DMV United

[Anonymous]

I love these people that support the status quo. "Elite" does not have to be national at the league level. Keep it local until the end of the season. If you can't see that such a program is in everyone's best interest then you are part of the problem.

I really want to meet the morons who decided that "Elite" has to mean extensive travel. In any age group in either the ECNL or DA, the top three or four teams are elite while the rest are just average. So why not take the local ECNL and DA teams and have them match up against top local non-DA/ECNL teams and play each other twice durign the year. Take FCV, Arlinigton and then add McLean, Bethesda, MUFC, Richmond or BRYC and then add Baltimore Union, Baltimore Celtic, MRM Rush, Pipeline, SAC, Herndon, Coppermine, etc. Just among that group, you have 20+ games. Each team can do its own showcases 2-4x a year and then have local and regional playoffs, which lead to a national playoff.

If that doen's work, please give me something else that doesn't require that I travel 200+ miles to play an inferior team all for the plessure of my DD playing "elite" soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love these people that support the status quo. "Elite" does not have to be national at the league level. Keep it local until the end of the season. If you can't see that such a program is in everyone's best interest then you are part of the problem.

I really want to meet the morons who decided that "Elite" has to mean extensive travel. In any age group in either the ECNL or DA, the top three or four teams are elite while the rest are just average. So why not take the local ECNL and DA teams and have them match up against top local non-DA/ECNL teams and play each other twice durign the year. Take FCV, Arlinigton and then add McLean, Bethesda, MUFC, Richmond or BRYC and then add Baltimore Union, Baltimore Celtic, MRM Rush, Pipeline, SAC, Herndon, Coppermine, etc. Just among that group, you have 20+ games. Each team can do its own showcases 2-4x a year and then have local and regional playoffs, which lead to a national playoff.

If that doen's work, please give me something else that doesn't require that I travel 200+ miles to play an inferior team all for the plessure of my DD playing "elite" soccer.

It's typical in any sporting league that there are scant few top teams, then a fat section of middling ones, and some bottom feeders. ECNL and DA are no different. The teams in these two leagues are looking for highest average talent level to provide the best challenges for their mostly college bound athletes. If there was a local league that offered the same level of competition, with the same college recruiting opportunities, you might see clubs heading that way. There could be, but there isn't. And so we mush on. We are consumers who purchase the best product that meets our needs each year. Nobody is going to make their kids martyrs to further this crusade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love these people that support the status quo. "Elite" does not have to be national at the league level. Keep it local until the end of the season. If you can't see that such a program is in everyone's best interest then you are part of the problem.

I really want to meet the morons who decided that "Elite" has to mean extensive travel. In any age group in either the ECNL or DA, the top three or four teams are elite while the rest are just average. So why not take the local ECNL and DA teams and have them match up against top local non-DA/ECNL teams and play each other twice durign the year. Take FCV, Arlinigton and then add McLean, Bethesda, MUFC, Richmond or BRYC and then add Baltimore Union, Baltimore Celtic, MRM Rush, Pipeline, SAC, Herndon, Coppermine, etc. Just among that group, you have 20+ games. Each team can do its own showcases 2-4x a year and then have local and regional playoffs, which lead to a national playoff.

If that doen's work, please give me something else that doesn't require that I travel 200+ miles to play an inferior team all for the plessure of my DD playing "elite" soccer.

It's typical in any sporting league that there are scant few top teams, then a fat section of middling ones, and some bottom feeders. ECNL and DA are no different. The teams in these two leagues are looking for highest average talent level to provide the best challenges for their mostly college bound athletes. If there was a local league that offered the same level of competition, with the same college recruiting opportunities, you might see clubs heading that way. There could be, but there isn't. And so we mush on. We are consumers who purchase the best product that meets our needs each year. Nobody is going to make their kids martyrs to further this crusade.

People still don't get it. Its like that can't even think outside the box. First, ECNL and DA are not the only teams sending players to DI and not every player playing ECNL and DA is going to play DI. Second, if you out rid of the travel and jys created a stricture that was more local league play, girls currently traveking hours to practice with ECNL or DA teams might play for their local clubs.

I can't discuss this issue with folks who are just ok accepting the status quo. I don't think the status quo is sustainable in the current environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love these people that support the status quo. "Elite" does not have to be national at the league level. Keep it local until the end of the season. If you can't see that such a program is in everyone's best interest then you are part of the problem.

I really want to meet the morons who decided that "Elite" has to mean extensive travel. In any age group in either the ECNL or DA, the top three or four teams are elite while the rest are just average. So why not take the local ECNL and DA teams and have them match up against top local non-DA/ECNL teams and play each other twice durign the year. Take FCV, Arlinigton and then add McLean, Bethesda, MUFC, Richmond or BRYC and then add Baltimore Union, Baltimore Celtic, MRM Rush, Pipeline, SAC, Herndon, Coppermine, etc. Just among that group, you have 20+ games. Each team can do its own showcases 2-4x a year and then have local and regional playoffs, which lead to a national playoff.

If that doen's work, please give me something else that doesn't require that I travel 200+ miles to play an inferior team all for the plessure of my DD playing "elite" soccer.

It's typical in any sporting league that there are scant few top teams, then a fat section of middling ones, and some bottom feeders. ECNL and DA are no different. The teams in these two leagues are looking for highest average talent level to provide the best challenges for their mostly college bound athletes. If there was a local league that offered the same level of competition, with the same college recruiting opportunities, you might see clubs heading that way. There could be, but there isn't. And so we mush on. We are consumers who purchase the best product that meets our needs each year. Nobody is going to make their kids martyrs to further this crusade.

People still don't get it. Its like that can't even think outside the box. First, ECNL and DA are not the only teams sending players to DI and not every player playing ECNL and DA is going to play DI. Second, if you out rid of the travel and jys created a stricture that was more local league play, girls currently traveking hours to practice with ECNL or DA teams might play for their local clubs.

I can't discuss this issue with folks who are just ok accepting the status quo. I don't think the status quo is sustainable in the current environment.

Stop. There just is not enough local talent to support what you want. If you think there is then you have not seen top talent play before. The older FCV and McLean teams are top nationally ranked teams because they were formed when there were only two elite options available in VA. You will be hard pressed to find YOUNGER teams of similar caliber in the area due to dilution.

These leagues are showcase league that deliver on college exposure that draws coaches that Jeff Cup or the Disney Showcase will never match. The showcases are why parents shell out thousands of dollars. I’m sorry, but Power 5 colleges will not attend a CCL or NCSL level event. These showcases are designed to provide college coaches the opportunity to scout lots of players at fewer events. They do not have the recruiting budget to hit every club sponsored showcase up and down the East Coast.

Your dream of a revolution has been done before and the market moved in the direction it is currently because College Coaches win and the players who have talent and can afford the bill win.

[Anonymous]

College soccer coaches might be an endangered species in a couple months. If college football does not kick of in Sept there will be no money to support programs that lose 1-2 million dollars a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College soccer coaches might be an endangered species in a couple months. If college football does not kick of in Sept there will be no money to support programs that lose 1-2 million dollars a year.

Sure, which means less recruiting budget and fewer smaller schools to attend small regional showcases. The need for larger, consolidated league based showcases will be even more important for kids wanting to play in college looking for every advantage competing for fewer spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College soccer coaches might be an endangered species in a couple months. If college football does not kick of in Sept there will be no money to support programs that lose 1-2 million dollars a year.

Sure because every NCAA men’s basketball and football programs makes money and title 9 is just going to up and disappear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College soccer coaches might be an endangered species in a couple months. If college football does not kick of in Sept there will be no money to support programs that lose 1-2 million dollars a year.

Sure, which means less recruiting budget and fewer smaller schools to attend small regional showcases. The need for larger, consolidated league based showcases will be even more important for kids wanting to play in college looking for every advantage competing for fewer spots.

LOL Colleges and universities inflate the hell out of the “cost” of athletics. For starters all scholars are listed at the highest cost bases.

Colleges dramatically overstate what they actually spend on scholarships.
If you pull up a school’s report on the USA Today or Department of Education databases, “scholarships” are generally listed as either the second- or third-largest expense, behind salaries and facilities. Tuition is expensive, and if you add up the sticker price for tuition, room, board, books, and more, you could be looking at more than $50,000 an athlete. So it’s easy to see how a school could list scholarship spending at over $10 million a season (in FBS, the median is around $6 million, per the NCAA).

That’s what it says on paper, but the school isn’t actually cutting checks like that.

As economist Andy Schwarz has explained several times, here for Vice, the athletic department is “paying” the school, using something called transfer-price accounting. But that isn’t an accurate depiction of real costs.

Other things

Tons of other accounting tricks make this math really messy.
Every school’s situation is different, but looking at their accounting is a lot more complicated than just adding up things listed as costs and revenues.

Athletic department revenue from merchandising, for example, might be underreported because the revenue gets shared with other university departments first.
A single year’s expenses might be substantially inflated because a construction project, previously kept off the books, is added all at once.
Other transfer-price accounting rules, from utilities to some facility upgrades, might be counted as expenses without accurately representing true costs.
Some athletic departments donate all surplus straight to the university.

https://www.bannersociety.com/2019/8/12/20704195/college-football-athletic-budgets

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love these people that support the status quo. "Elite" does not have to be national at the league level. Keep it local until the end of the season. If you can't see that such a program is in everyone's best interest then you are part of the problem.

I really want to meet the morons who decided that "Elite" has to mean extensive travel. In any age group in either the ECNL or DA, the top three or four teams are elite while the rest are just average. So why not take the local ECNL and DA teams and have them match up against top local non-DA/ECNL teams and play each other twice durign the year. Take FCV, Arlinigton and then add McLean, Bethesda, MUFC, Richmond or BRYC and then add Baltimore Union, Baltimore Celtic, MRM Rush, Pipeline, SAC, Herndon, Coppermine, etc. Just among that group, you have 20+ games. Each team can do its own showcases 2-4x a year and then have local and regional playoffs, which lead to a national playoff.

If that doen's work, please give me something else that doesn't require that I travel 200+ miles to play an inferior team all for the plessure of my DD playing "elite" soccer.

It's typical in any sporting league that there are scant few top teams, then a fat section of middling ones, and some bottom feeders. ECNL and DA are no different. The teams in these two leagues are looking for highest average talent level to provide the best challenges for their mostly college bound athletes. If there was a local league that offered the same level of competition, with the same college recruiting opportunities, you might see clubs heading that way. There could be, but there isn't. And so we mush on. We are consumers who purchase the best product that meets our needs each year. Nobody is going to make their kids martyrs to further this crusade.

People still don't get it. Its like that can't even think outside the box. First, ECNL and DA are not the only teams sending players to DI and not every player playing ECNL and DA is going to play DI. Second, if you out rid of the travel and jys created a stricture that was more local league play, girls currently traveking hours to practice with ECNL or DA teams might play for their local clubs.

I can't discuss this issue with folks who are just ok accepting the status quo. I don't think the status quo is sustainable in the current environment.

Stop. There just is not enough local talent to support what you want. If you think there is then you have not seen top talent play before. The older FCV and McLean teams are top nationally ranked teams because they were formed when there were only two elite options available in VA. You will be hard pressed to find YOUNGER teams of similar caliber in the area due to dilution.

These leagues are showcase league that deliver on college exposure that draws coaches that Jeff Cup or the Disney Showcase will never match. The showcases are why parents shell out thousands of dollars. I’m sorry, but Power 5 colleges will not attend a CCL or NCSL level event. These showcases are designed to provide college coaches the opportunity to scout lots of players at fewer events. They do not have the recruiting budget to hit every club sponsored showcase up and down the East Coast.

Your dream of a revolution has been done before and the market moved in the direction it is currently because College Coaches win and the players who have talent and can afford the bill win.

I feel like I am speaking to the brain-dead. First, if you believe that the DA and ECNL are the only leagues with talented then you are clueless. Second, I understand the point of the showcases but there is no reason that you can't have showcases without the DA or ECNL. Between DA and ECNL, you have ten showcases. Don't tell me that without the DA or ECNL that you can't arrange 8-10 major national showcases plus regional showcases plus regional/national playoff that coaches can attend. JefCup, Disney, SurfCup, CASL, Texas Shootout, etc., will become the top venues again. Others like Penn Fusion and Bethesda would attract schools from the region. Penn Fusion had top Ivies, Big 10, ACC and Big East coaches.

Look, all that I a saying is that everyone will revisit youth sports in general once we recover from the pandemic. I think college soccer scholarships might be one of the things that become less available. In that environment, people will rethink the commitment to youth soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I feel like I am speaking to the brain-dead. First, if you believe that the DA and ECNL are the only leagues with talented then you are clueless. Second, I understand the point of the showcases but there is no reason that you can't have showcases without the DA or ECNL. Between DA and ECNL, you have ten showcases. Don't tell me that without the DA or ECNL that you can't arrange 8-10 major national showcases plus regional showcases plus regional/national playoff that coaches can attend. JefCup, Disney, SurfCup, CASL, Texas Shootout, etc., will become the top venues again. Others like Penn Fusion and Bethesda would attract schools from the region. Penn Fusion had top Ivies, Big 10, ACC and Big East coaches.

Look, all that I a saying is that everyone will revisit youth sports in general once we recover from the pandemic. I think college soccer scholarships might be one of the things that become less available. In that environment, people will rethink the commitment to youth soccer.

There is both a pragmatic and an idealistic approach to this. You are taking an idealistic approach that is unlikely to occur. The rest of us are taking a more pragmatic approach. I think ignoring the realities of youth soccer is putting your head in the sand.

DA and ECNL are not the only leagues with talented players. They have by far the highest concentration however, which makes them ideal targets for recruiting. Their showcases are ideal for college coaches on limited budgets. You could easily come up with the same number of showcase opportunities within reasonable distances if these were no longer available. That would be ideal for local families but horrendous for high level college programs that have wider nets. While there may be plenty of individuals who have to, or choose to, adjust their priorities moving forward, I don't see COVID-19 as the catalyst to change the youth soccer landscape in any significant way. I don't see any reason for ECNL and DA to change their posture. Additionally, I don't see much of a change with regard to college attendance or funding either, so scholarships are more likely than not, to remain unchanged.

I wish you luck on your crusade. Until then, there are plenty of local schools who recruit exclusively at Jeff Cup, Bethesda, Delco, Penn Fusion, etc.
2. There is a

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I feel like I am speaking to the brain-dead. First, if you believe that the DA and ECNL are the only leagues with talented then you are clueless. Second, I understand the point of the showcases but there is no reason that you can't have showcases without the DA or ECNL. Between DA and ECNL, you have ten showcases. Don't tell me that without the DA or ECNL that you can't arrange 8-10 major national showcases plus regional showcases plus regional/national playoff that coaches can attend. JefCup, Disney, SurfCup, CASL, Texas Shootout, etc., will become the top venues again. Others like Penn Fusion and Bethesda would attract schools from the region. Penn Fusion had top Ivies, Big 10, ACC and Big East coaches.

Look, all that I a saying is that everyone will revisit youth sports in general once we recover from the pandemic. I think college soccer scholarships might be one of the things that become less available. In that environment, people will rethink the commitment to youth soccer.

There is both a pragmatic and an idealistic approach to this. You are taking an idealistic approach that is unlikely to occur. The rest of us are taking a more pragmatic approach. I think ignoring the realities of youth soccer is putting your head in the sand.

DA and ECNL are not the only leagues with talented players. They have by far the highest concentration however, which makes them ideal targets for recruiting. Their showcases are ideal for college coaches on limited budgets. You could easily come up with the same number of showcase opportunities within reasonable distances if these were no longer available. That would be ideal for local families but horrendous for high level college programs that have wider nets. While there may be plenty of individuals who have to, or choose to, adjust their priorities moving forward, I don't see COVID-19 as the catalyst to change the youth soccer landscape in any significant way. I don't see any reason for ECNL and DA to change their posture. Additionally, I don't see much of a change with regard to college attendance or funding either, so scholarships are more likely than not, to remain unchanged.

I wish you luck on your crusade. Until then, there are plenty of local schools who recruit exclusively at Jeff Cup, Bethesda, Delco, Penn Fusion, etc.
2. There is a

I do not know. We follow one college program because they are close to our house. It seems like the coach recruits the same area year after year....maybe like three states. I look at the other coaches in their league and they seem to do the same thing but from different areas. It seems many of the coaches have a formula for building their team. Each year they kind of just replace kids with the same type of kids from the same area, it really makes me wonder how important showcase etc are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I feel like I am speaking to the brain-dead. First, if you believe that the DA and ECNL are the only leagues with talented then you are clueless. Second, I understand the point of the showcases but there is no reason that you can't have showcases without the DA or ECNL. Between DA and ECNL, you have ten showcases. Don't tell me that without the DA or ECNL that you can't arrange 8-10 major national showcases plus regional showcases plus regional/national playoff that coaches can attend. JefCup, Disney, SurfCup, CASL, Texas Shootout, etc., will become the top venues again. Others like Penn Fusion and Bethesda would attract schools from the region. Penn Fusion had top Ivies, Big 10, ACC and Big East coaches.

Look, all that I a saying is that everyone will revisit youth sports in general once we recover from the pandemic. I think college soccer scholarships might be one of the things that become less available. In that environment, people will rethink the commitment to youth soccer.

There is both a pragmatic and an idealistic approach to this. You are taking an idealistic approach that is unlikely to occur. The rest of us are taking a more pragmatic approach. I think ignoring the realities of youth soccer is putting your head in the sand.

DA and ECNL are not the only leagues with talented players. They have by far the highest concentration however, which makes them ideal targets for recruiting. Their showcases are ideal for college coaches on limited budgets. You could easily come up with the same number of showcase opportunities within reasonable distances if these were no longer available. That would be ideal for local families but horrendous for high level college programs that have wider nets. While there may be plenty of individuals who have to, or choose to, adjust their priorities moving forward, I don't see COVID-19 as the catalyst to change the youth soccer landscape in any significant way. I don't see any reason for ECNL and DA to change their posture. Additionally, I don't see much of a change with regard to college attendance or funding either, so scholarships are more likely than not, to remain unchanged.

I wish you luck on your crusade. Until then, there are plenty of local schools who recruit exclusively at Jeff Cup, Bethesda, Delco, Penn Fusion, etc.
2. There is a

I do not know. We follow one college program because they are close to our house. It seems like the coach recruits the same area year after year....maybe like three states. I look at the other coaches in their league and they seem to do the same thing but from different areas. It seems many of the coaches have a formula for building their team. Each year they kind of just replace kids with the same type of kids from the same area, it really makes me wonder how important showcase etc are.

The showcases show the players against quality competition at a single location where multiple recruits would be available. Attending league games, while not impossible is very difficult for college coaches. Yes, local colleges can make a league game and/or club practice but only if it is within a day drive and doesn’t require a overnight stay.

People seem to think that a soccer program has the same recruiting budget as a D1 football or basketball program.

Small colleges are going to recruit heavily in their region since that is where a majority of their students come from anyways but larger programs will be a mix of region and out of region kids.

DA and ECNL are not intended for smaller local schools/programs.

And while there are talented kids outside of DA and ECNL being a NCSL Star and HS standout simply may not transfer to ECNL or DA. The same kid would be a normal player at those levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love these people that support the status quo. "Elite" does not have to be national at the league level. Keep it local until the end of the season. If you can't see that such a program is in everyone's best interest then you are part of the problem.

I really want to meet the morons who decided that "Elite" has to mean extensive travel. In any age group in either the ECNL or DA, the top three or four teams are elite while the rest are just average. So why not take the local ECNL and DA teams and have them match up against top local non-DA/ECNL teams and play each other twice durign the year. Take FCV, Arlinigton and then add McLean, Bethesda, MUFC, Richmond or BRYC and then add Baltimore Union, Baltimore Celtic, MRM Rush, Pipeline, SAC, Herndon, Coppermine, etc. Just among that group, you have 20+ games. Each team can do its own showcases 2-4x a year and then have local and regional playoffs, which lead to a national playoff.

If that doen's work, please give me something else that doesn't require that I travel 200+ miles to play an inferior team all for the plessure of my DD playing "elite" soccer.

It's typical in any sporting league that there are scant few top teams, then a fat section of middling ones, and some bottom feeders. ECNL and DA are no different. The teams in these two leagues are looking for highest average talent level to provide the best challenges for their mostly college bound athletes. If there was a local league that offered the same level of competition, with the same college recruiting opportunities, you might see clubs heading that way. There could be, but there isn't. And so we mush on. We are consumers who purchase the best product that meets our needs each year. Nobody is going to make their kids martyrs to further this crusade.

People still don't get it. Its like that can't even think outside the box. First, ECNL and DA are not the only teams sending players to DI and not every player playing ECNL and DA is going to play DI. Second, if you out rid of the travel and jys created a stricture that was more local league play, girls currently traveking hours to practice with ECNL or DA teams might play for their local clubs.

I can't discuss this issue with folks who are just ok accepting the status quo. I don't think the status quo is sustainable in the current environment.

Stop. There just is not enough local talent to support what you want. If you think there is then you have not seen top talent play before. The older FCV and McLean teams are top nationally ranked teams because they were formed when there were only two elite options available in VA. You will be hard pressed to find YOUNGER teams of similar caliber in the area due to dilution.

These leagues are showcase league that deliver on college exposure that draws coaches that Jeff Cup or the Disney Showcase will never match. The showcases are why parents shell out thousands of dollars. I’m sorry, but Power 5 colleges will not attend a CCL or NCSL level event. These showcases are designed to provide college coaches the opportunity to scout lots of players at fewer events. They do not have the recruiting budget to hit every club sponsored showcase up and down the East Coast.

Your dream of a revolution has been done before and the market moved in the direction it is currently because College Coaches win and the players who have talent and can afford the bill win.

I feel like I am speaking to the brain-dead. First, if you believe that the DA and ECNL are the only leagues with talented then you are clueless. Second, I understand the point of the showcases but there is no reason that you can't have showcases without the DA or ECNL. Between DA and ECNL, you have ten showcases. Don't tell me that without the DA or ECNL that you can't arrange 8-10 major national showcases plus regional showcases plus regional/national playoff that coaches can attend. JefCup, Disney, SurfCup, CASL, Texas Shootout, etc., will become the top venues again. Others like Penn Fusion and Bethesda would attract schools from the region. Penn Fusion had top Ivies, Big 10, ACC and Big East coaches.

Look, all that I a saying is that everyone will revisit youth sports in general once we recover from the pandemic. I think college soccer scholarships might be one of the things that become less available. In that environment, people will rethink the commitment to youth soccer.

And at a showcase like Penn Fusion those schools you mention were all on DA and ECNL fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love these people that support the status quo. "Elite" does not have to be national at the league level. Keep it local until the end of the season. If you can't see that such a program is in everyone's best interest then you are part of the problem.

I really want to meet the morons who decided that "Elite" has to mean extensive travel. In any age group in either the ECNL or DA, the top three or four teams are elite while the rest are just average. So why not take the local ECNL and DA teams and have them match up against top local non-DA/ECNL teams and play each other twice durign the year. Take FCV, Arlinigton and then add McLean, Bethesda, MUFC, Richmond or BRYC and then add Baltimore Union, Baltimore Celtic, MRM Rush, Pipeline, SAC, Herndon, Coppermine, etc. Just among that group, you have 20+ games. Each team can do its own showcases 2-4x a year and then have local and regional playoffs, which lead to a national playoff.

If that doen's work, please give me something else that doesn't require that I travel 200+ miles to play an inferior team all for the plessure of my DD playing "elite" soccer.

It's typical in any sporting league that there are scant few top teams, then a fat section of middling ones, and some bottom feeders. ECNL and DA are no different. The teams in these two leagues are looking for highest average talent level to provide the best challenges for their mostly college bound athletes. If there was a local league that offered the same level of competition, with the same college recruiting opportunities, you might see clubs heading that way. There could be, but there isn't. And so we mush on. We are consumers who purchase the best product that meets our needs each year. Nobody is going to make their kids martyrs to further this crusade.

People still don't get it. Its like that can't even think outside the box. First, ECNL and DA are not the only teams sending players to DI and not every player playing ECNL and DA is going to play DI. Second, if you out rid of the travel and jys created a stricture that was more local league play, girls currently traveking hours to practice with ECNL or DA teams might play for their local clubs.

I can't discuss this issue with folks who are just ok accepting the status quo. I don't think the status quo is sustainable in the current environment.

Stop. There just is not enough local talent to support what you want. If you think there is then you have not seen top talent play before. The older FCV and McLean teams are top nationally ranked teams because they were formed when there were only two elite options available in VA. You will be hard pressed to find YOUNGER teams of similar caliber in the area due to dilution.

These leagues are showcase league that deliver on college exposure that draws coaches that Jeff Cup or the Disney Showcase will never match. The showcases are why parents shell out thousands of dollars. I’m sorry, but Power 5 colleges will not attend a CCL or NCSL level event. These showcases are designed to provide college coaches the opportunity to scout lots of players at fewer events. They do not have the recruiting budget to hit every club sponsored showcase up and down the East Coast.

Your dream of a revolution has been done before and the market moved in the direction it is currently because College Coaches win and the players who have talent and can afford the bill win.

You would be luck to get one or two players from any of the DA or ECNL teams in this area playing for a college soccer power/big name school. There are just not that many slots available. The coaches will go to the showcases and watch the top 2-3 players on the top teams. Everyone else is just the rest of the team. A bottom or middle of the pack DA/ECNL team will see coaches but the coaches are not really watching those teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love these people that support the status quo. "Elite" does not have to be national at the league level. Keep it local until the end of the season. If you can't see that such a program is in everyone's best interest then you are part of the problem.

I really want to meet the morons who decided that "Elite" has to mean extensive travel. In any age group in either the ECNL or DA, the top three or four teams are elite while the rest are just average. So why not take the local ECNL and DA teams and have them match up against top local non-DA/ECNL teams and play each other twice durign the year. Take FCV, Arlinigton and then add McLean, Bethesda, MUFC, Richmond or BRYC and then add Baltimore Union, Baltimore Celtic, MRM Rush, Pipeline, SAC, Herndon, Coppermine, etc. Just among that group, you have 20+ games. Each team can do its own showcases 2-4x a year and then have local and regional playoffs, which lead to a national playoff.

If that doen's work, please give me something else that doesn't require that I travel 200+ miles to play an inferior team all for the plessure of my DD playing "elite" soccer.

It's typical in any sporting league that there are scant few top teams, then a fat section of middling ones, and some bottom feeders. ECNL and DA are no different. The teams in these two leagues are looking for highest average talent level to provide the best challenges for their mostly college bound athletes. If there was a local league that offered the same level of competition, with the same college recruiting opportunities, you might see clubs heading that way. There could be, but there isn't. And so we mush on. We are consumers who purchase the best product that meets our needs each year. Nobody is going to make their kids martyrs to further this crusade.

People still don't get it. Its like that can't even think outside the box. First, ECNL and DA are not the only teams sending players to DI and not every player playing ECNL and DA is going to play DI. Second, if you out rid of the travel and jys created a stricture that was more local league play, girls currently traveking hours to practice with ECNL or DA teams might play for their local clubs.

I can't discuss this issue with folks who are just ok accepting the status quo. I don't think the status quo is sustainable in the current environment.

Stop. There just is not enough local talent to support what you want. If you think there is then you have not seen top talent play before. The older FCV and McLean teams are top nationally ranked teams because they were formed when there were only two elite options available in VA. You will be hard pressed to find YOUNGER teams of similar caliber in the area due to dilution.

These leagues are showcase league that deliver on college exposure that draws coaches that Jeff Cup or the Disney Showcase will never match. The showcases are why parents shell out thousands of dollars. I’m sorry, but Power 5 colleges will not attend a CCL or NCSL level event. These showcases are designed to provide college coaches the opportunity to scout lots of players at fewer events. They do not have the recruiting budget to hit every club sponsored showcase up and down the East Coast.

Your dream of a revolution has been done before and the market moved in the direction it is currently because College Coaches win and the players who have talent and can afford the bill win.

You would be luck to get one or two players from any of the DA or ECNL teams in this area playing for a college soccer power/big name school. There are just not that many slots available. The coaches will go to the showcases and watch the top 2-3 players on the top teams. Everyone else is just the rest of the team. A bottom or middle of the pack DA/ECNL team will see coaches but the coaches are not really watching those teams.

First off, college coaches don't watch teams, they watch players. Even if a great player plays on a crap team, they will come.
Second, you may want to go have a look if you think only the top 1-2 players from any local teams are going to high level D1 programs.