we moved from a SCDSL flight 1 team to a team that was supposed to be the same and ended up DPL. There are discussions about moving to pilot next year....can someone help navigate me....pros/cons of all....I don’t need the whole you are being sold a bill of goods talk, I don’t care where my daughter plays just as long as she is developing, having fun and playing good soccer.
DPL versus DPL pilot and transition (if any)
- Thread starter Speed
- Start date
PILOT what, DA? What is best for your DD’s development is the environment she trains in moreso than the league she plays. You are smart to focus on that. Especially at ‘05 and younger.
Thank you, I should have added she’s an 03.
chondrichthyes
BRONZE
03s for next year will be U-17. Pilot is for U-16. There is a U-16/17 combined age team for DA. The pilot teams are DA also but most of the more talented 03's are playing U-16/17 and may appear on both rosters/game reports.
thank you. I honestly don't understand this....so if the team stays together they cannot just become a pilot team? Does pilot play high school? I am trying to figure out if god forbid I need to shop for another team (again) because we are very happy with the team. And so based on your response pilot feeds to DA?
chondrichthyes
BRONZE
Pilot just means the DA is testing an age pure team(players can be younger) at that age bracket where there was only a 16/17 age band before. This was pushed on DA by the clubs with DA teams as a way to retain some their players(money) who may have not made the combined age. DA can not play HS. I'm not sure if DPL can play HS.
I'll try to make this as simple an explanation as possible:
In the DA you have single age groups from U12 to U15. The older girls (HS age) go to composite years meaning two age groups on a team (U16/U17 and U18/U19). The DA clubs in SoCal and Texas petitioned the DA to allow them to create a "Pilot" program for the U16's which this year are 2003s and next year are 2004s because they were loosing some of the bubble kids ... by bubble kids I mean girls that couldn't displace a U17 player and couldn't beat out the U16s that made the composite DA team.
If the team is a DA Pilot then NOPE, HS is out. If the team is a DPL Pilot then yes, HS is OK because the DPL is a Cal South sanctioned league. That said, if you have an 03 then next year she will be a U17 and there is no "Pilot" program for U17s and never will be.
What this means is if she makes the DA U16/17 team then no HS. If she is on a DPL team then HS is back in play.
At the end of the day, the team will not stay together. The girls are getting older, the weaker players are leaving soccer and the stronger players are moved to the cut-throat DA program. The DPL program at the club is for the ladies in waiting, hoping to make the DA team and get a little extra exposure.
mulliganmom
SILVER
Almost too soon to be having a conversation about the O3 age group next year. DPL can play HS soccer. Pilot cannot. Pilot was created for this year only so theoretically pilot doesn't exist next year, tho many of those players may move to the DA team in their club. Of course, we have had something new every year since the age group change, so we have no idea what's on the horizon next year. All we can count on is that there will be more changes.