EA League!

I actually thought this was a joke graphic made by one of us disillusioned soccer parents, and had to look it up to see that this is a real thing. There was a thread last year where we were all making fun of the "Premier-Elite-Pathway-Development-Academy" league marketing that these bozos keep pushing. I guess there's a new sucker born every day, right?
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CRL only has good teams at U-12 and below.... older than that and the level is barely better than SCDSL.....
Clearly an opinion only based on your child's experience in her/his age group.

Year-over-year, CRL generally brings together the most competitive squads in each age group from across all the other gaming circuits in SoCal (there's always exceptions). It's the only really "all-comers" competition in SoCal. The only hold-outs are the clubs/circuits that only want to compete in their own walled garden (DA, ECNL) for fear their bubble of "eliteness" gets popped by a team from supposedly second tier club or geography.
 
That might apply to the three Elite Academy League-only clubs, but the rest of the clubs are former DA clubs that are already in the MLS Academy League.
There was nothing "elite" about the vast majority of the DA clubs/teams at its inception. And similarly, there's nothing elite about these clubs/teams in this EA Academy League. Just look at the records of their teams last year across all age groups and competitions.

It's like saying just because I attended a certain school, I must be smart. Uh no. Just because you play on a team in a club that may have some good teams in certain age/gender groups, and charges fees sufficient to join an "elite" league, does not mean you are an elite player, team or club.

This rouse is just the continuing monetization of youth sports by adults who generally have no interest other than their next paycheck.
 
There was nothing "elite" about the vast majority of the DA clubs/teams at its inception. And similarly, there's nothing elite about these clubs/teams in this EA Academy League. Just look at the records of their teams last year across all age groups and competitions.

It's like saying just because I attended a certain school, I must be smart. Uh no. Just because you play on a team in a club that may have some good teams in certain age/gender groups, and charges fees sufficient to join an "elite" league, does not mean you are an elite player, team or club.

This rouse is just the continuing monetization of youth sports by adults who generally have no interest other than their next paycheck.
I don’t even have a kid in one of these clubs or any association with them. It’s apparent you hate the name and concept. I was just responding to the claim that these clubs put teams in this league because they couldn’t get into the MLS league by pointing out it was for all but three clubs factually inaccurate since they are already in the MLS League. I make no claims other than that.
 
My daughters have played in just about every "elite" league out there (plus Far West Regionals and Kansas for Nat Champ series of youth) and the only ones that have "true" girls competition are ECNL (by far the best) and CRL (a few bad teams but most are good and you need to qualify to get in. Upper half can play in any ECNL league. Plus, a nice playoff system for advancement to Far West). Crap leagues, which we have played, are NPL, Coast, DPL, SCDSL(non-discovery), all the rest. Just my opinion from an "elite" dad.
Can I be a super champions elite dad? Lol
 
Why do some of you think this is a sucker's play for parents? The clubs decide which league to play in. My kid's club joined EA and hasn't even told us yet, I only know because I read about it here. If I get an email that says, hey, we moved to EA, please send an extra $800, then I will understand, but so far all I see is a new league which offers nothing less than NPL or ECRL, and possibly more choices for spring (except for the ECNL national tournament, which only a few advance to anyway). If a late bloomer in EA gets moved up to a club's MLS team or sees college traction, then EA has done well as a second-team feeder. But yeah, the name is easy to mock. I'll give you that much.
 
Why do some of you think this is a sucker's play for parents? The clubs decide which league to play in. My kid's club joined EA and hasn't even told us yet, I only know because I read about it here. If I get an email that says, hey, we moved to EA, please send an extra $800, then I will understand, but so far all I see is a new league which offers nothing less than NPL or ECRL, and possibly more choices for spring (except for the ECNL national tournament, which only a few advance to anyway). If a late bloomer in EA gets moved up to a club's MLS team or sees college traction, then EA has done well as a second-team feeder. But yeah, the name is easy to mock. I'll give you that much.
The answer to your question is actually in your post. The title of the league isn't "Second-Team Feeder League." The fact that the name of the league is specifically designed to obfuscate the reality of the competition is why we say "sucker's play." You already understand where the league is and what its actual value is, which makes you one of the minority in youth sports. Your club isn't advertising the EA league to you, because you're already a customer. The EA hook is for all the other parents (the majority, btw) who think their kid is "elite" and is being under served in their current Silver Elite, Gold, Flight 2, Flight 1 etc., league and club-hopping to find the one where they can brag about their kid being an "Academy" or "Elite" player.

The other reason I personally feel like these second level leagues are sucker plays is that (in my experience) these clubs have zero intention of using their second teams as feeders for their top teams. In pro sports, that is a workable, functioning model. In youth sports, that model is an illusion, a fallacy, a fantasy, a lie. I wish it were not so. It's not that the second tier kids can't make the transition, it's that the clubs are not structured to transition them. Each team is run individually by their very territorial coaches, their players are their paychecks, and they all resist giving or taking players to and from each other. Plus, the clubs have no intra-club scouting and development and programming. The clubs know this, yet the clubs can't resist marketing the professional model of promotion to upper levels because it appeals to the ambition of every parent who dares dream their kid can play in college or professionally. I wish it were so. I know there are plenty of B-team kids and late bloomers who catch and surpass the supposedly "elite" players as they age. But those kids almost invariably do so on their own drive and talent and because of individual coaches, NOT because of clubs and DEFINITELY NOT because of "leagues." So anytime clubs gather together and create a new and improved "elite" league, it's automatically a sucker play because they do not have any intention of honestly describing their business model.
 
The answer to your question is actually in your post. The title of the league isn't "Second-Team Feeder League." The fact that the name of the league is specifically designed to obfuscate the reality of the competition is why we say "sucker's play." You already understand where the league is and what its actual value is, which makes you one of the minority in youth sports. Your club isn't advertising the EA league to you, because you're already a customer. The EA hook is for all the other parents (the majority, btw) who think their kid is "elite" and is being under served in their current Silver Elite, Gold, Flight 2, Flight 1 etc., league and club-hopping to find the one where they can brag about their kid being an "Academy" or "Elite" player.

The other reason I personally feel like these second level leagues are sucker plays is that (in my experience) these clubs have zero intention of using their second teams as feeders for their top teams. In pro sports, that is a workable, functioning model. In youth sports, that model is an illusion, a fallacy, a fantasy, a lie. I wish it were not so. It's not that the second tier kids can't make the transition, it's that the clubs are not structured to transition them. Each team is run individually by their very territorial coaches, their players are their paychecks, and they all resist giving or taking players to and from each other. Plus, the clubs have no intra-club scouting and development and programming. The clubs know this, yet the clubs can't resist marketing the professional model of promotion to upper levels because it appeals to the ambition of every parent who dares dream their kid can play in college or professionally. I wish it were so. I know there are plenty of B-team kids and late bloomers who catch and surpass the supposedly "elite" players as they age. But those kids almost invariably do so on their own drive and talent and because of individual coaches, NOT because of clubs and DEFINITELY NOT because of "leagues." So anytime clubs gather together and create a new and improved "elite" league, it's automatically a sucker play because they do not have any intention of honestly describing their business model.
 
The answer to your question is actually in your post. The title of the league isn't "Second-Team Feeder League." The fact that the name of the league is specifically designed to obfuscate the reality of the competition is why we say "sucker's play." You already understand where the league is and what its actual value is, which makes you one of the minority in youth sports. Your club isn't advertising the EA league to you, because you're already a customer. The EA hook is for all the other parents (the majority, btw) who think their kid is "elite" and is being under served in their current Silver Elite, Gold, Flight 2, Flight 1 etc., league and club-hopping to find the one where they can brag about their kid being an "Academy" or "Elite" player.

The other reason I personally feel like these second level leagues are sucker plays is that (in my experience) these clubs have zero intention of using their second teams as feeders for their top teams. In pro sports, that is a workable, functioning model. In youth sports, that model is an illusion, a fallacy, a fantasy, a lie. I wish it were not so. It's not that the second tier kids can't make the transition, it's that the clubs are not structured to transition them. Each team is run individually by their very territorial coaches, their players are their paychecks, and they all resist giving or taking players to and from each other. Plus, the clubs have no intra-club scouting and development and programming. The clubs know this, yet the clubs can't resist marketing the professional model of promotion to upper levels because it appeals to the ambition of every parent who dares dream their kid can play in college or professionally. I wish it were so. I know there are plenty of B-team kids and late bloomers who catch and surpass the supposedly "elite" players as they age. But those kids almost invariably do so on their own drive and talent and because of individual coaches, NOT because of clubs and DEFINITELY NOT because of "leagues." So anytime clubs gather together and create a new and improved "elite" league, it's automatically a sucker play because they do not have any intention of honestly describing their business model.
An intelligent outline of the issue by someone who clearly ‘gets it’. A huge number of parents would benefit from simply reading your post to better understand the whole situation. :)
 
Perhaps parents aren't as naive as you portray them.

And perhaps clubs just try to play in the most competitive circuit available, regardless of its name.

Certainly there is plenty of great competition to go around here in SoCal.
 
Perhaps parents aren't as naive as you portray them.

And perhaps clubs just try to play in the most competitive circuit available, regardless of its name.

Certainly there is plenty of great competition to go around here in SoCal.
If parents (not all of them but too many IMO) were not naive, the whole elite/academy/superstar marketing system wouldn't continue in perpetuity. But it does and who fuels that? Parents buying the dream. I get it; parents want the best for their kids and that's completely understandable. This just isn't the 'solution' they think it is.

And clubs just want the most competitive circuit you say? Again, no issue with that. Except with this new EA league it's mostly the same teams/clubs who have already been playing each other for years.

You're right about plenty of great competition in SoCal but it is now spread so thin among so many leagues and competitions, nobody is ever happy and so people keep searching for the next best thing where the 'elite' all come together.

If clubs/parents truly want the most competitive circuit possible, let's stop coming up with new marketing leagues (let's call them what they are) and talk about combining some of the existing ones.
 
You are speaking to the vast minority. Most parents are quite well informed and understand that leagues are trying to coalesce talent so the competition level and the potential exposure level is high. And for the most part these leagues have been successful in that strategy.

Some are more expensive than others and there is not always correlation between the branding (elite) and the expense (high).

Who cares what these leagues want to call themselves? Have at it. Have fun with it.

And you are wrong. Many, many parents ARE happy with the experience, despite the machinations among and between leagues and clubs.
 
I keep track of them but don't get the begrudging with the leagues, the marketing names used , what flight, bracket, divisions, tounments or the like. If the kids have a places to play isn't that good enough?

Almost all youth sports is somewhat fictitiously named so are the clubs that are doing business as somebody else...all made up for marketing or selling.

Even coast soccer, when my son staring playing at 7 I thought cool we get to play teams near us, nope not really Arsenal's was way out San Bernardino and there where no local teams in the silver division which I later leaned was "more competitive" so travel would be required. Going to Santa Barbara for a 7 yrs olds single game seemed nuts to me and still does to this day. We ended up staying the weekend and enjoying the town.

More local soccer less travel whatever league would be a good change for most, no good reason to travel 100 miles for a regular league game and spend all the hours & money for young kids games.
 
I keep track of them but don't get the begrudging with the leagues, the marketing names used , what flight, bracket, divisions, tounments or the like. If the kids have a places to play isn't that good enough?

Almost all youth sports is somewhat fictitiously named so are the clubs that are doing business as somebody else...all made up for marketing or selling.

Even coast soccer, when my son staring playing at 7 I thought cool we get to play teams near us, nope not really Arsenal's was way out San Bernardino and there where no local teams in the silver division which I later leaned was "more competitive" so travel would be required. Going to Santa Barbara for a 7 yrs olds single game seemed nuts to me and still does to this day. We ended up staying the weekend and enjoying the town.

More local soccer less travel whatever league would be a good change for most, no good reason to travel 100 miles for a regular league game and spend all the hours & money for young kids games.
Geographic restrictions on club participation until U15 might help reduce the craziness and improve local competition. You might not have super teams developing at a handful of clubs requiring travel to find competition. The skill would be more spread out throughout clubs around the county and local competition would be feasible. Kids would spend less time in the car going to/from practice and driving all over So Cal for games.
 
We know why clubs created these leagues, but frankly by now parents are simply indifferent. All the parents I know fully understand that if your kid is on the B team and wants to move up, he or she needs to go try out independently at the A team of your club or at another club. When my DD was on the B team of her club #1, there was zero interaction with the A team. When she was on the A team of her club #2, similarly not one kid got promoted from the B team. To be fair, none of our coaches ever suggested there is a "path" from B team to A team.

I think even pro soccer works similarly these days. The best way to get on the A team of a top English or Spanish club is not through the academy system, but by working on your craft at Dortmund or Ajax for a couple of years.
 
The answer to your question is actually in your post. The title of the league isn't "Second-Team Feeder League." The fact that the name of the league is specifically designed to obfuscate the reality of the competition is why we say "sucker's play." You already understand where the league is and what its actual value is, which makes you one of the minority in youth sports. Your club isn't advertising the EA league to you, because you're already a customer. The EA hook is for all the other parents (the majority, btw) who think their kid is "elite" and is being under served in their current Silver Elite, Gold, Flight 2, Flight 1 etc., league and club-hopping to find the one where they can brag about their kid being an "Academy" or "Elite" player.

The other reason I personally feel like these second level leagues are sucker plays is that (in my experience) these clubs have zero intention of using their second teams as feeders for their top teams. In pro sports, that is a workable, functioning model. In youth sports, that model is an illusion, a fallacy, a fantasy, a lie. I wish it were not so. It's not that the second tier kids can't make the transition, it's that the clubs are not structured to transition them. Each team is run individually by their very territorial coaches, their players are their paychecks, and they all resist giving or taking players to and from each other. Plus, the clubs have no intra-club scouting and development and programming. The clubs know this, yet the clubs can't resist marketing the professional model of promotion to upper levels because it appeals to the ambition of every parent who dares dream their kid can play in college or professionally. I wish it were so. I know there are plenty of B-team kids and late bloomers who catch and surpass the supposedly "elite" players as they age. But those kids almost invariably do so on their own drive and talent and because of individual coaches, NOT because of clubs and DEFINITELY NOT because of "leagues." So anytime clubs gather together and create a new and improved "elite" league, it's automatically a sucker play because they do not have any intention of honestly describing their business model.

That was a terrific reply, Mystery Train. Thank you and others who contributed afterwards. It all makes sense and I understand now that there is rarely a process or an incentive to move a kid up to a higher team within the same club. We have moved clubs twice in two years to find higher levels of comp (Presidio->SDDA1/2->EA/NPL). He's moved up to become a top contributor each time (late bloomer?). One hop left if this year goes well. Just in time for showcases and longshot college aspirations. I will remember this thread as it may be helpful for him to change a third time and tryout for only a team's MLS-A or top ECNL team (or stay put, but state that he's only trying out for the top team once a backup plan is in place). I also think the typical parent's knowledge is thin on this stuff. Just finding this MB took some some effort. I think most parents don't have time to learn and monitor this stuff, at least not until their kid shows some promise and they want to help. You all have helped me, thanks again. I hope the games can safely begin soon.
 
We know why clubs created these leagues, but frankly by now parents are simply indifferent. All the parents I know fully understand that if your kid is on the B team and wants to move up, he or she needs to go try out independently at the A team of your club or at another club. When my DD was on the B team of her club #1, there was zero interaction with the A team. When she was on the A team of her club #2, similarly not one kid got promoted from the B team. To be fair, none of our coaches ever suggested there is a "path" from B team to A team.

I think even pro soccer works similarly these days. The best way to get on the A team of a top English or Spanish club is not through the academy system, but by working on your craft at Dortmund or Ajax for a couple of years.
Maybe things are changing among the parent crowd, and maybe places like this forum are helping educate parents. I can only speak from my personal experience which was that 10 years ago, I was totally clueless to how youth club soccer worked and so were the vast majority of parents of children my daughter's age and there was so much angst and frustration as the girls and their families tried to navigate it all. I only just figured it out at the end of my daughter's youth club experience, and if my youngest decides that club soccer something to pursue, I will definitely have a more enjoyable ride because of the knowledge I gained the first go around. I just wish someone had told me all of it before we started. And if that younger does decide to go that route, I'll be hitting up @Paul Spacey if he's still coaching. :D
 
Maybe things are changing among the parent crowd, and maybe places like this forum are helping educate parents. I can only speak from my personal experience which was that 10 years ago, I was totally clueless to how youth club soccer worked and so were the vast majority of parents of children my daughter's age and there was so much angst and frustration as the girls and their families tried to navigate it all. I only just figured it out at the end of my daughter's youth club experience, and if my youngest decides that club soccer something to pursue, I will definitely have a more enjoyable ride because of the knowledge I gained the first go around. I just wish someone had told me all of it before we started. And if that younger does decide to go that route, I'll be hitting up @Paul Spacey if he's still coaching. :D
Thanks for the vote of confidence...I plan on being around long-term! :) and yes, I'm sure places like this forum are helping parents to better understand the landscape and how everything works. We can all get a bit carried away at times (me included) but there's generally very good info on this forum (and even some good banter at times!)
 
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