MLS Next Development Grant

[Anonymous]

Big News. Things heading in right direction

https://www.mlssoccer.com/mlsnext/news/mls-next-development-grant-program-what-to-know-how-it-works#:~:text=MLS%20and%20MLS%20NEXT%20have,in%20the%20youth%20development%20ecosystem.

[Anonymous]

Even more reason for clubs to jump ship from ECNL Boys.

[Anonymous]

Read the fine print. Lots of loopholes and the top players should still go overseas and if that happens you get NO MONEY! Just trying to drive players from smaller clubs to MLS with the idea of money coming back. Lots of ways to get out of payment.

"If a player signs their first professional contract with a club outside of MLS or registers with a different team (non-Elite Academy or foreign club) prior to signing an MLS contract, the player’s former Elite Academy will not be eligible for the Development Grant."

[Anonymous]

So our form of solidarity payments. This is very good news, although I'm a little bummed they didn't talk numbers as that will make a difference in this being just for publicity and actually making an impact to clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even more reason for clubs to jump ship from ECNL Boys.

I don't think MLS Next should expand too much more. Watering down the talent pool usually spells death for "elite" youth leagues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Read the fine print. Lots of loopholes and the top players should still go overseas and if that happens you get NO MONEY! Just trying to drive players from smaller clubs to MLS with the idea of money coming back. Lots of ways to get out of payment.

"If a player signs their first professional contract with a club outside of MLS or registers with a different team (non-Elite Academy or foreign club) prior to signing an MLS contract, the player’s former Elite Academy will not be eligible for the Development Grant."

In your scenario you're apparently inventing an environment where many players from MLS Next teams like BA, Achilles, Bethesda, Alexandria are signing professional contracts directly with European clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even more reason for clubs to jump ship from ECNL Boys.

You have to jump ship to a waiting vessel or drown.
MLS Next isn't accepting every club that applies, obviously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even more reason for clubs to jump ship from ECNL Boys.

You have to jump ship to a waiting vessel or drown.
MLS Next isn't accepting every club that applies, obviously.

And they shouldn't take anybody or everybody. But this is another positive for the current clubs to continue their programs and never think about ECNL. All the while, ECNL will continue to shut out clubs from access to their girls platform if you don't run both unless you're a select number of clubs in the country.

[Anonymous]

So MLS is marketing this as a development grant when in reality, they are trying to manipulate it into somehow complying with Fifa training compensation/solidarity payments these MLS clubs should have given those non-MLS clubs in the first place.

I think the payout using fifa calculations would be higher. And a couple of clubs have already won their claims against mls clubs for training compensation in fifa decisions. Other clubs who are not recipients of this grant can still pursue a claims with Fifa



Also L

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even more reason for clubs to jump ship from ECNL Boys.

You have to jump ship to a waiting vessel or drown.
MLS Next isn't accepting every club that applies, obviously.

And they shouldn't take anybody or everybody. But this is another positive for the current clubs to continue their programs and never think about ECNL. All the while, ECNL will continue to shut out clubs from access to their girls platform if you don't run both unless you're a select number of clubs in the country.

They shut out clubs for other reasons too. Big clubs on the board don’t want any more competition

[Anonymous]

I actually read this as nothing to do with some club or homegrown development and just some legal BS. BOOOO MLS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually read this as nothing to do with some club or homegrown development and just some legal BS. BOOOO MLS

Read again. Slowly. With your eyes open.

[Anonymous]

If a kid was at Cerritos for 7 years, then Bethesda for 1 year before going to DC United Academy and signing Home Grown contract, does Bethesda get the grant money and not Cerritos?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a kid was at Cerritos for 7 years, then Bethesda for 1 year before going to DC United Academy and signing Home Grown contract, does Bethesda get the grant money and not Cerritos?

Bethesda, but Cerritos can still make a claim through FIFA (which this does nothing to address)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a kid was at Cerritos for 7 years, then Bethesda for 1 year before going to DC United Academy and signing Home Grown contract, does Bethesda get the grant money and not Cerritos?

Bethesda, but Cerritos can still make a claim through FIFA (which this does nothing to address)

That's tough for the true good grassroots clubs who actually develop the kids who go to MLS Next teams at U14, U15