DA vs ECNL vs everything else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most girls want to play HS soccer still. ENCL has the advantage there. DA won’t allow it.

I imagine those girls will opt to ID this Spring at one of the many ECNL clubs that have popped up in the DMV. Good news for them, lots of ECNL options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did they magically come up with field space?? Kids were already having to leave elementary school early and practice on a 1/4 of fields.

also seen 6 elementary teams sharing half of a men's field!!! that happens too often

They have screwed the rec and regular travel program....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did they magically come up with field space?? Kids were already having to leave elementary school early and practice on a 1/4 of fields.

also seen 6 elementary teams sharing half of a men's field!!! that happens too often

They have screwed the rec and regular travel program....

It’s not a community club anymore. When you hire too many people that don’t care about kids in the County this is what happens.

[Anonymous]

So . . . . . . ASA gets three girls DA teams this Fall, and everyone goes bananas and goes back to the shortcomings of development academies?? . . . . . . . I FIND THE SOUR GRAPES ALL TOO PREDICTABLE.

Pissed off VDA families?Check.
FCV-hating Loudoun families bitter their club turned down DA? Check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did they magically come up with field space?? Kids were already having to leave elementary school early and practice on a 1/4 of fields.

also seen 6 elementary teams sharing half of a men's field!!! that happens too often

They have screwed the rec and regular travel program....

It’s not a community club anymore. When you hire too many people that don’t care about kids in the County this is what happens.

no, and it never was. the club has sent lots of info to parents that it is not a club to serve just arlington residents. false notion. it will draw tons of kids from outside now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did they magically come up with field space?? Kids were already having to leave elementary school early and practice on a 1/4 of fields.

also seen 6 elementary teams sharing half of a men's field!!! that happens too often

They have screwed the rec and regular travel program....

yep. da or nothing now. the other teams are the cash cows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So . . . . . . ASA gets three girls DA teams this Fall, and everyone goes bananas and goes back to the shortcomings of development academies?? . . . . . . . I FIND THE SOUR GRAPES ALL TOO PREDICTABLE.

Pissed off VDA families?Check.
FCV-hating Loudoun families bitter their club turned down DA? Check.

Do not add McLean U9-12 girls, running as fast as they can from their tyrant puppet-master. Rising U11 08s become pre-DA age group if Arl. has U12 too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did they magically come up with field space?? Kids were already having to leave elementary school early and practice on a 1/4 of fields.

Well, I have yet to see a formal announcement. I saw a prediction, but no formal announcement that it is a done deal to date.

ASA sent out an email announcing the news.

Also, DD’s coach said that a few more grass fields have opened up.

So 95% of the Club will get f@cked while ASA focuses on their DA.

Grass fields? It won’t be DA playing on grass. ASA has no nice grass fields with proper drainage. Is this Fields Park?

The regular Club teams in the Club get the shaft for ego-building.

Did they ever get lights at Williamsburg - when is that supposed to happen?

[Anonymous]

Colleges recruit players not teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington girls will have a tough time just "going over to" Spirit after their DA runs out at U15. If the U16 teams continue to be together with the U17 there will only be spots available for the few really good players, not nearly an entire team

If ASA doesn't keep expanding as planned, only the BEST move on to Spirit.

That is the whole idea of a DA pyramid. This is not ECNL where there is no pyramid to eventually consolidate the best and the focus is different.

It runs out at U14. I am guessing that’s what you mean. Essentially, at 13-years old. Still very young for development purposes where 16-18 are the critical years.

US women were doing so much better with many different avenues/options to the top. Now it will be a more closed system with politics like the boys side.

The only open system left is high school soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did they magically come up with field space?? Kids were already having to leave elementary school early and practice on a 1/4 of fields.

also seen 6 elementary teams sharing half of a men's field!!! that happens too often

They have screwed the rec and regular travel program....

It’s not a community club anymore. When you hire too many people that don’t care about kids in the County this is what happens.

no, and it never was. the club has sent lots of info to parents that it is not a club to serve just arlington residents. false notion. it will draw tons of kids from outside now.

Arlington County is a joke. They have one huge soccer Club. Only one option and they fail to serve residents, many in the South without fees or rides to play in their fancy leagues/teams.

They have essentially obliterated the Rec program with ADP and 6 travel teams and a DA team per age group.

It’s better in their mind if they can get everyone to pay thousands of dollars a year vs $75 rec fee registration.

And, their 1 or 2 scholarships for the poor each age group don’t cut it.

The County needs competition but there is a field monopoly. The Club that has publicly stated it’s not for the Community controls all of the County fields. So the community kids play where exactly? Oh yea 6 to teams to one field. Nice

Some of the best players in the County are the ones they have let fall through the cracks. They squeeze in play at TJ and such when the kids in the fancy uniforms are off or have weather cancellations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So . . . . . . ASA gets three girls DA teams this Fall, and everyone goes bananas and goes back to the shortcomings of development academies?? . . . . . . . I FIND THE SOUR GRAPES ALL TOO PREDICTABLE.

Pissed off VDA families?Check.
FCV-hating Loudoun families bitter their club turned down DA? Check.

Loudoun families are unlikely to leave Loudoun at all and if they want to be in DA they are certainly not driving by two DAs and two ECNL clubs to play in Arlington.

A few Loudoun kids have always jumped ship for FCV every year in the past but I see them retaining many of those players now.

Nobody is driving through rush hour in Loudoun to turn around and go down to Arlington when there are other options. This is why I ask, where are the kids outside of Arlington going to come from? Perhaps McLean, Vienna DC? Alexandria and Gunston?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have the feeling the gap between girls DA & ECNL clubs in this area is going to open and up and widen pretty quick. I just don't see how ECNL clubs can realistically compete for the top players. DA seems like clearly the better option.

In addition to all the other reasons that are often mentioned, just look at the schedules.

Here's McLean's ENCL 04s: http://www.eliteclubsnationalleague.com/mid-atlantic-schedule-2017-18/

Total of 14 games during the whole year -- 7 each in the Fall and Spring. In between, that's a lot of weekends off.

By comparison, this is Wash Spirit VA's 04s: http://wsav.ussoccerda.com/sam/teams/index.php?team=3952300

Total of 25 games throughout the year -- 13 in the Fall, 12 in the Spring. Pretty much one game every weekend during the seasons.

Have you looked at the league/division structures and tried to compare those distance wise for each option? We are looking at both McLean's ECNL and Spirit for next year. Ignoring the frequency of travel because Spirit plays more games, does one option have a schedule that requires shorter travel on average for any given game? TIA.

ECNL teams compete in the top brackets of the top 5-6 tournaments. Many of the local ECNLs are competing in the Jefferson Cup. Also the point of the DA is to play in limit but quality games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did they magically come up with field space?? Kids were already having to leave elementary school early and practice on a 1/4 of fields.

also seen 6 elementary teams sharing half of a men's field!!! that happens too often

They have screwed the rec and regular travel program....

It’s not a community club anymore. When you hire too many people that don’t care about kids in the County this is what happens.

no, and it never was. the club has sent lots of info to parents that it is not a club to serve just arlington residents. false notion. it will draw tons of kids from outside now.

Arlington County is a joke. They have one huge soccer Club. Only one option and they fail to serve residents, many in the South without fees or rides to play in their fancy leagues/teams.

They have essentially obliterated the Rec program with ADP and 6 travel teams and a DA team per age group.

It’s better in their mind if they can get everyone to pay thousands of dollars a year vs $75 rec fee registration.

And, their 1 or 2 scholarships for the poor each age group don’t cut it.

The County needs competition but there is a field monopoly. The Club that has publicly stated it’s not for the Community controls all of the County fields. So the community kids play where exactly? Oh yea 6 to teams to one field. Nice

Some of the best players in the County are the ones they have let fall through the cracks. They squeeze in play at TJ and such when the kids in the fancy uniforms are off or have weather cancellations.

Those kids who feel left out should go play at Alexandria. Close by, good soccer, less pressure.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a number of DA parents on this thread pushing the DA will dominate, bow at its feet narrative. It does not have to end up that way on the Girls side. ECNL has a standing and history that did not exist pre-DA on the Boys side.

Also remember that US Soccer did not start with the no HS mandate till after the Boys DA was well-established. Then they push Boys DA as a college recruitment platform. Basically telling kids they need to skip HS to play college.

No reason to let them do that to Girls soccer. And Spirit requiring their kids to by season tickets - how ridiculous is that.

It is good for the Girls in general to have two high level options. It spreads out the power and influence which is healthier all around. Let it play out on the field.