huge fan of the way NorCal NPL runs their seasons and brackets. I wish SoCal would adopt the same system.
-NorCal NPL brackets teams based on performance and abilities each season and provides direct access to the ECRL and NPL playoffs, using a type of Promotion/Relegation system from the regions strongest teams.
-There is no reason/need to play in the GA/DPL/ECRL/EA/... in NorCal. The dedicated NPL teams are outperforming most GA and DPL teams.
-Again, SoCal should absolutely adopt the NorCal NPL system.
I can see why GA wouldn't want a GA player to play ECNL, but it's really tough on the kids who are good enough for ECNL but only live near GA.
I'm talking about central valley, not OC/SD. Top CV kids have to choose between a 2 hour commute and weaker opponents. Seems the leagues could talk to each other to make it work better for the kids.
It sounds to me like Norcal is still up for grabs between GA ECNL and NPL.
If GA pushes too hard NPL or ECNL will sign clubs up + vice versa.
I'm sure everyone in leadership positions knows what gong on + they all appear to be playing the different leagues against each other.
The winners in this situation are players and parents who have several options regarding where they can play.
Haha ....nice try promoting GA again. ECNL has all the best teams in Norcal. ECRL and NPL have the second tier teams. GA is 3rd but now refusing to let their teams play against better competition in NPL league. It seems like a bad move by GA and if I were a GA club in Norcal, I'd leave GA because there aren't any upsides to being GA in NorCal. More time travelling and playing with worse competition unless you get into the Champions league finals where you can play that 1 game a year against TopHat or Nationals.
Take you off ignore + am quickly reminded why I ignored you before. Sad...
And yes GA ECNL and NPL are all competing to see who will eventually become dominate in Norcal.
I hope Norcal keeps doing what they're doing. Cross league play makes everyone better. Excluding via closed leagues only benifits the leagues involved.
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I think the solution to that problem is the NPL. Seems like the NPL is nipping at the heels of ECNL in NorCal, and doing a better job of it than all the other leagues.
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The Sac United 09g team disbanded (mostly former Pumas players that also won state cup and disbanded the previous year) after spring and didn't have a team to send to ecnl-rl championship is the reason they weren't listed. Not sure about the other age groups. it will be interesting to see if GA is willing to enforce the rule and shoot themselves in the foot or not???.....
"In both the NorCal G09 and G08 groups a GA team placed high enough (and a DPL team) in the NorCal NPL/ECRL brackets to move onto the ECRL West Playoffs taking place at Silverlakes in a couple of weeks. However, they are not on the teams list for ECRL Playoffs. It looks like ECRL placed the next highest NPL teams into the playoffs."
"In both the NorCal G09 and G08 groups a GA team placed high enough (and a DPL team) in the NorCal NPL/ECRL brackets to move onto the ECRL West Playoffs taking place at Silverlakes in a couple of weeks. However, they are not on the teams list for ECRL Playoffs. It looks like ECRL placed the next highest NPL teams into the playoffs."