Doubt it is the last time, for any of us..
Playing local is fine for two of my kids. For the third, I don’t want to be the jerk who puts a high level kid into a medium level game.
Say bye-bye-bye to Girls and Boys DA
- Thread starter dreamz
- Start date
Playing local is fine for two of my kids. For the third, I don’t want to be the jerk who puts a high level kid into a medium level game.
I don't know, they probably would do a better job than the adults are currently doing.
El Clasico
GOLD
ECNL doesn't need to accept DA clubs to make the league stronger. DA players will be scrambling to find ECNL clubs to join so all the best talent will be in ECNL anyway. Why bring in a bunch of new clubs and maintain the current level of dilution when they have an opportunity to truly make a league with ALL of the strongest teams. I see no reason that they would need to admit Legends (for obvious reasons) or Beach. Been a big fan of Beach for many years and I thought they should have been a shoe in before the DA. The DA came in and changed the landscape and created rivals between clubs that were more than fighting for the same talent. Now ECNL comes out on top and the losers expect to just get an invitation with open arms? Why? When those players will find their way over anyway..
There has to be somebody who has a daughter with either beach or legends DA in this forum, what are those clubs saying?
MacDre
PREMIER
Most of the high crime area’s in the bay area have been gentrified. Many moons ago, when I was in high school East Palo Alto had the highest per capita murder rate in the USA. For a while it was a fairly common occurrence to see Stanford students on University Ave.(EPA side) buying crack/cocaine. Not now though!
Bringing those couple dozen clubs listed previously in this thread from the Soccer wire top 40 is the exact opposite of dilution. It's consolidation of the best talent, making your league better, and reducing league game travel time.
Excluding them because you don't have field space for a showcase is a problem that can be easily solved. Makes me think it is just an excuse for keeping them out for political or money motivations from existing clubs with influence.
MacDre
PREMIER
I never considered Marin. What’s their reputation? Style of play?
NTX07Soccer
BRONZE
That is a negative. FCD is not in ECNL. They applied, guess we'll see how that goes.
vegasguy
GOLD
Rumor is teams in TX and FL may possibly start training in May. Not saying it is true but there is talk.. but then each state governor could shut it down again.
I think you underestimate the value of friendships and team chemistry.
Even if the top players individually move, you may have lost what made it a top team.
vegasguy
GOLD
Insurance in the general sense excluded communicable disease, pandemic and virus. You can thank SARS for that. Writng a policy to cover that would be very cost prohibitive for everyone. Insurance companies do not actuarial underwrite for events like this.
It's been awhile since I lived in Nor Cal so I don't know where their club is present day. 5 years ago I had an a 14 year old playing in Sacramento region, they were a top 10 club in NC I'd say. Not at level of Mustang, MVLA and San Juan, but in that next group of clubs. We played them a few times and from what I recall they played decent brand of soccer in terms of possession, attacking, etc. I believe they were in their first year of ECNL this current year.
I believe what your saying is that basically most businesses don't carry, so no insurance costs. It's an at risk sport just like any other injuries....
The Outlaw *BANNED*
PREMIER
Marin has been in ECNL less than a year and I think it was more about geography than anything else. If you REALLY want to be a rebel, take your daughter to Troy Dayak at WC in Livermore. He arguably puts as many girls into college programs as anyone there other than Mustang.
Texas will play soccer way before Cali. Gaven has other goals for us
outside!
DA
It will not be "the best players", it will be "the best players whose parent's can afford it". Soccer in the US basically ignores millions of players from low income families (which are approximately half of the population depending on region). How many possible great players are never given a chance? In the short term, ECNL and the club soccer structure have created positive results for those with the means to participate, but in the long term closing the door on so many players will slow the growth of the sport in this country, which will hurt ability for MLS and NWSL to become financially viable. If you want proof, look at the rosters of the top D1 women's teams in the country. While they are amazing athletes and players, they are not the best of the best. Since soccer has a limited number of scholarships, they are the best of the players whose families can afford to send them there with a few token less affluent players thrown in if they are really amazing players.
The old system of local leagues/National Cup/National League/National Championship is a more inclusive model and if US Soccer was run by individuals with foresight, they would figure out a way to make that work. Supposed "Elite" clubs will not always have the best coaches and players (and since they offer coaches an immense amount of power over players, increase the potential for abuse to be tolerated). At this point our only hope is that the players that go through this meat grinder of a system think of something better for their children.
We will see how long Gavin can hold on....A lot of pressure will be coming in many forms from the Feds, municipalities going broke, and protesters..
Another easy solution is to increase the number of showcases (as ECNL already has over the past couple years, with the addition of new clubs and now Phoenix x2 and South Carolina events). Presumably the previously booked DA venues are now open and available. There seems to be a big disconnect between Lavers saying yesterday in the Athletic article he anticipates girls ECNL will “increase substantially” and the notion that clubs like Legends, Beach (and the other 35-40 former DA clubs that are as good or better than the middle third of current ECNL) won’t get in. It’s hard to see ECNL allowing a critical mass of potential competitors to stay out there with the wherewithal to align with Adidas, MLS or whoever to form a rival league. Their best bet is to let almost all of them all in, set up relatively localized competition for next year (which is likely to be necessary anyway due to the uncertainties and destabilization resulting from covid), and move to a couple tiers over time.
ECNL doesn't need to let anyone in, but it's not a question of need. This is their chance to build a real "monopoly" in SoCal girls soccer by being more inclusive and preventing the formation of a rival as Hawkeye stated. I would add every DA club of merit, and then let competition shake out ECNL (tier 1) vs ECRL (tier 2) over the course of what will likely be a shorten seasoned next year anyway. You could form ECNL North (8-9 teams) and ECNL South (9-10 teams). Adding 5 teams from NV and AZ (some already in) gives you 2 divisions of 12 teams.
futboldad1
PREMIER
The Athletic article was mostly about boys....they mentioned girls and then that quote came but I think it was quite badly written and unclear by the author........confusing....I just don't see ECNL on the girls side worrying about potential rivals after the fed already got knocked off.....
You are quite welcome. I am not trying to make any point about who should or shouldn’t be allowed back in to ECNL. It is not my decision to make, nor is it yours. ECNL can invite whomever they like so long as it is consistent with their bylaws and member agreements. If they make decisions based on settling grudges, that is their decision.
I have no idea what you’re talking about when you say “doesn’t you’re [sic] theory go out the window...” I am not proposing any theory. However ECNL set up its decision making process is however admission decisions are made. If they provide that only founding members make the decisions, great. If they provide that all members make them, also great. If decisions need to be unanimous or simple majority, great or great. It doesn’t matter what anyone wants ECNL’s bylaws and agreements to say. It only matters what they actually say. If it matters to you that much, read them and feel free to report back. I only know that anti-trust laws can’t get in the way of ECNL’s internal practices because it is not a monopoly. I apologize for taking the fun out of everyone’s non-sense statements about monopolies, and mini-monopolies, massive litigation flying out the window, etc.