Can trapped players play at Nationals?
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Anonymous
I mean a U19 junior. |
Anonymous
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ECNL is doing a huge disservice to the 2008 trapped age group in particular. Why sideline those Aug-Dec rising seniors having them sit out during their final recruiting window when they have been practicing with their U17 teams for months and will be on those teams moving forward.
For a league that is claiming the high ground on being the league that prioritizes college recruiting and as the league who drive the the age change to get players with their recruiting class peers for both development and recruiting, they really need to change this rule which will be outdated in about 6 weeks time for this final group of rising seniors. The rule is out of step with today's reality of the age group shift. And before anybody chimes in that hte trapped players can just play with their teams--the U19 post season are not recruiting events. All those players are already committed and off to college-- so its a waste of time for trapped players other than the glory of a final run with their teams and maybe some film. |
Anonymous
| How is there a trapped problem at the end of the season when there hasn't been an issue for the same players before? |
Anonymous
2008 Juniors can play 09s at the summer showcase or cup. They just can’t play in the champions league national tournament. |
Anonymous
| OP: Does anyone have a link to the GA rules? Are they different? |
Anonymous
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Player Expectations
a. U19 Age Group i. A Girls Academy player that is in 11th grade, but who is age appropriate for the U19 age group is defined as a Trapped Player. ii. A maximum of three U19 Trapped Players are eligible to participate in games at U17 GA National Events. 1. Note: A U19 Trapped Player is not eligible to compete in Champions Cup and the GA Summer Playoffs. |
Anonymous
Thank you. Anything on 7th/8th grade trap? |
Anonymous
That makes zero sense. If the team they are playing with (U17) qualifies for champions league then there is no option for them to play in other events-- as that team is not playing in the other tournaments but in champions cup. the rule is outdated at this point and a small gesture from ECNL would go a long way for the small group of players across both girls and boys who are in this situation (which will not present in the future given new school group) |
Anonymous
No they have to play on age the only reason the U19 juniors can play is because seniors don’t have a showcase. |
Anonymous
I’d start looking for a club that’s going to a showcase and start asking to guest play before the June 6 roster freeze. |
Anonymous
The age change is happening next year so this will all be fixed. That’s why they changed back. |
Anonymous
It's literally happening in a few weeks-not in a year. Point being the 2008 trapped players are being sidelined in June when they could play with the teams they are already playing with. It's a outdated overly complex rule that impacts a single birth year--and they can easily just remove it it given their stated focus on supporting players with college path and their stated position than trapped players are significantly disadvantaged from current system. Nothing helps a rising senior more than sitting on the sideline while their team plays.Deleting it as of June 1 given the change they so heavily endorsed to move to grade year would give these kids a chance to play. Why have registered players for the 2026-2027 year be sidelined unnecessarily- these are 17 year olds who want to play with their 17 year old teamates at nationals. It's not like they are asking for the moon. |
Anonymous
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info@theecnl.com for any 2008 trapped player/family who wishes to encourage ECNL leadership to reconsider this irrelevant rule which disqualifies the trapped player from playing with their team.
If ECNL truly believes age groups were the right path forward, and that trapped players hurt players for the past 10 years, this one is a no brainer that they have total control over fixing at a critical time for these players. There is no logic to allowing a trapped 17 year old player to attend a June NC showcase as a guest /discovery player on some random U17 team, but then disqualifying them from playing with their actual U17 team and club a few weeks later at playoffs. |
Anonymous
I don’t think you understand what a trapped player is in the U18/19 (2008) group. They don’t get to play U17 (2009) the whole regular season. They have to play their correct age group (2008) during regular season bc right now, ECNL is birth year through end of league season. A trapped U18/19 has to play their 2008 age group except that they may play at U17 (2009) ECNL National Events during the regular season and in all divisions of the ECNL Club postseason except for the Champions League. I don’t think emailing ECNL would be a good idea bc they will play in ECNL postseason if their 2008 team qualifies. |
Anonymous
Trust me, I understand what a trapped player is. My U19 player has been practicing and showcasing at ECNL events with the U17 team since their league games ended months ago due to HS season--that is fully allowed by ECNL rules. They will continue to practice and play with that same U17 team through the rest of the spring and summer and in the fall. There have been no U19 games or practices due to HS. The U19 post season is limited in nature and not a recruiting event because all the kids are committed (save the 1-2 trapped players). So it is you that is not understanding the situation. For 2008 rising seniors, playing with the U17 team in the post season is a natural continuation of what's already been happening and aligns with what ECNL has been advocating for across 18 months. There should be no reason to sideline them for this single event--espcially when teams are rostering guest players from other clubs who will be joining in the fall that didn't play or practice with the team all season. Somehow that is still allowed under these outdated rules. |