EliteSoccerDad
BRONZE
Most clubs will reduce training fee because going from 4 days to 3 BUT the families will then pay for showcases, refs, etc.
All in probably cost same or more expensive?
Say bye-bye-bye to Girls and Boys DA
- Thread starter dreamz
- Start date
Most clubs will reduce training fee because going from 4 days to 3 BUT the families will then pay for showcases, refs, etc.
All in probably cost same or more expensive?
If ECNL has failed DA would not have been welcoming new teams with open arms.
The reality is that while there are some good teams who were left out, they could have jumped ship from DA a year ago. It was a sinking ship but not many jumped off. While I agree Legends, Beach, Albion etc. are excellent clubs, the most important thing is to keep ECNL from becoming watered down. Adding more clubs will do that. If clubs aren’t added, players will exit non ECNL clubs (already happening) and the balance will shift.
The non ECNL clubs made their decisions years ago and would have been welcomed up to two months ago had they exited before DAs likely demise. The clubs who stuck with ECNL are now being rewarded (and rightfully so).
The reality is that while there are some good teams who were left out, they could have jumped ship from DA a year ago. It was a sinking ship but not many jumped off. While I agree Legends, Beach, Albion etc. are excellent clubs, the most important thing is to keep ECNL from becoming watered down. Adding more clubs will do that. If clubs aren’t added, players will exit non ECNL clubs (already happening) and the balance will shift.
The non ECNL clubs made their decisions years ago and would have been welcomed up to two months ago had they exited before DAs likely demise. The clubs who stuck with ECNL are now being rewarded (and rightfully so).
Clubs with solid track records, reputable coaches, history of attracting colleague coaches to showcase events and helping players into college programs.
if you’re asking me to name strong clubs left out, I don’t know enough about individual clubs to single them out.
By general reputation, I stand by my opinion that there are quite a few strong clubs that were either snubbed over politics, encroaching on an existing ECNL territory (and ECNL Club wanted individual players to bring over) , or, as ECNL has said, they’re saturated in terms of field space and size of tournament pool.
Too late to keep ECNL from being watered down. That ship sailed two years ago.
Now the question is whether we have one big league or two smaller ones with more travel.
ECNL gets to pick, and they are giving us two smaller leagues with more travel and higher costs.
Thanks, ECNL. Way to put the kids first.
(And no, I am not at a DA club.)
I agree with you on some things but you're so wrong here. This makes no sense dad4. When 2020-2021 ECNL season get's going, all these teams will have been improved by August 1st. I agree the ship sailed away somehow two years ago
However, it miraculously sailed back by a north easterner wind. Powerful sucker that no man can try and stop. Wind is unpredictable, especially when one is sailing with pirates. ECNL does not promise a spot forever like some clubs do. Too many things can happen in one year to do that as we all have learned.Soccerfan2
GOLD
Yes. Probably a little more expensive in ECNL/GAL for club fees given that families will bear the costs of league and showcases. Depending on where you live, maybe less travel expense in ECNL compared to what DA was. GAL doesn’t have competition structure laid out yet so it’s hard to tell, but it seems to me travel will likely be more expensive than either DA or ECNL.
More Q & As with coach Mirelle. June 2019
SA: I believe if the DA hadn't been so heavy handed about banning high school play, we wouldn't be talking about the ECNL anymore, because that was a major reason cited by clubs staying in the ECNL. Why not just lift that ban -- and leave it up to the clubs and players to decide whether to play high school or not?
MIRELLE VAN RIJBROEK: "High School is not really a discussion for us if you understand the concept of talent development from an international perspective. Soccer is a global sport. In order to stay internationally relevant as a nation we have to do a better job than the rest of the world.
With the Development Academy, U.S. Soccer offers an international competitive player development program. Therefore the Development Academy is not a league, it’s a program to develop world-class players. The DA has clear standards that clubs need to fulfill and monitor. This means that clubs who do not meet the criteria might have to leave the program. It’s a year-round program and players who play in the DA commit to this year-round program.
Each club can have their own soccer philosophy but the starting point is: a program where players have an intensive soccer program, four training sessions per week, meaningful games, developing over winning."
Folks, clubs made decisions for the kids based on what they thought the market wanted. The biggest one was HS Soccer. One league said, "yes" for HS Soccer and the new league with "The List" and the YNT Staff as employees, said, "No HS Soccer." The lines were drawn and players like my dd in 9th grade made a choice and so did coaches and clubs.
SA: I believe if the DA hadn't been so heavy handed about banning high school play, we wouldn't be talking about the ECNL anymore, because that was a major reason cited by clubs staying in the ECNL. Why not just lift that ban -- and leave it up to the clubs and players to decide whether to play high school or not?
MIRELLE VAN RIJBROEK: "High School is not really a discussion for us if you understand the concept of talent development from an international perspective. Soccer is a global sport. In order to stay internationally relevant as a nation we have to do a better job than the rest of the world.
With the Development Academy, U.S. Soccer offers an international competitive player development program. Therefore the Development Academy is not a league, it’s a program to develop world-class players. The DA has clear standards that clubs need to fulfill and monitor. This means that clubs who do not meet the criteria might have to leave the program. It’s a year-round program and players who play in the DA commit to this year-round program.
Each club can have their own soccer philosophy but the starting point is: a program where players have an intensive soccer program, four training sessions per week, meaningful games, developing over winning."
Folks, clubs made decisions for the kids based on what they thought the market wanted. The biggest one was HS Soccer. One league said, "yes" for HS Soccer and the new league with "The List" and the YNT Staff as employees, said, "No HS Soccer." The lines were drawn and players like my dd in 9th grade made a choice and so did coaches and clubs.
This reminds me of the saying know your audience when you walk into a room!
I bet if they let kids play HS for 2 years and then eased into no HS, they may still be around. The was their biggest mistake in the girls DA and everyone knew it.
Hey US soccer, keep hiring all these foreigners. Eventually someone has to work out, right?!?
She talks about getting the best 2% out of the 98%. Does Spain allow the 100% to all play together? She should have found the top 10% who were interested in the pros and then squeezed the 2% from that group. Instead, they squeezed 98% of the parents......
An
and folks, this is how a business model fails! Parent of 98% we want your 7k a year but sorry, we could care less about your kid. Yep, parents love to hear that!
MacDre
PREMIER
Bingo. Also, another major problem. In Mexico, so many people had such a positive experience playing youth soccer that they continue to play in adult leagues for their entire life. Words can’t express how fun it is for kids to be able to play kick around with mom, dad, sister, brother, uncles and neighbors. They aren’t working hard, they’re having hella fun.
Soccer has to be more fun so we can keep people in the game longer
Cincinnati is about 90 minutes from Louisville KY. That is one way! Long way to go to play for a brand new club with a brand new team.
When I started playing in an adult rec league a few years back- the best part for me was seeing kids on the sidelines. Sometimes watching their dad (and mom- this was a coed league- pretty chill environment) but almost always messing around with a soccer ball on the sidelines. It was the closest I’ve seen to a true pick-up game. No coaches organized it. Nobody needed a field permit. Nobody helped the kids pick team. Nobody blowing a whistle for the rules. Boys and girls shooting on goal. Playing 1v1 until more kids showed up. 3 older kids vs 7 younger kids. Making up their own rules. We need more of this if we want to ever have a “soccer culture”.
I got into soccer again because I married a Latina whose papa was a ref and___________________________________________________________________________We played in a coed rec league. It got chippie because grandpa liked to play ref too when he should have been just playing. All the Latin cultures fighting it out in El Monte. It was so much fun. Kids everywhere playing.
Doesn't look good for ECRL or GAL, or teams that are both of those that were DA and didn't make ECNL. Yikes!
My prediction is that the Pats, Beach and Legends teams that were DA and were "stuck" with moving to ECRL will now try to pivot and try to sell this as "Look, our teams play BOTH ECRL AND GAL!".
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Of course they will. And of course they should. It's true. And they should market it in the best possible light. That's what clubs do. That's what any business does.
And what parents and players should do is educate themselves and make the best decisions for themselves to find coaches and teammates and competition that will best fit their needs and goals. That's what any consumer does.
I don't disagree with you at all. I just don't think parents know that those leagues will have little/no college recruitment activity and will be sold goods that aren't what they are "marketed" as...
The former DA coaches who are now involved in both ECRL and GA all have track records of bringing college coaches out. I think they’ll continue to. Guess we’ll see.
*Summer 2 for 1 Soccer SpecialMy prediction is that the Pats, Beach and Legends teams that were DA and were "stuck" with moving to ECRL will now try to pivot and try to sell this as "Look, our teams play BOTH ECRL AND GAL!".
*Buy one league, get to play in the other league for FREE!!!