How far will you travel for ECNL/DA
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Anonymous
Yes for FCV DA THIS YEAR! Arlington and MU are not competitive with FCV at this age group. Wait 3 more years and this will change. |
Anonymous
And how many of the YNT make the national team? There are just so many kids trying for a few spots and the NT will still take you if you are a great player even if you did not do DA. |
Anonymous
Of course it is true. ecnl and gda follow almost the identical business model and want the same affluent talent. my sense is it will develop regionally with one or the other being stronger in different regions. Players need to choose a local soccer options and they do. It is fine that gda is a great league in texas or that ecnl is strong in new england but neither does a player from Michigan any good. She will join some club in Michigan and onwards and upwards. |
Anonymous
For now, I agree. That is precisely what happened. But over time it will change. In 5 years, max 10, GDA will be the top league. Not because of any of us here or our kids. That's just what will happen. People can whine about the BDA all they want, but it still has the bulk of the nation's talent. There are some players who didn't play in the BDA and will amazing, but most are there. That's how it will play out for the GDA. |
Anonymous
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People have always traveled to put a kid on a "good" team. When my kid was a young player there was an older age team that was always ranked very high nationally (before DA and before ECNL) and there were girls on that team that came from over 100 miles away.
When my kid was older she played for a team that was nearby for her but still kids came from an hour or more away. What you need to find is a place where your kid can start and play positions that fit their physical attributes and skills. That is far more important for college recruiting than playing for a particular team. That was a mistake we made, and one that I tell folks all the time. My kid played defensive positions exclusively starting a u11 for club. There was not a college coach who saw her as a defender. We should have gotten onto a team where she played a mid or forward. In 4 years of college ball she played about 90 minutes as a defender. Ultimately, she ended as a defensive center mid in a diamond formation that her college team used. In the end it worked out, but far better to be getting experience in positions that your kid can play than to be on a particular team. |
Anonymous
It always depends on what is a geographic option. But in Michigan, if an option the Michigan Hawks are a great club. |
Anonymous
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You are neglecting that pesky little tidbit that there are many funded MLS DAs for males. IF and when they have the same for females, of course the best players will attend funded GDAs. Until then, i see it as a regional thing. But it will be be what it will be.
The customers do not really care which one ultimately prevails (except for the HS issue which is significant in some areas). The folks making money form all this will continue to do battle about it. It is Coke vs, Pepsi. Starbucks vs dunkin.....of a little bit of consequence but not too much unless you make a liviing at one or the other. |
Anonymous
When ECNL was teh only game in town clubs and coaches heavily discouraged HS play. They allowed it but with little talent dilution at the time only the team Studs or Duds dared play HS. If you were a in between kid you did what your club coach suggested you do for fear of losing minutes or being replaced outright. And now with GDA on the scene ECNL is marketing their league as the league you don't actually have to play in. "Join ECNL, the league you can miss three months of ECNL to play High School. Yes, we are still charging you for a full 10 months of ECNL training even though you will only train 6 months with the highest quality kids." |
Anonymous
The MLS ones are funded now, but even when they weren't (like DCU and non-MLS academies), it still attached a ton of players. And there are funded GDAs or ones at reduced cost. I'm paying less now for the DA than we did for the ECNL. But like I said, it takes time. It took years for the BDA to catch on. The GDA is no different, except the ECNL probably helped it by getting the concept of a National League to take root. That took effort. |
Anonymous
| Again, my take it that the customers dont really care which one if any ultimately prevails. This is a youth sports product like many others. As long as the customers are paying through the nose, they will choose the option they see as better quality in their neck of the woods. Go ahead and battle it out leagues...how about you all try some promotional coupons...we could all use some of those! |
Anonymous
Heck yes. Could this competition please result in some black Friday mega discount deals or a maybe free showcase (including travel) if you buy now type promotion? Please. |
Anonymous
I think everyone would like to see this stop. But the how is why this mess continues. |
Anonymous
There is significant money in this mess. that is why it will go one and on and on and on |
Anonymous
If your kid wants to play high-level D1 soccer in college, yes, it is worth it. In fact, to reach the same goal elsewhere, you would probably have to spend far more time and $$ working the recruiting circuit than you’ll spend commuting if your kid does DA/ECNL. We’re lucky here — for girls, there are so many DA and ECNL clubs in the area right now, from Richmond to Baltimore, that you’re probably within an hour of something. And then the question is whether the kid makes the team. Some people travel further for a lower-level club because it’s the only DA/ECNL level team where their kid can make the roster or start. |
Anonymous
The point of these leagues was not to have kids driving to the ends of the earth so they could make the team. I mean, that is the point in reality, but the way it is sold - it is supposed to be for a player that has the talent for the top local offering. If they do not, play at the next level, not drive to tib buk two. |