My family is a willing participant and consumer like most here. My kid Is part of a team and she will play when and where her team does. The expectation that things will be the same as before is not realistic and was never said. The truth (I think except for @EOTL) is that none of us know what is going to happen and are along for the ride waiting to see what develops. My only point was that the League/Gaming Circuit sets the schedule, the clubs/teams commit to the schedule, and if your kid wants to participate you follow, pay, and go play wherever the games are.
Say bye-bye-bye to Girls and Boys DA
- Thread starter dreamz
- Start date
My family is a willing participant and consumer like most here. My kid Is part of a team and she will play when and where her team does. The expectation that things will be the same as before is not realistic and was never said. The truth (I think except for @EOTL) is that none of us know what is going to happen and are along for the ride waiting to see what develops. My only point was that the League/Gaming Circuit sets the schedule, the clubs/teams commit to the schedule, and if your kid wants to participate you follow, pay, and go play wherever the games are.
futboldad1
PREMIER
107.....I would guess it does not ever go past 110.....
Yellowcard
BRONZE
Our club forwarded an email this week from ECNL. It that states they are still working on a showcase/ Championship in late June in North Carolina. Travel may be sooner than we think.
SoccerGuru
SILVER ELITE
I’m guessing that is only for high school aged players so they don’t lose out on an opportunity to be scouted by colleges. I’m just curious how many colleges are willing to travel. My guess is they live stream the showcase and they watch virtually
vegasguy
GOLD
I never told you how to spend your money. The league is the league. You make the choice on where to spend your soccer dollars. As a matter of fact if you chose the league and read well enough you would that I provide cost saving opportunities that we have used since more that 50% of our annual schedule is travel based. Where you choose to play and with what club is a chose solely yours. You should understand that there is travel in ECNL.
Second saying that the good players should move to where the good soccer is played is an awful argument. Get off your high horse. Good soccer players come from everywhere and that argument sounds.very DA and GDA.
hugyourkids
BRONZE
Based on current travel policies for most colleges and universities, I wouldn’t think any coaches will be traveling in June and probably not even this summer.
MSK357
GOLD
Vegas to Pasadena is a couple hours longer, especially round trip. that's a couple hours saved that we don't have to travel, especially if we add local teams.
If you are a parent of a kid on an ECNL team, you chose to spend your money on trips to Vegas, Arizona, or wherever the league decides your kid's team should travel for league play. Nobody is questioning how you spend your money, and if you signed your kid up for ECNL, you seem to be questioning yourself for the decision you made to sign up for a league that has your kid's team traveling to locations that you don't want to pay for.
If you are not a parent of a kid on an ECNL team, you just like @dad4, are howling at the moon over things that don't affect you or your kid.
MSK357
GOLD
I think Parents paid to be in a competitive league, not necessarily to play Vegas and Arizona. We're just saying we can be just as competitive without Vegas and Arizona. If enough parents complain and ask, I'm sure we can make that happen. Especially since with more socal teams being added, it seems like that will be the natural progression we are moving towards. I'm looking forward to it.
dude, some kids are in ecnl clubs for the level of competition. they are only there because that’s where the other top 20 kids in the state play.
They didn’t pick travel. Travel got forced on them if they didn’t want a brace every weekend.
Those kids and their parents picked the league that travels. They have an option to choose a league that doesn't travel, but they didn't. That's their choice. They signed up willingly, knowing the travel expectations, and aren't "forced" into doing anything they aren't willing to do.
The travel is not "every weekend." Since you're in NorCal, check the NorCal ECNL league schedule. NorCal ECNL teams have a grand total of ONE weekend a year where they travel out of state for league play. Again, how does this affect you, since your kid plays NorCal NPL?
This is the same kind of stuff that the GDA mafia kept saying when I would point our why it was going to fail. You have a very limited world view if you think the options are to either accept what you’re being told or just go somewhere else.
Look, I’m just telling you what his going to happen and why and explaining to parents who might be on the fence about ECNL about the stupid commitments and expenses. Enough people are going to speak up so that eventually these dumb trips to LV for league games are going to stop. Either your ECNL club will go away, or ECNL will add more local clubs and/or re-align. It’s going to happen.
my point was not that the travel is every weekend. it was that easy games are every weekend, if you are in too weak a league.
What non-travel league in NorCal lets you play against MVLA, Thorns, Mustang, and San Juan? (the top of their A teams. Not the bench.)
Wanting to play those teams does not mean I want to fly to Colorado. (look at the new map.)
NorCal
SILVER ELITE
What does the ECNL Southwest league teams season schedule look like?
•ECNL league games
•ECNL showcase games
•ECNL Playoffs
•Tournaments (Surf, Vegas, Silver Lakes, etc)
Anything else? Is there a league like NPL that they could also be in?
The NPL option in NorCal has been really nice. The 2003 NPL Champions League has the following teams:
MVLA ‘04 ECNL, Mustang ‘04 ECNL, Rage ECNL ‘03, Davis ECNL ‘03, Marin ECNL ‘03 + 11 NPL teams (Alliance, Ajax, West Coast, SF Elite, Parajo Valley, etc).
So these teams get an extra 15 games in where they can distribute playing time, explore position or tactical changes, keep sharp, etc. The last 2 games in the fall and spring are held as a “college showcase” in Davis, so there is a college exposure component imbedded as well.
•ECNL league games
•ECNL showcase games
•ECNL Playoffs
•Tournaments (Surf, Vegas, Silver Lakes, etc)
Anything else? Is there a league like NPL that they could also be in?
The NPL option in NorCal has been really nice. The 2003 NPL Champions League has the following teams:
MVLA ‘04 ECNL, Mustang ‘04 ECNL, Rage ECNL ‘03, Davis ECNL ‘03, Marin ECNL ‘03 + 11 NPL teams (Alliance, Ajax, West Coast, SF Elite, Parajo Valley, etc).
So these teams get an extra 15 games in where they can distribute playing time, explore position or tactical changes, keep sharp, etc. The last 2 games in the fall and spring are held as a “college showcase” in Davis, so there is a college exposure component imbedded as well.
NPL Champions League? And if your daughter's team is that good/dominant and facing no competition, then they should be playing up like some of those clubs' A teams are.
I've watched Champions League games for many years. Yes, if those ECNL teams are winning, they rotate in their bench, try players in different positions, give their stars a rest...but they don't just "play their bench".
I agree that less travel is always better. I also agree that the cost is very expensive and can be very prohibitive. It is. It’s stupid expensive. Somebody has to pay though...somebody always pays. Coaching, fields, equipment, league fees, etc, etc. all cost money and the more “exclusive”/“elite” the league/club the more things cost. Those that have their livelihood attached to the model are less likely to make changes for the greater good that result in a decline in their income. Competitive youth sports is a Multi Billion Dollar Business (Real Sports on HBO had a good expose a year or so ago on it...very interesting watch if you have 30 Min). Look at the ridiculous Stay-and-Play edicts that we have all have to do. What a racket!!!! If it was not about money, why would they do that? You are paying for access, high level training, competition, Coach connections, accessibility to a pool of college coaches for the next level. Use the system for all the opportunities. It’s just a transaction like any service you purchase.
I don’t think travel was a key contributor to DA’s failure. I think HS Soccer, Sub Rules, Arrogance, and the dysfunction of US Soccer Leadership contributed much more. ECNL seems to have a more stable, patient, and “stay-the-course” mentality. Leadership always makes a difference.
For the Vegas and AZ Teams we had one trip each year, and those trips were comparable to going to San Diego for both DA and ECNL. One time we got lucky and got RSL at Silverlakes. All in all, longer drive, but about the same cost all in.
I hope you are right and the future does result in less travel/cost across the board. I also hope whatever happens it does not harm those geographies that have a lot to offer, and have invested in building strong programs. The more kids play, develop, and improve the better it is across the board for the game.
What do you propose as a current solution to those that want an option other than participate or don’t? What options do people really have today? I don’t think people have a limited view, I think they are being realistic on the options available today, now and not three years down the road in the timeframe it took GDA to fail.
Just A Dad
SILVER ELITE
Arizona will stay in the SW and nothing will change because we host showcases the ECNL loves having here. You're crazy if you think ECNL is leaving Arizona.
I didn’t quite say that. Eventually AZ will get realigned and more teams added locally. You are right about the showcases. Those are a big deal. LV, though, isn’t going to make it unless they can hold on until then.