Next Level Soccer

El Doce

BRONZE
Any thoughts positive or negative on NLS? We know a lot of people that have gone over there. The club has mostly youngers 2011-2017 so not sure if this forum has parents from those age groups.

The owner is claiming to be a disruptor and has previously lashed out at the big clubs and in particular their 501 (3c) status. I just recently saw a post where they are opening 3 more places and turning into a 501 (3c), asking for donations.

I am all for change and the simplification of the letter leagues etc. Is this place on to something or or is it just a business model finding parents looking for greener pastures?
 
its a Academy model , to a degree. Start them young, train them correctly from the start rather most Starting at grassroots level or REC soccer which the coach is a parent who may or may not have the training to coach, We don't see them as ASA or SAA approved so they may just playing their own matches in house but without support from ASA or SAA, they more likely be refused in sanctioned tournaments because they are not associated with ASA or SAA, which are approved by USSF which USSF is member of FIFA

if they are growing then their inhouse league will grow.

There is a advantage being nonprofit rather for profit in youth sports.
 
Not sure what the issue is with clubs being 501c3...I actually have an issue where clubs are not 501c3 and are for-profit. Also don't see how a new club simplifies the letter league madness...that can only change if US Soccer steps in or if associations/leagues start to consolidate or work together.
 
If they claim to be a disruptor, then the cost should be substantially lower than competing clubs. Barring that, they are just using the disruptor label as a marketing tool.
 
I have seen some of their younger boys teams play and they are impressive. Much higher skill level than the majority of the larger club teams. Would be a good place to start your kid off before switching to an elite platform at 11v11 age.
 
I ref'ed a number of their 7v7 boys games this past spring. They were head and shoulders above each opponent. Small sample size, but impressive results. Not just in skill but in understanding the game at such a young age. Not sure what their full business plan is or what their soccer club plan is, but they may be a disruptive force. I believe competition in any market place is good. Time will tell.
 
No local information, but just looking at SR is pretty interesting. Here are what their youngers teams look like:

2014B: #3 in state, #130 nationally
2013B: #2 in state, #92 nationally
2012B: #1, #5, and #12 in state, #6, #275, and #509 nationally

Not sure if the model still works as they continue to mature - but something sure seems to be working so far.
 
From a distance it seems to me that most if not all of the clubs really struggle financially so im not sure being a non profit or not makes any difference.
 
From a distance it seems to me that most if not all of the clubs really struggle financially so im not sure being a non profit or not makes any difference.

Being a non-profit allows an entity to take donations from individuals that get preferential tax treatment for the individuals that make them, if all conditions are met.
 
No local information, but just looking at SR is pretty interesting. Here are what their youngers teams look like:

2014B: #3 in state, #130 nationally
2013B: #2 in state, #92 nationally
2012B: #1, #5, and #12 in state, #6, #275, and #509 nationally

Not sure if the model still works as they continue to mature - but something sure seems to be working so far.


2012 Black their top team is 7 Nationally ranked
2013 is 77 Nationally ranked.
2014 is now 137 Nationally ranked.

their system works for one reason, while everyone is doing REC, they get quality coaching and training from day one. they use the Karate belt color system, instead of a belt its a Pennie, to help motivate the players to strive to succeed. Great niche for young players.
 
Update on this. They seem to have improved over the year. Looks like Arizona is closing the gap on socal over the last few years in a few younger age groups. They just opened a new indoor and have an outdoor facility. Where is the money coming from?
 
Looks to be a leading program at this point, at least in terms of results of their top team. Top 5 in state from 2016B through 2011B, Top 1 in state from 2013B to 2011B, and top 20 in country for 2012B and 2011B.

Next Level.png
 
Update on this. They seem to have improved over the year. Looks like Arizona is closing the gap on socal over the last few years in a few younger age groups. They just opened a new indoor and have an outdoor facility. Where is the money coming from?
I believe this is owned by the same guy that does FC Arizona. Jaime Landerman. Primary business is landscaping but big into soccer.
 
Rankings to me are always suspect. I prefer results in leagues and end of season tournaments (not Rando Joe Tournament this week sponsored by Hillbilly Pete FC). However I have ref'ed a number of NLS younger ages games. They are legit. The soccer IQ was light years ahead of the competition. They passed the ball around with a purpose instead of just going straight to goal. I have no idea how their biz model works (paid for by parents I assume) but if they keep up what they start at older ages they will be a force to be reconned with. Unless the goal is to build the player and move them on to letter leagues at U13 etc.
 
Rankings to me are always suspect. I prefer results in leagues and end of season tournaments (not Rando Joe Tournament this week sponsored by Hillbilly Pete FC).

When the most well known ranking system to most participants is barely better than a coin flip in terms of predictivoty, and weights its own proprietary tournaments differently (and significantly) than others, it makes sense that skepticism and cynicism is pretty broadly felt. In contrast, the numbers above are directly created from performance in league, and all account directly for the quality of the competition in each and every game. It doesn't make them automagically correct,, or guarantee the right answer when predicting which team will beat which team. But it is likely to do a much better job than looking at individual team data, league data, or team data - it represents all of this.
 
With the new NLS north valley campus it is frustrating living by there, it wasn’t a problem when they were only in Gilbert but now with this new campus everyone seems to just see the NLS logo and go because of there elite facilities elite teams playing style etc.
 
When the most well known ranking system to most participants is barely better than a coin flip in terms of predictivoty, and weights its own proprietary tournaments differently (and significantly) than others, it makes sense that skepticism and cynicism is pretty broadly felt. In contrast, the numbers above are directly created from performance in league, and all account directly for the quality of the competition in each and every game. It doesn't make them automagically correct,, or guarantee the right answer when predicting which team will beat which team. But it is likely to do a much better job than looking at individual team data, league data, or team data - it represents all of this.
The thing is the rankings never take into account the time when the star striker or CB was sick or had to go to another event. There is variation and most teams have a couple of players that are difference makers. They don't go to a game and an easy win turns into a toss up. Statistically the app is about as accurate as it can be without taking in the stories about who is actually on the field for the game and who isn't. This actually makes it more accurate in the long run as the teams that have subs close or equal to the starters will be more favored. I really like the valuation of the schedule. That can account somewhat for the variance of the leagues.
 
The thing is the rankings never take into account the time when the star striker or CB was sick or had to go to another event. There is variation and most teams have a couple of players that are difference makers. They don't go to a game and an easy win turns into a toss up. Statistically the app is about as accurate as it can be without taking in the stories about who is actually on the field for the game and who isn't. This actually makes it more accurate in the long run as the teams that have subs close or equal to the starters will be more favored. I really like the valuation of the schedule. That can account somewhat for the variance of the leagues.
The rankings do take into account the absence of players. It's a team sport, therefore the strength of the team relies on it's depth, not just a few individual players. So if a team relies on a few individual players only, then the rankings will show it because there will be losses in the team record when the individuals are unavailable to play.
 
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