This was to the regional league. Not main ECNL league. So ECNL's 2nd division basically.
Nor Cal GDA Teams - What's Next
- Thread starter Free Kick
- Start date
Got it! Thanks for clarifying!
youthsportsugh
SILVER ELITE
Seems like all the DA clubs are weighing options or seeing what is available to them at this point -- Wonder what the likely hood is they are talking to one another and what all the options are at this point with what clubs in each:
ECNL
ECRL
NPL
GAL
MLS
Whatever else is out there
Soccerfan2
GOLD
They are all taking to each other regularly. They are waiting for ECNL decisions and will decide between ECNL, GAL and NPL. MLS is not offering a girls league this coming season.
GAL announced conferences yesterday(?) with nothing in the NW. They look to have about 8-10 teams per conference...seems like the odds of adding the NW is small with the number of ex-DA teams located in the area (unless they add some random nocal clubs or ECNL B teams). I have a difficult time visualizing any path to success for that league.
Soccerfan2
GOLD
I don’t know the details. I think all the previous DA clubs would need to go in together. Even if they did, it means an awful lot of travel and still no cross play with closer ECNL teams. Not my favorite option but we’ll just have to see how things settle out.
That's why I was surprised they didn't offer SW to the norcal teams. Larger is more viable.
I think GA will do ok. The ultimate goal is probably to get a merger with ECNL or create something with USYS. I can see either one happening.
As long as good games get scheduled, it's good.
Don’t think GA conference roll out is done. NW could end up being just the current GDA nw and a couple more if no one else ends up in ECNL. Ideally would find another team or two in WA or Ore and Utah for travel as flying to or from Seattle or SLC from one game is rough.
The biggest question mark is Earthquakes. The club has not yet committed to supporting a girls program for the next soccer year. Without them leading the charge on any new league, most likely no new league would take a foothold in Northern California. There are also a lot of rumors about where the director will end up. Only time will tell. I see Thorns playing NPL for the near future, and Lamorinda will most likely be like PSV, a small club that competes well in NPL and State Cup in the youngers. Placer is the most likely club to join ECNL, this year or next. Fingers crossed for good, local competition in the next couple years.
kickingandscreaming
PREMIER
Isn't the Louisville club that just got ECNL a "new" club with roots in a disbanded club? I could see something like that happening if they wanted to get the Quakes teams over with Deza and the Quakes themselves were no longer willing to support the girls side.
Currently, ECNL NW has 19 teams. Below is each metro area with its population in millions and the number of teams. Based on population alone, Seattle appears to be overrepresented by a team and SF definitely low by at least one team. Further, in terms of where the 5 teams are located in the SF metro area, only one is on the Peninsula (I'll define that as from SF to San Jose inclusive) with a population of about 3.5 million. They could definitely use another team somewhere between SF and San Jose. We'll see.
Boise ID: 0.7 (1)
SLC UT: 1.2 (1)
Portland OR: 2.5, (2)
Sacramento CA: 2.7 (2)
Denver CO: 2.8 (3)
Seattle WA: 3.5 (5)
SF CA: 7.7 (5)
Not having an ECNL team between Marin and Mountain View continues to be a mystery when you consider the population and amount of soccer that is played in those 50 plus miles. It is a missed opportunity in my opinion.
The problem is that there isn't any existing club in that area that has the reputation, numbers, staff, facilities, to compete on that level. Look at what happened when Burlingame was given entry to the GDA in its initial season. Every Burlingame team was getting blown out every game by huge numbers, and they dropped out of GDA before the end of the first season.
I will confess today. We ((my dd)) did not go up North for first year of GDA. I swear and it was for one reason and one reason only. Guess why Baller?
Earthquakes have already applied (Thorns as well) for ECNL, and have been denied. Politics? Revenge? Maybe. But both did ECNL wrong and are now on the outside looking in.
If you look at the ECNL national clubs map, there are a lot of priority areas where they will add clubs first.
I have heard that Placer boys got ECNL but haven't heard about the girls side yet? There are 4 more teams in norcal being picked for boys ECNL Northern Cal league and ecnl hasn't announced yet? My speculation is they are seeing if there are strong boys clubs that also have strong girls side to join? I know ecnl didn't want Placer in the past because they are too close to San Juan and Davis but I think if Placers DA stays intact and goes ecnl they can walk right in and be very competitive from the start. Also the clubs aren't that close and I think the #'S can support another club. I have also heard Ecnl doesn't want any more girls clubs in norcal so who knows?
Tyler Durden
BRONZE
Thorns formerly De Anza Force was an ECNL Club. When academy was created the president was told by ECNL to chose between the two platforms. President then decided to pivot and create the Thorns brand for Academy and keep force club in ECNL.
Quakes the Girls director had a national championship team that he coached and assembled that ultimately was playing for De Anza Force. Power struggle between him and president and in the final year the coach left the program and I am unaware but the girls on that team decided that they would not play during the season and it fell apart. Many beleive the coach told the girls to not play for the club after he departed. I am unsure if this is true. Therefore, ECNL has hard feelings toward Quakes because the director may have told players to not compete in ECNL games after he left.
Soap opera script. lol
Quakes the Girls director had a national championship team that he coached and assembled that ultimately was playing for De Anza Force. Power struggle between him and president and in the final year the coach left the program and I am unaware but the girls on that team decided that they would not play during the season and it fell apart. Many beleive the coach told the girls to not play for the club after he departed. I am unsure if this is true. Therefore, ECNL has hard feelings toward Quakes because the director may have told players to not compete in ECNL games after he left.
Soap opera script. lol
To make a long story short, from what I remember:
- Baicher was the DOC and Deza ran the ECNL program at DeAnza
- DeAnza announces they will join GDA.
- GDA was announced, and Deza made a deal with Quakes to create their GDA program
- Deza left mid-season and took many of DeAnza's ECNL players with him, leaving DeAnza ECNL teams to really struggle end of season and in postseason.
- All of the other ECNL clubs in NorCal decide to not stay in ECNL and not join GDA
- DeAnza tries to keep ECNL while joining GDA, but they don't meet ECNL's criteria to have both
- DeAnza makes a deal with the newly created California Thorns, who have been struggling to get their program going, to partner with them and steer DeAnza players to the Thorns.
- ECNL learns of this and tells DeAnza that they will be booted if they have that deal with the Thorns.
- DeAnza puts out an official statement that they have no affiliation with the Thorns
- ECNL knows the statement is BS, and boots DeAnza
- Thorns officially announces their partnership with DeAnza
- DeAnza moves their girls program to the Thorns, and Baicher is their DOC