ECNL Broken?

H

Highlander

SILVER ELITE
I'm torn, part of me thinks ECNL is everything wrong with youth soccer in the USA...these aren't all the best players but all the best players that have parents that can afford it...seems wrong to me, and goes totally against the grain of what we should be doing as a soccer nation. The costs are absurd and IMHO its ridiculous to travel out of state for a youth league game....12/13/14/15 year olds on a flight to play a league game? Crazy

OK, that said, you can't deny that it's the best way to get exposure to college coaches...all the numbers point to this out. I always read college coaches complaining about the broken youth system but obviously they are a part of the problem.

So all that said, based on your experiences in the ECNL - what did you like, what didn't you like and what would you change?

The cynic in me thinks ECNL was invented to just separate more $$$ from parents.
 
No. If not all the best players are there, it means not all the best players go and try out. If they did, they would be. Clubs have aid for these kids.

Also, I've seen kids in ECNL teams from immigrants families in Chino, Bakersfield, etc. If these families can afford it, there's no excuses.
 
Marketing is not broken and ECNL is just symptomatic of the bigger picture in the scheme of things.

You can say the same for some of the other alphabet soup of leagues and sanctioning bodies.

Kids sports grew to a $20+ billion business pre-covid according to some reports before there was a decline in the share of children ages 6 to 12 who play a organized team sport on a regular basis from 40% to somewhere in the 30's by 2020. Market forces at work and youth sports was either booming or suffering depending on which point of view or angle you look at it.

Disposable income in america is not going to be like once was for some time for families that fueled the boom. There is another shake up that's going on now with travel restrictions so change is inevitable.

/sidebar
One of my high school classmates recently decided to move out of state so his 9yr old son could play fall baseball. I thought that was crazy to upend the family for little kids baseball and sends the wrong message that youth sports is that important especially for a 9 yr old.

My son was tutoring this kid who while good for his age even he thought that was crazy. My son loved baseball at 9 and was later recruited to play on a travel team which he did for one season with great results. To everyone's surprise he turned around the next time and told me and his coaches he was no longer interested in baseball, takes too much time to play at the level he wanted. Games are too slowww...and he was spending 20hrs a week between the games, practice, batting and extra pitching practice he was doing on his own. He then played team football, basketball, and soccer until high school and didn't even miss baseball and still didn't spend 20hrs a week combined so you had time for other things like surfing skating and he was definitely happier so you never know but putting all your eggs in one baskets so young and specializing I don't know not a fan of doing that for 9yr olds soccer included.
/back on topic

For our daughter she loved playing ECNL but it wasn't because of anything but her teammates, coaches, competition, and training. Could have been called girls intragram soccer league and she won't have carried, the marketing and chasing the sholarships was never on her mind. The traveling and pictures well she was into that.
 
Highlander said:
The costs are absurd and IMHO its ridiculous to travel out of state for a youth league game....12/13/14/15 year olds on a flight to play a league game? Crazy

So all that said, based on your experiences in the ECNL - what did you like, what didn't you like and what would you change?

The cynic in me thinks ECNL was invented to just separate more $$$ from parents.
Click to expand...

I agree the costs are absurd however, most ECNL clubs do offer Financial Scholarships.

So far what I don't like is their website, it's terrible to navigate.
 
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Yes it's marketing, but you have to give them credit for seeing on opportunity when DA was formed for the boys only in 2007.

IMO - it's most helpful in certain areas where you can't field more than 1 or 2 elite teams. In CA? Not so much. I always wondered why CA played in National Leagues. It makes no sense to pay to leave the state for league games.
 
SoccerLocker said:
Yes it's marketing, but you have to give them credit for seeing on opportunity when DA was formed for the boys only in 2007.

IMO - it's most helpful in certain areas where you can't field more than 1 or 2 elite teams. In CA? Not so much. I always wondered why CA played in National Leagues. It makes no sense to pay to leave the state for league games.
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You’re making @Desert Hound and his cactus-loving friends angry. He knows that SoCal teams - like everything in SoCal - are far superior to what AZ has to offer.
 
SoccerLocker said:
CA gets plenty of well deserved attention from coaches based on track record.

I just never understood why CA thought they had to pay more to get the exposure they are clearly not lacking.
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No doubt that California is the national hotbed for soccer talent. CA does not need an overarching league to attract college coaches or YNT scouts for that matter. Top coaches already live there as do the YNT scouts. All that is really needed (and you already have it) are showcase tournaments where scouts can gather and watch players en mass, ECNL just makes it easier for them, I get it. Astronomical pay to play leagues will lay claim to having the best talent, and maybe so, but then again, maybe not. We will see if the MLS league for the boys can fundamentally change who has access to playing on the best teams. We will see if the current environment and the future will allow the MLS fashion a true Academy system for the boys, starting at the grassroots all the way up to their 1st teams.
 
mlx said:
No. If not all the best players are there, it means not all the best players go and try out. If they did, they would be. Clubs have aid for these kids.

Also, I've seen kids in ECNL teams from immigrants families in Chino, Bakersfield, etc. If these families can afford it, there's no excuses.
Click to expand...

There are people unwilling to pay more or simply don't have one close enough to make it worthwhile. Could be politics. I know some good players that won't play for a team because of daddy ball. Numerous possibilities.
 
EOTL said:
You’re making @Desert Hound and his cactus-loving friends angry. He knows that SoCal teams - like everything in SoCal - are far superior to what AZ has to offer.
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I sure am seeing a lot of CA teams coming out here.

You said no way CA teams travel due to covid...and especially not to AZ.

Funny how that works. Each week we find out more and more are scheduling our teams.

Sucks to be wrong eh EOTL? Tell us more about NY and how they nailed it again while you concoct some other excuse.
 
Desert Hound said:
I sure am seeing a lot of CA teams coming out here.

You said no way CA teams travel due to covid...and especially not to AZ.

Funny how that works. Each week we find out more and more are scheduling our teams.

Sucks to be wrong eh EOTL? Tell us more about NY and how they nailed it again while you concoct some other excuse.
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Once again, I. was referring to ECNL. And go figure, no ECNL.

I’m sure there are CA teams going to AZ because, as I keep saying, Americans are stupid. Just read some of @msk357’s posts.
 
EOTL said:
Once again, I. was referring to ECNL. And go figure, no ECNL.

I’m sure there are CA teams going to AZ because, as I keep saying, Americans are stupid. Just read some of @msk357’s posts.
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Why is your fellow American stupid to go and do online school in a house in AZ so goat can stay sharp and scrimmage legally? This is win win. $59 airfare....
 
Backing out this year, the best part of ECNL is that it concentrates the college scouts so players from all over are seen by more potential schools. It worked out for my kid and we did not have to spend money on professional video (or personal time putting together a highlight reel) because the coaches were seeing her live.

Worst part (related to the best): the cost. It is really high. It may be worth it to some and not for others whether or not a kid gets a large scholarship because the calculus is not just financial, it is time (missed school can add up), it is intangible benefit (maybe a low award but admissions assistance) v intangible burden (missing yet another set of school or social activities like homecoming, prom, etc.).

I have two kids who hope to play in college but, unlike their sister, they are not playing ECNL b/c the sacrifice (in our case, it also involves commute to get to the nearest club) is not worth it at this point.
 
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I would rather have regional all star teams than ECNL.
Let the local club do day to day training. 2 hours in the car 4x per week MIGHT get you the scholarship, but it will tank your grades so bad that you wont be able to do much with it.
 
dad4 said:
I would rather have regional all star teams than ECNL.
Let the local club do day to day training. 2 hours in the car 4x per week MIGHT get you the scholarship, but it will tank your grades so bad that you wont b.
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Well, then your kids should never to asper past maybe middle school soccer. If they can’t manage grades.That is on you.
 
Last edited:
Nah. I am just not in it for the scholarship dreams. I am in it for the games and the friends. Ulittle.
 
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