How far will you travel for ECNL/DA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We commute 45 minutes to practice on a typical day (actual trip is 20 minutes with zero traffic but practices are ALWAYS during some phase of rush hour).
Practice is 90 minutes, 3 days per week and we carpool with 2 other families. With drop-offs and pick-ups and the time it takes to walk to the field before/after the practices the kids are gone from their home 3.5 hours per practice. It's a lot and getting more significant as the kids get older., Spending 3.5 hours to practice soccer was no big deal in 6th grade. Now in 9th grade it comes at a cost: the kids are up really late for homework and aren't able to do much besides play soccer (really anything besides play soccer). My guess is my child will not be playing college soccer (she's low on an ECNL roster) so I'm almost at the point of pulling the plug and joining a closer (but less competitive) club. More importantly I think she's getting there too. It's hard to spend this much time on the road each week for a single activity when you're in high school.

Same situation we were in. Spent more time in the car than on the pitch. Was not a good environment and while we made it work for a year it was the major factor in our changing clubs to a different DA this season (shorter commute and better coaching).

I know some are speaking about the 'quality time' in the car with the kids, but 30 minutes at the dinner table with the kids has been much better than 30 extra minutes on the Beltway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ECNL/DA is the best way to be recruited.

By colleges that want to recruit affluent players with lots of time and money to spend traveling far and wide to play youth soccer.

They may have money but money will not keep you on a DA team. I agree that it cost too much to play DA but make no mistake those kids are very good. If your kid is not good, he will not be on the team regardless of how much money you have.

Point was it is a limited pond. They are good among the players in that pond.

Ah, I see, yes, you are right. Wish there was a way for DA to get high level players from all socioeconomic backgrounds for like top level football, basketball, and baseball but the model to sustain that is just not available in the US yet.

Agree. But i always wonder where my player would fall if the pond were not so constrained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ECNL/DA is the best way to be recruited.

By colleges that want to recruit affluent players with lots of time and money to spend traveling far and wide to play youth soccer.

They may have money but money will not keep you on a DA team. I agree that it cost too much to play DA but make no mistake those kids are very good. If your kid is not good, he will not be on the team regardless of how much money you have.

Point was it is a limited pond. They are good among the players in that pond.

Ah, I see, yes, you are right. Wish there was a way for DA to get high level players from all socioeconomic backgrounds for like top level football, basketball, and baseball but the model to sustain that is just not available in the US yet.

Agree. But i always wonder where my player would fall if the pond were not so constrained.

Yep. Double-edged sword.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We commute 45 minutes to practice on a typical day (actual trip is 20 minutes with zero traffic but practices are ALWAYS during some phase of rush hour).
Practice is 90 minutes, 3 days per week and we carpool with 2 other families. With drop-offs and pick-ups and the time it takes to walk to the field before/after the practices the kids are gone from their home 3.5 hours per practice. It's a lot and getting more significant as the kids get older., Spending 3.5 hours to practice soccer was no big deal in 6th grade. Now in 9th grade it comes at a cost: the kids are up really late for homework and aren't able to do much besides play soccer (really anything besides play soccer). My guess is my child will not be playing college soccer (she's low on an ECNL roster) so I'm almost at the point of pulling the plug and joining a closer (but less competitive) club. More importantly I think she's getting there too. It's hard to spend this much time on the road each week for a single activity when you're in high school.

Same situation we were in. Spent more time in the car than on the pitch. Was not a good environment and while we made it work for a year it was the major factor in our changing clubs to a different DA this season (shorter commute and better coaching).

I know some are speaking about the 'quality time' in the car with the kids, but 30 minutes at the dinner table with the kids has been much better than 30 extra minutes on the Beltway.

Sure, no one was saying you should deliberately go further away just for quality time. Go to the better club. But if the better club happens to be a bit further away, there are good things that come from that too. You have to lookout the whole package.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We commute 45 minutes to practice on a typical day (actual trip is 20 minutes with zero traffic but practices are ALWAYS during some phase of rush hour).
Practice is 90 minutes, 3 days per week and we carpool with 2 other families. With drop-offs and pick-ups and the time it takes to walk to the field before/after the practices the kids are gone from their home 3.5 hours per practice. It's a lot and getting more significant as the kids get older., Spending 3.5 hours to practice soccer was no big deal in 6th grade. Now in 9th grade it comes at a cost: the kids are up really late for homework and aren't able to do much besides play soccer (really anything besides play soccer). My guess is my child will not be playing college soccer (she's low on an ECNL roster) so I'm almost at the point of pulling the plug and joining a closer (but less competitive) club. More importantly I think she's getting there too. It's hard to spend this much time on the road each week for a single activity when you're in high school.

I am with you. Waiting for the day DD is ready to move on.

I think this is going to become a more common theme. The reality is there are only, what, 45-60 girls per year in the DMV that go DI (or to a very highly competitive DII-DIII). It used to be that most players on an ECNL/DA roster were likely headed to DI. With the explosion in the number of ECNL/DA teams and the over-rostering, there are 3 times as many girls playing at that level...The top 5-6 players on each of these teams might end up playing in college but the majority won’t...And the juice just won’t be worth the squeeze, especially in the GDA where girls have to forgo HS ball to be a backup in the DA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We commute 45 minutes to practice on a typical day (actual trip is 20 minutes with zero traffic but practices are ALWAYS during some phase of rush hour).
Practice is 90 minutes, 3 days per week and we carpool with 2 other families. With drop-offs and pick-ups and the time it takes to walk to the field before/after the practices the kids are gone from their home 3.5 hours per practice. It's a lot and getting more significant as the kids get older., Spending 3.5 hours to practice soccer was no big deal in 6th grade. Now in 9th grade it comes at a cost: the kids are up really late for homework and aren't able to do much besides play soccer (really anything besides play soccer). My guess is my child will not be playing college soccer (she's low on an ECNL roster) so I'm almost at the point of pulling the plug and joining a closer (but less competitive) club. More importantly I think she's getting there too. It's hard to spend this much time on the road each week for a single activity when you're in high school.

I am with you. Waiting for the day DD is ready to move on.

I think this is going to become a more common theme. The reality is there are only, what, 45-60 girls per year in the DMV that go DI (or to a very highly competitive DII-DIII). It used to be that most players on an ECNL/DA roster were likely headed to DI. With the explosion in the number of ECNL/DA teams and the over-rostering, there are 3 times as many girls playing at that level...The top 5-6 players on each of these teams might end up playing in college but the majority won’t...And the juice just won’t be worth the squeeze, especially in the GDA where girls have to forgo HS ball to be a backup in the DA.

FCV DA:
17 full time players
16 committed
14 of those committed headed to D1
1 to IVY
1 to Naval Academy

I would say it's still true that DA = D1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We commute 45 minutes to practice on a typical day (actual trip is 20 minutes with zero traffic but practices are ALWAYS during some phase of rush hour).
Practice is 90 minutes, 3 days per week and we carpool with 2 other families. With drop-offs and pick-ups and the time it takes to walk to the field before/after the practices the kids are gone from their home 3.5 hours per practice. It's a lot and getting more significant as the kids get older., Spending 3.5 hours to practice soccer was no big deal in 6th grade. Now in 9th grade it comes at a cost: the kids are up really late for homework and aren't able to do much besides play soccer (really anything besides play soccer). My guess is my child will not be playing college soccer (she's low on an ECNL roster) so I'm almost at the point of pulling the plug and joining a closer (but less competitive) club. More importantly I think she's getting there too. It's hard to spend this much time on the road each week for a single activity when you're in high school.

I am with you. Waiting for the day DD is ready to move on.

I think this is going to become a more common theme. The reality is there are only, what, 45-60 girls per year in the DMV that go DI (or to a very highly competitive DII-DIII). It used to be that most players on an ECNL/DA roster were likely headed to DI. With the explosion in the number of ECNL/DA teams and the over-rostering, there are 3 times as many girls playing at that level...The top 5-6 players on each of these teams might end up playing in college but the majority won’t...And the juice just won’t be worth the squeeze, especially in the GDA where girls have to forgo HS ball to be a backup in the DA.

FCV DA:
17 full time players
16 committed
14 of those committed headed to D1
1 to IVY
1 to Naval Academy

I would say it's still true that DA = D1

If you mean FCV DA then it seems so. those parents would not send touch the GDA near me with a 10 foot pole.

[Anonymous]

here we go again

ECNL VS DA (Even though ECNL has a proven track record having better talented girls )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:here we go again

ECNL VS DA (Even though ECNL has a proven track record having better talented girls )

They are the same. Same business model going after the same market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:here we go again

ECNL VS DA (Even though ECNL has a proven track record having better talented girls )

The past is in the past. VCCL used to have the top talent. And then CCL was the top league outside of the DA. The ECNL started out as a joke and had to work hard to become something. If the ECNL thinks it will be able to stay around based on inertia, it won't. Especially when YNT players will choose the DA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:here we go again

ECNL VS DA (Even though ECNL has a proven track record having better talented girls )

The past is in the past. VCCL used to have the top talent. And then CCL was the top league outside of the DA. The ECNL started out as a joke and had to work hard to become something. If the ECNL thinks it will be able to stay around based on inertia, it won't. Especially when YNT players will choose the DA.

The YNT thing will not drive the success or failure of a league. the ecnl use to carry on about that adnaseum and now gda does the same thing. The 2 dozen ynt kids per age nationwide will have to play GDA but the rest dont care too much about that.

But you are correct that none of these leagues can just sit around and succeed via inertia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:here we go again

ECNL VS DA (Even though ECNL has a proven track record having better talented girls )

The past is in the past. VCCL used to have the top talent. And then CCL was the top league outside of the DA. The ECNL started out as a joke and had to work hard to become something. If the ECNL thinks it will be able to stay around based on inertia, it won't. Especially when YNT players will choose the DA.

The YNT thing will not drive the success or failure of a league. the ecnl use to carry on about that adnaseum and now gda does the same thing. The 2 dozen ynt kids per age nationwide will have to play GDA but the rest dont care too much about that.

But you are correct that none of these leagues can just sit around and succeed via inertia.

It's not all things, but the issue is that where the top talent goes, others tend to follow. In any case, if we wanted to talk about track records, ODP had a stellar run. Who does ODP now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:here we go again

ECNL VS DA (Even though ECNL has a proven track record having better talented girls )

The past is in the past. VCCL used to have the top talent. And then CCL was the top league outside of the DA. The ECNL started out as a joke and had to work hard to become something. If the ECNL thinks it will be able to stay around based on inertia, it won't. Especially when YNT players will choose the DA.

The YNT thing will not drive the success or failure of a league. the ecnl use to carry on about that adnaseum and now gda does the same thing. The 2 dozen ynt kids per age nationwide will have to play GDA but the rest dont care too much about that.

But you are correct that none of these leagues can just sit around and succeed via inertia.

It's not all things, but the issue is that where the top talent goes, others tend to follow. In any case, if we wanted to talk about track records, ODP had a stellar run. Who does ODP now?

Hundreds of kids not on the youth national team. Just like the hundreds of kids not on the national teams playing in GDa and ecnl and lots of other places. I agree the handful of YNT players are forced to choose the GDA but the rest are not. For the rest, it may or may not be a good club for them. In fact, it may or may not be good fit for YNT players but they have no choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:here we go again

ECNL VS DA (Even though ECNL has a proven track record having better talented girls )

The past is in the past. VCCL used to have the top talent. And then CCL was the top league outside of the DA. The ECNL started out as a joke and had to work hard to become something. If the ECNL thinks it will be able to stay around based on inertia, it won't. Especially when YNT players will choose the DA.

The YNT thing will not drive the success or failure of a league. the ecnl use to carry on about that adnaseum and now gda does the same thing. The 2 dozen ynt kids per age nationwide will have to play GDA but the rest dont care too much about that.

But you are correct that none of these leagues can just sit around and succeed via inertia.

It's not all things, but the issue is that where the top talent goes, others tend to follow. In any case, if we wanted to talk about track records, ODP had a stellar run. Who does ODP now?

Hundreds of kids not on the youth national team. Just like the hundreds of kids not on the national teams playing in GDa and ecnl and lots of other places. I agree the handful of YNT players are forced to choose the GDA but the rest are not. For the rest, it may or may not be a good club for them. In fact, it may or may not be good fit for YNT players but they have no choice.

That's true for the ECNL as it is for the DA. And in that sense, you are right. If a kid doesn't want any of that, it makes perfect sense to choose a local travel team like SYC, Vienna, or whatever else may make sense. In fact, the truth is, travel is optional altogether. I think rec kids are actually the smartest ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:here we go again

ECNL VS DA (Even though ECNL has a proven track record having better talented girls )

The past is in the past. VCCL used to have the top talent. And then CCL was the top league outside of the DA. The ECNL started out as a joke and had to work hard to become something. If the ECNL thinks it will be able to stay around based on inertia, it won't. Especially when YNT players will choose the DA.

The YNT thing will not drive the success or failure of a league. the ecnl use to carry on about that adnaseum and now gda does the same thing. The 2 dozen ynt kids per age nationwide will have to play GDA but the rest dont care too much about that.

But you are correct that none of these leagues can just sit around and succeed via inertia.

It's not all things, but the issue is that where the top talent goes, others tend to follow. In any case, if we wanted to talk about track records, ODP had a stellar run. Who does ODP now?

Ironically, ECNL is morphing into the same format as ODP - regional teams and ID sessions, national teams and ID sessions, etc... IT seems like we can’t figure out a better way to sort talent and potential. If ECNL Trends the way of ODP, maybe the GDA model makes you he most sense.