Taking Soccer Back from the insanity of the ECNL, ENPL, DA, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure, I have a solution. We've talked about this issue in many different threads, but probably in the most depth here: http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/748637.page

My proposed solution is that ECNL, NPL, and CCL fold, either because their leadership realizes the harm that these leagues cause to parents and kids (through player pool dilution, needless expenditures of cash, and needless travel) or because parents pressure clubs to drop out of them. Then, we have one main local travel league, which could be NCSL or EDP, that tries to minimize travel at the youngest ages, one Region 1 league that starts somewhere in the U12 or U13 age range and accepts the best teams from the the local league (this will change each season) and one National League that you can qualify for the same way as the current USYSA National League. DA should continue more or less in it's current form for those who are very serious and are ok with skipping high school. Micro local leagues like ODSL, OBSL, or whatever can continue to exist if clubs have travel teams that they don't think are ready for the NCSL or EDP main local league, and we should all work to volunteer to make all the local rec leagues stronger and cheaper.

How we get there is a different matter, but that's my vision.

Nope, here is my vision

Leagues should be:
Community/Hyper Local
Local
Regional
National

Clubs should only be locked into one specific league. Meaning a club cannot field teams in multiple levels. The club is either a national or a local club but they can't be in all at the same time. They can move up or entirely as a club.

Clubs attract players based on their history of developing players and moving them to the next level, or developing within. There is no more focus on super teams, just player development. Locking clubs to a league level develops a true clear pyramid and pathway for players who truly want it while simultaneously providing the best environment for the players and not the teams.

[Anonymous]

The best solution is to open up DA, making it the top division in the national system. Have each DA regional conference have promotion and relegation from a couple tiers of regional leagues. The rest should be local with an opportunity to earn a promotion to one of regional leagues. This way you benefit the top players and top coaches who get competive games with real pressure and also benefit good players who might prefer to play in a local league.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best solution is to open up DA, making it the top division in the national system. Have each DA regional conference have promotion and relegation from a couple tiers of regional leagues. The rest should be local with an opportunity to earn a promotion to one of regional leagues. This way you benefit the top players and top coaches who get competive games with real pressure and also benefit good players who might prefer to play in a local league.

I have no problem with this structure--I'm a big fan of the boys' DA. But what would happen to the good players who want to play HS soccer in this scenario? Also, I think we need one main pro/rel local league to ensure that the best younger players are challenged. I wasn't sure if that was part of your vision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best solution is to open up DA, making it the top division in the national system. Have each DA regional conference have promotion and relegation from a couple tiers of regional leagues. The rest should be local with an opportunity to earn a promotion to one of regional leagues. This way you benefit the top players and top coaches who get competive games with real pressure and also benefit good players who might prefer to play in a local league.

I have no problem with this structure--I'm a big fan of the boys' DA. But what would happen to the good players who want to play HS soccer in this scenario? Also, I think we need one main pro/rel local league to ensure that the best younger players are challenged. I wasn't sure if that was part of your vision.

Yes, it is part of my vision. As for high school, it is DA policy that is worth revisiting. I know players who left DA because they wanted to play high school soccer.

[Anonymous]

Just copy the germans. bundesliga has a town/city that rolls up to region then national.

My nephew was selected for bundesliga youth at age 11/12 and they traveled every week about 80 miles for practice...but that is an 80 mile Radius - so for DC that would frederick, MD to fredericksburg VA on two teams of the best talent in the area....talk about competitive.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best solution is to open up DA, making it the top division in the national system. Have each DA regional conference have promotion and relegation from a couple tiers of regional leagues. The rest should be local with an opportunity to earn a promotion to one of regional leagues. This way you benefit the top players and top coaches who get competive games with real pressure and also benefit good players who might prefer to play in a local league.

I have no problem with this structure--I'm a big fan of the boys' DA. But what would happen to the good players who want to play HS soccer in this scenario? Also, I think we need one main pro/rel local league to ensure that the best younger players are challenged. I wasn't sure if that was part of your vision.

Yes, it is part of my vision. As for high school, it is DA policy that is worth revisiting. I know players who left DA because they wanted to play high school soccer.

Thanks. I don't think DA players should be able to play high school--the more professional atmosphere, year round training, and practice to game ratio is one of the best features of the league IMO--but I do think there should be a national-level option for good players who want to. That's why I like the idea of keeping something like the current version of the National League. Unlike ECNL, it's not too onerous in terms of schedule or $$ (unlike ECNL), and it still offers a good showcase opportunity for those who want to play in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best solution is to open up DA, making it the top division in the national system. Have each DA regional conference have promotion and relegation from a couple tiers of regional leagues. The rest should be local with an opportunity to earn a promotion to one of regional leagues. This way you benefit the top players and top coaches who get competive games with real pressure and also benefit good players who might prefer to play in a local league.

I have no problem with this structure--I'm a big fan of the boys' DA. But what would happen to the good players who want to play HS soccer in this scenario? Also, I think we need one main pro/rel local league to ensure that the best younger players are challenged. I wasn't sure if that was part of your vision.

Yes, it is part of my vision. As for high school, it is DA policy that is worth revisiting. I know players who left DA because they wanted to play high school soccer.

Thanks. I don't think DA players should be able to play high school--the more professional atmosphere, year round training, and practice to game ratio is one of the best features of the league IMO--but I do think there should be a national-level option for good players who want to. That's why I like the idea of keeping something like the current version of the National League. Unlike ECNL, it's not too onerous in terms of schedule or $$ (unlike ECNL), and it still offers a good showcase opportunity for those who want to play in HS.

I could go either way on high school option. I am not a big fan of high school soccer because the level of play is low, but some kids like the atmosphere.

[Anonymous]

03 through 06 is a lost cause. Total chaotic circus. Maybe by the time the younger ones are teens some of these leagues (could care less which one or ones) will have failed and things wont be so diluted with so much nonsense travel for no benefit.

[Anonymous]

Join VYS and you don't have to worry about being competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:03 through 06 is a lost cause. Total chaotic circus. Maybe by the time the younger ones are teens some of these leagues (could care less which one or ones) will have failed and things wont be so diluted with so much nonsense travel for no benefit.

Yeah, it used to be there that there was one elite league all elite teams competed in. Now, I've lost count. Each one is jockeying for the title of "truly" the most elite where all the D1 kids "must" go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:03 through 06 is a lost cause. Total chaotic circus. Maybe by the time the younger ones are teens some of these leagues (could care less which one or ones) will have failed and things wont be so diluted with so much nonsense travel for no benefit.

Yeah, it used to be there that there was one elite league all elite teams competed in. Now, I've lost count. Each one is jockeying for the title of "truly" the most elite where all the D1 kids "must" go.

There are enough kids of similar talent at all levels in a 50 minute radius to just play each other. In fact, where I live there are at least 10 teams in a 15-20 mile radius I could pick at the same level of one of our top teams at our big club, yet only 2 are in the same league. Everyone is just crisscrossing past each other every Sunday on the way to an even farther location.

[Anonymous]

RantingSoccerDad wrote:I'm working on it.

Sorry, on what? I saw different ideas out there. I would love to see better options?

[Anonymous]

What about a version of EDP (since I think it has relegation and promotion), but having it absorb other surrounding leagues to have more teams in one league and place?

[Anonymous]

RantingSoccerDad wrote:I'm working on it.

Are you working on an alternate league that offers consistently a high level of play and college exposure without all the expense and travel? Do you think there is room for year round clubs outside of the DA? For some people, there is a lot of appeal in having the consistent level of club play that DAs offer. Is what you are working on going to have high school soccer as a necessary component?

[Anonymous]

The problem is that right now, it's so hard to get scouted properly if you try to live outside the system. And ID camps aren't cheap either.

What do you recommend? Are those recruitment services at all helpful? How is that better than a youtube channel and just emailing coaches?