ECNL moving to school year not calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter’s club team made the semi finals at nationals last year 80% of the team is going to play high school. Our coach doesn’t discourage it. He’s not overall fond of it but many of the girls play on great high school teams with solid competition.

So even at the elite level girls like playing sports with friends from school.

Not previous poster but know the same and here in the DMV area. Is your daughter’s HS season in the Soring? So her Soring ECNL schedule, especially with playoffs coming up in the summer, doesn’t conflict with HS and their weeknight games and trainings? Many teams in this area are in this situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The rumor around town is ECNL is going to allow the middle school ages some extra flexibility next fall. With full implementation y Fall 26. US Club will also offer flexibility for next year’s trapped players while teammates are playing high school. Sounds like tournament will be advised to all trapped players to participate as well.

Sounds like the podcast will start to address this with additional details to come from us club in early to late January.

So…basically what most solid clubs are already doing for the 8th graders?

I swear it’s like none of these posters have kids in ECNL and it’s just a whole bunch of NPL parents.

What are you talking about? The best clubs in the country can't mitigate the experience of being trapped. In fact 8th grade is the worse. Guesting with another team (which then consists of BY players a year younger) or doing some futsal to keep you active is not a remotely effective stop gap. If you're going into 8th grade next year and you get the opportunity to join a team for the entire season that's a game changer.

And since you have no clue what you're talking about I'll educate you that the current options for trapped players almost universally ensures they aren't going to tournaments in a meaningful way. Soccer's a team sport if you haven't noticed and when your team leaves you it creates tons of issues. Re-read the post before you respond on subjects you know nothing about.

You’ve got no idea what the top clubs do for their kids.

Yup! PP is the one that has no clue. Competitive ECNL teams do not encourage HS soccer and the team continued with club training and other opportunities created on the schedule (deliberately) during HS soccer season. Teams that are in nationals and playoffs have seasons that continue through the summer (which means will conflict with any Soring HS soccer season).

Huh?? Not sure where you are in the country but we live in the mecca for soccer and play with a top team. Just because your small town club mandates no HS soccer and you're in a unique situation, stop making statements that start with 'top clubs in the country'. You have no idea what you're talking about. Take your BY ambitions somewhere else. Face it, you lost. Trying to frame the mish mash of trapped player waivers and exceptions as some sort of solution better than simply moving to SY is ludicrous for anyone that knows what they're talking about.

Same here. Not sure where pp lives or what league they are in, but our club doesn’t have any games/practices or in any way conflicts with HS teams until after the HS season is over in November.

No PP, but we live in a big metro. Players on the top local top ECNL club who play HS are on a 2nd team. Also, clubs stays on top largely by recruiting region's best players from surrounding clubs while doing all possible to limit other area top clubs from joining ECNL. in this world, really good players who want to play HS get replaced from the top team.

I believe this is the exception, not the rule. My son plays on the 09 Boys SC Surf ECNL. They won the National Championship last year. I consider them highly competitive. All but one of those players played HS soccer last year. The 8th graders played JV (High School League Rule), the 9th graders were either varsity or JV depending on quality of the school's roster.

I believe most ECNL kids, boys and girls, are playing in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The rumor around town is ECNL is going to allow the middle school ages some extra flexibility next fall. With full implementation y Fall 26. US Club will also offer flexibility for next year’s trapped players while teammates are playing high school. Sounds like tournament will be advised to all trapped players to participate as well.

Sounds like the podcast will start to address this with additional details to come from us club in early to late January.

So…basically what most solid clubs are already doing for the 8th graders?

I swear it’s like none of these posters have kids in ECNL and it’s just a whole bunch of NPL parents.

What are you talking about? The best clubs in the country can't mitigate the experience of being trapped. In fact 8th grade is the worse. Guesting with another team (which then consists of BY players a year younger) or doing some futsal to keep you active is not a remotely effective stop gap. If you're going into 8th grade next year and you get the opportunity to join a team for the entire season that's a game changer.

And since you have no clue what you're talking about I'll educate you that the current options for trapped players almost universally ensures they aren't going to tournaments in a meaningful way. Soccer's a team sport if you haven't noticed and when your team leaves you it creates tons of issues. Re-read the post before you respond on subjects you know nothing about.

You’ve got no idea what the top clubs do for their kids.

Yup! PP is the one that has no clue. Competitive ECNL teams do not encourage HS soccer and the team continued with club training and other opportunities created on the schedule (deliberately) during HS soccer season. Teams that are in nationals and playoffs have seasons that continue through the summer (which means will conflict with any Soring HS soccer season).

Huh?? Not sure where you are in the country but we live in the mecca for soccer and play with a top team. Just because your small town club mandates no HS soccer and you're in a unique situation, stop making statements that start with 'top clubs in the country'. You have no idea what you're talking about. Take your BY ambitions somewhere else. Face it, you lost. Trying to frame the mish mash of trapped player waivers and exceptions as some sort of solution better than simply moving to SY is ludicrous for anyone that knows what they're talking about.

Same here. Not sure where pp lives or what league they are in, but our club doesn’t have any games/practices or in any way conflicts with HS teams until after the HS season is over in November.

No PP, but we live in a big metro. Players on the top local top ECNL club who play HS are on a 2nd team. Also, clubs stays on top largely by recruiting region's best players from surrounding clubs while doing all possible to limit other area top clubs from joining ECNL. in this world, really good players who want to play HS get replaced from the top team.

I believe this is the exception, not the rule. My son plays on the 09 Boys SC Surf ECNL. They won the National Championship last year. I consider them highly competitive. All but one of those players played HS soccer last year. The 8th graders played JV (High School League Rule), the 9th graders were either varsity or JV depending on quality of the school's roster.

I believe most ECNL kids, boys and girls, are playing in HS.

All 4 years? Not just ECNL but another trend in our area is top club players often play as freshmen/sophomores and then focus even more on club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The rumor around town is ECNL is going to allow the middle school ages some extra flexibility next fall. With full implementation y Fall 26. US Club will also offer flexibility for next year’s trapped players while teammates are playing high school. Sounds like tournament will be advised to all trapped players to participate as well.

Sounds like the podcast will start to address this with additional details to come from us club in early to late January.

So…basically what most solid clubs are already doing for the 8th graders?

I swear it’s like none of these posters have kids in ECNL and it’s just a whole bunch of NPL parents.

What are you talking about? The best clubs in the country can't mitigate the experience of being trapped. In fact 8th grade is the worse. Guesting with another team (which then consists of BY players a year younger) or doing some futsal to keep you active is not a remotely effective stop gap. If you're going into 8th grade next year and you get the opportunity to join a team for the entire season that's a game changer.

And since you have no clue what you're talking about I'll educate you that the current options for trapped players almost universally ensures they aren't going to tournaments in a meaningful way. Soccer's a team sport if you haven't noticed and when your team leaves you it creates tons of issues. Re-read the post before you respond on subjects you know nothing about.

You’ve got no idea what the top clubs do for their kids.

Yup! PP is the one that has no clue. Competitive ECNL teams do not encourage HS soccer and the team continued with club training and other opportunities created on the schedule (deliberately) during HS soccer season. Teams that are in nationals and playoffs have seasons that continue through the summer (which means will conflict with any Soring HS soccer season).

Huh?? Not sure where you are in the country but we live in the mecca for soccer and play with a top team. Just because your small town club mandates no HS soccer and you're in a unique situation, stop making statements that start with 'top clubs in the country'. You have no idea what you're talking about. Take your BY ambitions somewhere else. Face it, you lost. Trying to frame the mish mash of trapped player waivers and exceptions as some sort of solution better than simply moving to SY is ludicrous for anyone that knows what they're talking about.

Same here. Not sure where pp lives or what league they are in, but our club doesn’t have any games/practices or in any way conflicts with HS teams until after the HS season is over in November.

No PP, but we live in a big metro. Players on the top local top ECNL club who play HS are on a 2nd team. Also, clubs stays on top largely by recruiting region's best players from surrounding clubs while doing all possible to limit other area top clubs from joining ECNL. in this world, really good players who want to play HS get replaced from the top team.

I believe this is the exception, not the rule. My son plays on the 09 Boys SC Surf ECNL. They won the National Championship last year. I consider them highly competitive. All but one of those players played HS soccer last year. The 8th graders played JV (High School League Rule), the 9th graders were either varsity or JV depending on quality of the school's roster.

I believe most ECNL kids, boys and girls, are playing in HS.

Also, congrats on the win -- an amazing accomplishment BUT -- because youth soccer is so fragmented -- that's only 1 of many national champions awarded last year by the various leagues. Wish there was a way all the winners could play each other.

[Anonymous]

Time is flying. Were almost in 2025 people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDktBZzQIiU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ECNL should do is not have A/B teams, but teams that are Q1/Q2-focused and Q3/Q4-focused. The better players in year 12-year window should play with the other grouping. So, the best Q3/Q4 play on the Q1/Q2-focused and the best Q1-Q2, play on the Q3/Q4 focused. Increase participation and help minimize RAE.

Not all clubs have multiple teams or even Regional level teams. There are clubs that have only 1 (ECNL) national team per age.

Right, because the player pool isn't big enough. Maybe it would be if we could minimize RAE better. These solutions could be perhaps achieved by having different leagues focused this way. The challenge, though, is instead of focusing on these type of solutions, we hear too much of the crap (the my kid will crush your kid stuff) about how clubs will be looking for a temporary edge as the teams get jumbled.

For the billionth time switching from BY to SY does NOTHING for addressing RAE.

The RAE affect is the same under both BY and SY. All you're doing is shifting which birthdays are most affected.

Stop using RAE as a reason for SY it makes you look stupid and people think that you're trying to be sneaky. Which you are.

[Anonymous]

TRAPPED PLAYERS....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ECNL should do is not have A/B teams, but teams that are Q1/Q2-focused and Q3/Q4-focused. The better players in year 12-year window should play with the other grouping. So, the best Q3/Q4 play on the Q1/Q2-focused and the best Q1-Q2, play on the Q3/Q4 focused. Increase participation and help minimize RAE.

Not all clubs have multiple teams or even Regional level teams. There are clubs that have only 1 (ECNL) national team per age.

Right, because the player pool isn't big enough. Maybe it would be if we could minimize RAE better. These solutions could be perhaps achieved by having different leagues focused this way. The challenge, though, is instead of focusing on these type of solutions, we hear too much of the crap (the my kid will crush your kid stuff) about how clubs will be looking for a temporary edge as the teams get jumbled.

For the billionth time switching from BY to SY does NOTHING for addressing RAE.

The RAE affect is the same under both BY and SY. All you're doing is shifting which birthdays are most affected.

Stop using RAE as a reason for SY it makes you look stupid and people think that you're trying to be sneaky. Which you are.

Read more of the previous quotes ... This is about not switching only to SY but encouraging youth soccer to have leagues, teams clubs with both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ECNL should do is not have A/B teams, but teams that are Q1/Q2-focused and Q3/Q4-focused. The better players in year 12-year window should play with the other grouping. So, the best Q3/Q4 play on the Q1/Q2-focused and the best Q1-Q2, play on the Q3/Q4 focused. Increase participation and help minimize RAE.

Not all clubs have multiple teams or even Regional level teams. There are clubs that have only 1 (ECNL) national team per age.

Right, because the player pool isn't big enough. Maybe it would be if we could minimize RAE better. These solutions could be perhaps achieved by having different leagues focused this way. The challenge, though, is instead of focusing on these type of solutions, we hear too much of the crap (the my kid will crush your kid stuff) about how clubs will be looking for a temporary edge as the teams get jumbled.

For the billionth time switching from BY to SY does NOTHING for addressing RAE.

The RAE affect is the same under both BY and SY. All you're doing is shifting which birthdays are most affected.

Stop using RAE as a reason for SY it makes you look stupid and people think that you're trying to be sneaky. Which you are.

That isn't good enough for these wackos. Strange that someone would die on that hill.

Read more of the previous quotes ... This is about not switching only to SY but encouraging youth soccer to have leagues, teams clubs with both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ECNL should do is not have A/B teams, but teams that are Q1/Q2-focused and Q3/Q4-focused. The better players in year 12-year window should play with the other grouping. So, the best Q3/Q4 play on the Q1/Q2-focused and the best Q1-Q2, play on the Q3/Q4 focused. Increase participation and help minimize RAE.

Not all clubs have multiple teams or even Regional level teams. There are clubs that have only 1 (ECNL) national team per age.

Right, because the player pool isn't big enough. Maybe it would be if we could minimize RAE better. These solutions could be perhaps achieved by having different leagues focused this way. The challenge, though, is instead of focusing on these type of solutions, we hear too much of the crap (the my kid will crush your kid stuff) about how clubs will be looking for a temporary edge as the teams get jumbled.

For the billionth time switching from BY to SY does NOTHING for addressing RAE.

The RAE affect is the same under both BY and SY. All you're doing is shifting which birthdays are most affected.

Stop using RAE as a reason for SY it makes you look stupid and people think that you're trying to be sneaky. Which you are.

Read more of the previous quotes ... This is about not switching only to SY but encouraging youth soccer to have leagues, teams clubs with both.

I think there's a good chance of this happening either way.

MLSN, GA, and DPL might stay BY.

[Anonymous]

OMG...make it stop! Getting toward 500!

Not in the DMV, but local enough to it. DD is a 2009, January birthday.

ENCL league games are in the fall, HS in the spring. There are many girls that play HS because up until a few years ago, that was the only spring option that was available to them.

Our club put together what they call their Super Cup team. It's HS age kids who don't want to play or don't have a HS option. Also, the trapped players on my daughter's team played Super Cup and also played a few games with the 2010s. Team trained 3 days a week together and my daughter trained with the 2010 boys team one day a week.

Play other "Super Cup" teams in the area and also some of the local ECNL boys squads in the younger age range.

Regular team reformed at the end of HS and began training for the ECNL playoffs.

She plans on doing the same again this Spring. Were some of her HS friends from other clubs bummed that she wasn't playing HS - sure, but they are still friends. So, not a big deal overall.

We will be fine either way with staying BY or moving the cutoff, but there will also be someone at one end or the other of the date range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ECNL should do is not have A/B teams, but teams that are Q1/Q2-focused and Q3/Q4-focused. The better players in year 12-year window should play with the other grouping. So, the best Q3/Q4 play on the Q1/Q2-focused and the best Q1-Q2, play on the Q3/Q4 focused. Increase participation and help minimize RAE.

Not all clubs have multiple teams or even Regional level teams. There are clubs that have only 1 (ECNL) national team per age.

Right, because the player pool isn't big enough. Maybe it would be if we could minimize RAE better. These solutions could be perhaps achieved by having different leagues focused this way. The challenge, though, is instead of focusing on these type of solutions, we hear too much of the crap (the my kid will crush your kid stuff) about how clubs will be looking for a temporary edge as the teams get jumbled.

For the billionth time switching from BY to SY does NOTHING for addressing RAE.

The RAE affect is the same under both BY and SY. All you're doing is shifting which birthdays are most affected.

Stop using RAE as a reason for SY it makes you look stupid and people think that you're trying to be sneaky. Which you are.

People with Q3/4 want the RAE advantage for their kids that’s why they want SY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ECNL should do is not have A/B teams, but teams that are Q1/Q2-focused and Q3/Q4-focused. The better players in year 12-year window should play with the other grouping. So, the best Q3/Q4 play on the Q1/Q2-focused and the best Q1-Q2, play on the Q3/Q4 focused. Increase participation and help minimize RAE.

Not all clubs have multiple teams or even Regional level teams. There are clubs that have only 1 (ECNL) national team per age.

Right, because the player pool isn't big enough. Maybe it would be if we could minimize RAE better. These solutions could be perhaps achieved by having different leagues focused this way. The challenge, though, is instead of focusing on these type of solutions, we hear too much of the crap (the my kid will crush your kid stuff) about how clubs will be looking for a temporary edge as the teams get jumbled.

For the billionth time switching from BY to SY does NOTHING for addressing RAE.

The RAE affect is the same under both BY and SY. All you're doing is shifting which birthdays are most affected.

Stop using RAE as a reason for SY it makes you look stupid and people think that you're trying to be sneaky. Which you are.

People with Q3/4 want the RAE advantage for their kids that’s why they want SY.

So, to summarize:

Q3/4 people want SY for the RAE advantage.

Q1/2 people want BY for the RAE advantage.

Most leagues want SY to eliminate trapper player problems and club participation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ECNL should do is not have A/B teams, but teams that are Q1/Q2-focused and Q3/Q4-focused. The better players in year 12-year window should play with the other grouping. So, the best Q3/Q4 play on the Q1/Q2-focused and the best Q1-Q2, play on the Q3/Q4 focused. Increase participation and help minimize RAE.

Not all clubs have multiple teams or even Regional level teams. There are clubs that have only 1 (ECNL) national team per age.

Right, because the player pool isn't big enough. Maybe it would be if we could minimize RAE better. These solutions could be perhaps achieved by having different leagues focused this way. The challenge, though, is instead of focusing on these type of solutions, we hear too much of the crap (the my kid will crush your kid stuff) about how clubs will be looking for a temporary edge as the teams get jumbled.

For the billionth time switching from BY to SY does NOTHING for addressing RAE.

The RAE affect is the same under both BY and SY. All you're doing is shifting which birthdays are most affected.

Stop using RAE as a reason for SY it makes you look stupid and people think that you're trying to be sneaky. Which you are.

People with Q3/4 want the RAE advantage for their kids that’s why they want SY.

So, to summarize:

Q3/4 people want SY for the RAE advantage.

Q1/2 people want BY for the RAE advantage.

Most leagues want SY to eliminate trapper player problems and club participation.

That about sums it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ECNL should do is not have A/B teams, but teams that are Q1/Q2-focused and Q3/Q4-focused. The better players in year 12-year window should play with the other grouping. So, the best Q3/Q4 play on the Q1/Q2-focused and the best Q1-Q2, play on the Q3/Q4 focused. Increase participation and help minimize RAE.

Not all clubs have multiple teams or even Regional level teams. There are clubs that have only 1 (ECNL) national team per age.

Right, because the player pool isn't big enough. Maybe it would be if we could minimize RAE better. These solutions could be perhaps achieved by having different leagues focused this way. The challenge, though, is instead of focusing on these type of solutions, we hear too much of the crap (the my kid will crush your kid stuff) about how clubs will be looking for a temporary edge as the teams get jumbled.

For the billionth time switching from BY to SY does NOTHING for addressing RAE.

The RAE affect is the same under both BY and SY. All you're doing is shifting which birthdays are most affected.

Stop using RAE as a reason for SY it makes you look stupid and people think that you're trying to be sneaky. Which you are.

People with Q3/4 want the RAE advantage for their kids that’s why they want SY.

So, to summarize:

Q3/4 people want SY for the RAE advantage.

Q1/2 people want BY for the RAE advantage.

Most leagues want SY to eliminate trapper player problems and club participation.

The only leagues that have expressed that they want SY is ECNL and USYS.

If GA and MLS stay BY + create their own feeder BY rec league, leagues like SOCAL might lose half their players.