Roster sizes and movement for ENCL/DA clubs
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Anonymous
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I have a U12 daughter who is interested in ECNL or DA soccer but may be borderline in terms of talent. How do the area clubs manage their top team ECNL or DA rosters vs. their team B, C, D, etc.? How many are girls are rostered per team? Is it possible she makes the top team but warms the bench all season? Is there movement between the top and B teams or are you put on a A or B team for the season with no chance to move up until the following season? Do the top teams have the same training and coaching as the B or even C teams?
Any insights appreciated. |
Anonymous
| If your DD is borderline on talent she should be fine. DA/ECNL is so diluted that anyone can join as long as you can pay for it dont let these posters tell you different. Every team ECNL/DA does horrible in the national showcases. |
Anonymous
They are separate experiences entirely. Your DD could be a Dual Roster or PT player with the respective ECNL or DA team and play on the clubs B team. In that instance your DD may practice regularly with the top team and perhaps play games with them. Your mileage will vary on this as clubs use the designation differently. Some of these kids do make their way onto a roster but often it is with a competing clubs DA or ECNL team. But other than those players, the B team is the B team and the A team is the A team. |
Anonymous
There is alot of variation in player experience at the back half of the roster because it is so dependent on the club, team, and coach. You might find situations where she rides the bench mercilessly, and others where there is a good rotation. About the only way you can protect yourself and her is to have a frank discussion with the coach before she signs on in any capacity. In my experience, being near the back end of the roster is likely to be frustrating. Most elite (DA, ECNL) carry rosters that are at least a bit too big. A great scenario is to have an elite roster that leaves a few open spots for B team players to move into. This way players on the bubble will play somewhere each week. However because clubs want to maximize revenue, most do not operate this way. There tends to be alot of competition to make the 18 player gameday roster, and if you are #18, you don't play much. If you are #19, you might not play on the B team either depending on how they manage it. With regard to training, that is club dependent as well. Generally elite teams practice separately from B teams, although some clubs have academy nights when they may be together. |
Anonymous
| I'm curious about how exactly your 11 year old daughter became interested in a DA or ECNL team. One day she just come up to you and said, Hey Dad/Mom, I'd really like to be on either a DA or ECNL team? I mean it was either or. You had no hand in this like....I want my daughter to play DA or ECNL and then convinced her to be interested even though she's at the bottom of the roster and will be treated probably like crap but at least you get to walk around saying your daughter is on a DA or ECNL team? I'm sure it was the first option though. |
Anonymous
OP here. I definitely had a hand in it. Maybe less for getting able to walk around and humblebrag, although I think it would be cool to be able to do that but more because I think she has potential, loves playing and I think she could compete at those levels, although its hard to tell how she stacks up. She's no messi for sure but in the top 11 in her age group for a team, maybe. Just weighing the situation as I have no idea how these teams manage their rosters. I also have to imagine every kid in DA or ECNL was driven by their parents. Isn't that what we are supposed to do? |
Anonymous
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The landscape is still evolving locally in terms of ECNL/DA clubs.
If you don’t think your daughter is quite at the ECNL/DA level you may be correct. If she can make an ECNL/DA team that is probably the best place for her to develop even if she is isn’t a starter in games. Realize it is a huge commitment of time and money and if she does not develop she may not last on the team more than a year. Consider how hard it is to get to the practices. If you decide against ECNL/DA, your best option may be the second team of strong ECNL/DA club but realize the expense/time commitment of these teams is also very high. |
Anonymous
OP, where does your DD play now? Her club/teammates/current level of competition may be helpful in indicating how she would fare in terms of roster placement. One thing to beware of is that at least for some of the more established clubs, preference will be given (in making the team and play time initially at least) to players at the club, unless the new person is a Messi. That's what we saw with my older DD who went to a DA club from elsewhere. It gradually changed, but to be fair to the coaches, they knew some of the players who came up in their club far better than they knew my DD. |
Anonymous
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So how do the part time DA players fit in. Are they labeled as bottom players?
It’s looking like my DD whole team will be moved to DA next year. Call me cynical, they have not played on a full field, still going through purity and have not used a size 5 ball. She would be interested in the part program. It just seems too early for the travel, intensity and not being able to play other sports. |
Anonymous
DP. I thought I'd mention my own DD's experience when she was that age. This is a very condensed version. She didn't come say hey dad, I want to play DA. She said she wanted to play with better. She was frustrated with the level of her teammates. She was the star of her team. Great, right? Not so much when your teammates can't give you a decent pass or can't receive the ball. She didn't say DA or ECNL. We talked about high school soccer. I took her to some games and she said that was what she was trying to get away from. So DA rather than ECNL. Our first club didn't have a DA program (or ECNL), so it required changing clubs. Some girls just want the social experience. I know girls like that, some with talent, but they just want to be with their friends, to stay on the same team because that's where their friends where. That is completely valid and a great reason to stay on a team. Some though, like my DD, she loved that first team. She is still friends with them. Sometimes, when she has tome, she goes and watches them play club and goes and watches them play high school. But she loves playing with better. It's just who she is. |
Anonymous
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I agree that these teams are diluted.
Focus your attention on strong coaching at your DD's age. Parents get too caught up in winning and successful teams. What tends to happen is that those top teams are strong because of a few talented and athletically gifted players but as the teams age, other players on other teams develop into very good players or other players who were solid, mature and become dominant players. These players then come over to DA/ECNL at U15/U16 and diplace existing players that can't keep up. Those teams are the ones that dominate at the national level. Look at FCV/McLean/MUFC. By the time those players reach U18/19 they are producing dozens of DI commits. |
Anonymous
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It's not just the ECNL/DA teams that get diluted when an area like NoVA has so many "elite" level teams. It's across the board. The inference is being made above is that because the top level is diluted, that it matters less if you are playing a level or two below that. It's a convenient panacea when your player finds themselves stuck at too low a level.
It's quite the opposite in fact. Speed of play drops off very quickly as the average skill level drops, and this is a key discriminator for youth players. You might look at a B team player and think she is good technically but if she cannot adjust to the speed of play at the A level, those skills are not able to be used. There are plenty of technically sound players at elite levels that just do not play quickly enough to be effective. If your player aspires to develop, it is important to get them playing at the highest level they are capable of. |
Anonymous
| Is the speed of play the ability to read a game situation and appropriately apply the necessary skills to execute a play? If it is, then skills training and the right coaching is more important at u12 than playing at the most competitive level. I know plenty of girls that have played for non-ECNL/DA teams at U13 and U14 and developed into exceptional players who went on to ECNL/DA at U15 where they displace girls who would have been better served playing for a team that focused on developing players. ECNL/DA is the place you go once you have the skills and knowledge. |
Anonymous
| Yes good coaching is key. Watch a few games and attend some practices and see what is being taught. How do they move off the ball and create and find space? How do they talk and help their teammates? What is their first touchdown like (purposeful)? Do they move away from pressure and take space? Do they switch fields effectively and know when to play a penetrating pass? Are they confident and aggressive in a one-on-one situation? Do they know how to position defensively and contain and close down defensively? Are they talk to put forth high effort and to have intensity but also composure? |
Anonymous
| Touch, not touchdown. Thanks autocorrect. |