ECNL, College, Time-Balance

[youthsportsuggghhhhgghh]

The kid needs to be the lead on this -- continued conversations are necessary to avoid burnout or decide when to change directions. Scholarships cannot be the driver either -- chasing that can definitely lead to burnout and more stress than already exists in teenage girls! Starting to think about the type of schools she would want to go to is a good place to start, but don't limit too much when first starting the process as a HS freshman.
We have 2 kids ( 1 ECNL and 1 GA) playing soccer in NorCal and I wouldn't say ECNL is the be all end all, but is the most consistent high level competition -- GA gives good exposure to colleges in the showcases. In NorCal the NPL is another really good level of soccer with some crossover between ECNL and GA and does have some showcases.
ECNL definitely is a grind on time with the level of commitment and school, but it will prepare the player for high level soccer in college. I would say HS soccer is a good break in the middle of the ECNL season IF your daughter likes the girls on the team! The oldest enjoyed 1 year of HS and didn't so much the other.
Our club has a long history in college recruitment and did a good job of helping our oldest in the recruiting process along with many others on the team from top ranking D1 programs, to high academic D1 programs, to high academic DIII programs.
ID Camps can be hit or miss - some friends went and had good interactions with several coaches and others didn't feel it was worth it. Playing "down" a level but up in age doesn't really have a benefit in my opinion.
Good Luck -- It is a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions for all involved!!

 

[Porkchop]

I'm sure there will be plenty of valuable posts with great information, and undoubtedly there will be others who sidetrack this post from it's original intent and flame wars will ensue, so before it gets there, welcome to the forum, great question and feel free to continue to post and engage in good conversations.

1. ECNL is a great platform and can be very valuable in getting your DD the visibility she needs to make her goals a reality. A lot of contributing factors to get the most out of the platform are team's competition level, your own DD's competition level, coach connections, your DD's outreach to coaches / programs, etc. The platform works, but you also have to work the platform.
2. ECNL Grind. Having a balance for your DD is easier said than done and also easier if the club she's at is flexible in partnering with her on that. If the club is flexible, a lot of the soccer / life balance will need to be planned out as best as possible and communication at all times is key, i.e. Vacations, Conflicting Academic Dates, High School Activities, Etc. Both parents / players are fearful that missing 1 practice or game will be a deal breaker with their progress and place with the coach / club. Don't dabble in fear and remove those thoughts by being upfront and asking the coach what her / his policy is on attendance / communication on conflicting commitments. My personal opinion, if the club and coach do not provide the flexibility, and you put soccer before everything else, that is a key contributor to burn out.
3. Flight 1 Teams. Not playing on the ECNL platform is not a "deal breaker" as many posters will attest to, but present a different set of challenges. The path is different and sometimes will require more work on either the coach's behalf or your DD.
4. Long Term Goals. You mentioned your DD aspires to play soccer in college and beyond, in most cases the level of "business" she is beginning to experience will continue throughout those endeavors. The only difference will be the gravity of that schedule which can vary by which level she plays in college, D1 / D2 / D3 and so on. If those are her goals, letting her know that what she is going through will be par for the course going forward is key in her understanding the level of stress / pressure she will be under.

My DD's experience ran the full gamut of club soccer, started at a big club and got lost in the shuffle. Moved to a small club to gain confidence and more individual attention to her needs where she flourished and then made the move back to the big club scene. Transition to an ECRL team to have more of a soccer / life balance the last few years, and continued to love the sport until this final season. Any momentum she had built up in her sophomore and junior years where snuffed out by a coaching change. She made the best of it, but silver lining was she leaned more towards switching to academics only and ended up turning down 3 offers to play college soccer. My wife and I asked her about the decision and how soccer burnout played a role. She was honest and said she wanted to play soccer on her terms as much as possible and the final year of club soured her on the possibilities of that being the case going forward into college.

She got accepted into UCLA and will be attending school there in the fall. It will cost us more than it would have been to take the soccer offers, but this is my DD's dream, not mine. Her goal was always life after soccer, and it just so happened to start sooner, 4 years, than expected. Good memories, a great journey with a lot of life experience and lessons learned.

Best of luck to your DD on her own journey, be there to support her when she needs you and give her space when she needs that as well.

My DD just decommitted from a D3 school last week to attend UCLA herself

 

[zebrafish]

I think the concerns of the original post are super valid.

I've known a number of former D1 players (male and female) who have done privates with my kid, and I can say that playing D1 college soccer takes priority in these kids' lives at the expense of their academic experience in a way that probably doesn't benefit them in the long run.

I'm sure that isn't 100% true for everyone, but I have seen a number of these people in their mid-20s stuck in a post-soccer, post-college limbo--- not playing professionally any more, but not having done well enough in school to easily land a good job. Most of them seem.... lost.

So, for the poster whose kid decided to go to UCLA and not take a soccer scholarship, I think in the long run, your kid will be better off for it.

One thing I wonder is--- will a division III college soccer experience allow one to reap the benefits of college athletics but still allow enough time to focus on academics. 30 years ago, I was able to manage this as a D3 athlete. But I'm not sure if/how much the balance has shifted over time.

 

[Eagles_462]

The kid needs to be the lead on this -- continued conversations are necessary to avoid burnout or decide when to change directions. Scholarships cannot be the driver either -- chasing that can definitely lead to burnout and more stress than already exists in teenage girls! Starting to think about the type of schools she would want to go to is a good place to start, but don't limit too much when first starting the process as a HS freshman.
We have 2 kids ( 1 ECNL and 1 GA) playing soccer in NorCal and I wouldn't say ECNL is the be all end all, but is the most consistent high level competition -- GA gives good exposure to colleges in the showcases. In NorCal the NPL is another really good level of soccer with some crossover between ECNL and GA and does have some showcases.
ECNL definitely is a grind on time with the level of commitment and school, but it will prepare the player for high level soccer in college. I would say HS soccer is a good break in the middle of the ECNL season IF your daughter likes the girls on the team! The oldest enjoyed 1 year of HS and didn't so much the other.
Our club has a long history in college recruitment and did a good job of helping our oldest in the recruiting process along with many others on the team from top ranking D1 programs, to high academic D1 programs, to high academic DIII programs.
ID Camps can be hit or miss - some friends went and had good interactions with several coaches and others didn't feel it was worth it. Playing "down" a level but up in age doesn't really have a benefit in my opinion.
Good Luck -- It is a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions for all involved!!

Our club did a good job also in helping my oldest in her deciding the College of choice. She is going into her Senior year and looking back we probably wouldn't have changed much. The most common reasons for wanting to play in college are: Scholarship Unfortunately, for most girls, obtaining an athletic scholarship is perhaps one of the worst reasons for pursuing college soccer, and the myths surrounding athletic scholarships are well documented. First of all, this is primarily a parent motivation, since they are generally the one who has to pay tuition. Second, the average women’s soccer scholarship is under $9000; whereas, parents can easily drop $5000-$10,000 a year starting at age 13 to play premier soccer – the math doesn’t add up. Only 6 of the top 40 colleges and universities as ranked by U.S. News give athletic scholarships of any kind. Division 1 women’s teams are allowed a maximum of 14 scholarships and D2 are allowed 9.9. Note that is the maximum allowed, and many programs do not fund all 14 or 9.9; some schools fund none. So best case, a team with a roster that is sometimes up to 30 girls is splitting 14 scholarships. Some get a full scholarship, some get partial, some none. Also, if your daughter is interested in playing for an academically elite school, only 6 of the top 40 colleges and universities as ranked by U.S. News give athletic scholarships of any kind. And if you are receiving any needs-based aid, athletic scholarships offset needs-based awards dollar-for-dollar. So if you are eligible for $15,000 in needs-based aid and you receive $10,000 in athletic scholarship, you’ll only get $5,000 in aid. Finally, from what I’ve seen, the quest for athletic scholarship dollars often short circuits the most important reason for picking a college – choosing the school that best fits your daughter’s academic pursuits and desired environment. The axiom of “picking a school that you would attend even if not playing soccer” often goes by the wayside when chasing an athletic scholarship. Women’s college soccer has the highest transfer rate of any college sport; which obviously means that lots of girls are making decisions they eventually regret. Gain Admissions This is one of the best reasons for pursuing college soccer. Getting entry into an academically selective school, such as many in the Ivy League, NESCAC, Patriots League, Centennial Conference, or Liberty League is difficult even for good students. If you can play at a level that a coach is willing to support your application, that can be the difference between getting in or not getting in. Love of Soccer I put this last, but what better reason exists? The effort required to get a position on a college team and then the commitment necessary to play for four years requires a love of the game and your teammates. MAKING A GREAT MATCH There are four things to consider when seeking the right match for your daughter: (1) college characteristics, (2) academic level, (3) athletic/soccer ability, and (4) the coach.

 

[Carlsbad7]

Our club did a good job also in helping my oldest in her deciding the College of choice. She is going into her Senior year and looking back we probably wouldn't have changed much. The most common reasons for wanting to play in college are: Scholarship Unfortunately, for most girls, obtaining an athletic scholarship is perhaps one of the worst reasons for pursuing college soccer, and the myths surrounding athletic scholarships are well documented. First of all, this is primarily a parent motivation, since they are generally the one who has to pay tuition. Second, the average women’s soccer scholarship is under $9000; whereas, parents can easily drop $5000-$10,000 a year starting at age 13 to play premier soccer – the math doesn’t add up. Only 6 of the top 40 colleges and universities as ranked by U.S. News give athletic scholarships of any kind. Division 1 women’s teams are allowed a maximum of 14 scholarships and D2 are allowed 9.9. Note that is the maximum allowed, and many programs do not fund all 14 or 9.9; some schools fund none. So best case, a team with a roster that is sometimes up to 30 girls is splitting 14 scholarships. Some get a full scholarship, some get partial, some none. Also, if your daughter is interested in playing for an academically elite school, only 6 of the top 40 colleges and universities as ranked by U.S. News give athletic scholarships of any kind. And if you are receiving any needs-based aid, athletic scholarships offset needs-based awards dollar-for-dollar. So if you are eligible for $15,000 in needs-based aid and you receive $10,000 in athletic scholarship, you’ll only get $5,000 in aid. Finally, from what I’ve seen, the quest for athletic scholarship dollars often short circuits the most important reason for picking a college – choosing the school that best fits your daughter’s academic pursuits and desired environment. The axiom of “picking a school that you would attend even if not playing soccer” often goes by the wayside when chasing an athletic scholarship. Women’s college soccer has the highest transfer rate of any college sport; which obviously means that lots of girls are making decisions they eventually regret. Gain Admissions This is one of the best reasons for pursuing college soccer. Getting entry into an academically selective school, such as many in the Ivy League, NESCAC, Patriots League, Centennial Conference, or Liberty League is difficult even for good students. If you can play at a level that a coach is willing to support your application, that can be the difference between getting in or not getting in. Love of Soccer I put this last, but what better reason exists? The effort required to get a position on a college team and then the commitment necessary to play for four years requires a love of the game and your teammates. MAKING A GREAT MATCH There are four things to consider when seeking the right match for your daughter: (1) college characteristics, (2) academic level, (3) athletic/soccer ability, and (4) the coach.

This is exactly what I've heard from other parents with girls/women playing in college.

Not much I can add just wanted to echo your statements as correct.

What's going to be interesting is when the ECNL zealots start realizing that maybe having their kid play on a team full of superstars isn't the best way for their kid to get noticed by colleges + playing at the super highest level almost guarantees injuries at younger ages which also hurts your kids agility to get noticed.

 

[BIGD]

The most common reasons for wanting to play in college are: Scholarship Unfortunately, for most girls, obtaining an athletic scholarship is perhaps one of the worst reasons for pursuing college soccer, and the myths surrounding athletic scholarships are well documented.

The crazy thing is that the kids playing ECNL likely don't need scholarships. If you can afford $10k a year in travel costs, you can probably figure out how to pay for college.

 

[Larzby]

I think the concerns of the original post are super valid.

I've known a number of former D1 players (male and female) who have done privates with my kid, and I can say that playing D1 college soccer takes priority in these kids' lives at the expense of their academic experience in a way that probably doesn't benefit them in the long run.

I'm sure that isn't 100% true for everyone, but I have seen a number of these people in their mid-20s stuck in a post-soccer, post-college limbo--- not playing professionally any more, but not having done well enough in school to easily land a good job. Most of them seem.... lost.

So, for the poster whose kid decided to go to UCLA and not take a soccer scholarship, I think in the long run, your kid will be better off for it.

One thing I wonder is--- will a division III college soccer experience allow one to reap the benefits of college athletics but still allow enough time to focus on academics. 30 years ago, I was able to manage this as a D3 athlete. But I'm not sure if/how much the balance has shifted over time.

My oldest is a D3 athlete and most definitely she has enough time to focus on schoolwork and doing well in both. It turned out to be a great trade-off for her, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is in a situation where that might work for your family. From what I hear & see, this is true for most D3 schools.

 

[Soccer Dad & Ref]

The crazy thing is that the kids playing ECNL likely don't need scholarships. If you can afford $10k a year in travel costs, you can probably figure out how to pay for college.

I'm not sure how correct a few of you are with the premise that ECNL parents are looking for scholarships. I think they are looking to get their kids in good programs

 

[Nextbigthing]

This is what I honestly have learned over the years. If you have 4.2+ plus 1300+SAT plus great kid, wants to go college, wants to play soccer in college, then it dont matter what league you play in. If you want to play against the best players top to bottom, then pick ECNL. Before the GDA, it was only 8 teams in SW? Now we have 17 in ECNL and another 10 or so in GAL plus ECRL, plus Elite 64 and DPL and NPL. The last 6 years we went from 8 to like 64 elite teams in the SW areas.

Nothing has changed in regards to elite teams. There are still less than 5 per age group in the SW. I don't Care what league you play in!! Coaches/clubs/parents want to think they are elite..................sorry look at the results your not elite.

 

[oh canada]

Only 6 of the top 40 colleges and universities as ranked by U.S. News give athletic scholarships of any kind

Gotta make sure folks don't read this as true. Especially since you wrote it twice. More than 20 schools in the top 40 US News offer athletic $. 7 out of the top 20.