Anonymous wrote:Why do YOU want her to play ECNL so much? Is she at all interested in playing in college? Or is that your dream

I don't think that's what the OP stated. They were looking for other options that were still high level. EDP teams are probably your best best.

Why do YOU want her to play ECNL so much? Is she at all interested in playing in college? Or is that your dream

She is a child. Let her decide where she wants to play and enjoy the beautiful game. There are plenty of good teams that are not in ECNL. My daughter was in the same situation and was offered ECNL spots from u15 up to u19. She decided to stay for the team, team culture, friendships, etc. Best decision she ever made. Shoot, her team beat a few same age ECNL teams in showcases and scrimmages along the way. If your DD wants to play college soccer, she does not have to be in ECNL. It is more important that she recruits the schools she wants (assuming she has the talent) vs. relying on ECNL to be the end all (which it is not - you still have to recruit the school even at ECNL). My daughter is in her final year of club soccer and turned down 5 D1 schools across Virginia (including athletic/merit combo $$$ offers at many of them) to play at a D3 school where she felt a better fit with coaches, team culture, the school itself, etc. More importantly a better school for the career she is chasing and her major which is way more important than playing soccer in college. Do not get hung up on ECNL. Let your daughter decide what she wants to do and support her.

Folks, ECNL and GA are not the end-all-be-all. There are still great clubs out there that are not in either league and some horrible clubs that are.

For the 1,000th time, it is not the letters that matter. Coaching matters. Find a solid coach and if your kid is good and wants to play collage, coaches will find him or her.

In my opinion, ECNL and GA are mostly for girls who are average. The best kids don't need ECNL and GA but the average player does.

Yes.

If she doesn’t care about playing in college, she should do as she pleases. I agree with a PP that looking for good EDP teams is a sensible alternative. We have sometimes pushed our kids to do things that seemed daunting because they were feeling intimidated or not wanting to work hard, though, and they always* enjoyed the more ambitious path in the end.

*This is true for all sports with 3 kids in our case. It was not true for piano. Still kills me that our extraordinarily talented DD wanted nothing to do with advancement in that area.

Anonymous wrote:If she's 16, play wherever makes her happy. If she's 11, those top teams are the best place to keep gaining skills because there is better competition and teammates (relative). You can't play rec for 5 years and expect to come out with the same level of play as playing on a top team for the same amount of time. That being said, if she doesn't want to commit the time, then keep playing rec. Just know that she will have fun but won't be playing D1 in college.

ECNL starts at u13 so she would be at minimum u14. Also kids who are playing rec do not make ECNL teams. Get real.

Play High school and a low level travel team

Anonymous wrote:My DD has been offered ECNL twice but does not want to do the travel/time commitment. The problem is with so many GA and ECNL options the level of play really falls off if you are not in one of those leagues(this includes the ECNL-r). She wants to play with girls who see the field the way she does and have the technical skills to execute. Guess she is out of luck?

You could look at EDP teams. There are some good ones. The other option is ECNL- R Virginia which doesn't travel as much. She might be the best on her team if she chooses these teams, but she can learn to become a better leader.

There are programs out there that are competitive and get their best kids into college programs. ECNL and GA (really at this point FCV) are not the only options. Look at teams that play in top EDP divisions or that win their respective VYSA state cups and that when matched against ECNL teams in tournaments hold their own.

If she's 16, play wherever makes her happy. If she's 11, those top teams are the best place to keep gaining skills because there is better competition and teammates (relative). You can't play rec for 5 years and expect to come out with the same level of play as playing on a top team for the same amount of time. That being said, if she doesn't want to commit the time, then keep playing rec. Just know that she will have fun but won't be playing D1 in college.

My kid was offered two times to play for a nearby ECNL team after she tried out in back to back years. Each time we discussed the pros cons and she opted to stay where she really enjoyed her teammates, the club, the coaches and such. She is now getting actively recruited and I am pleased with the level of interest. Could she have gotten more eyes on her with the ECNL Club, probably. Would she have been as happy, I doubt it.

Let your kid steer her own path. Sure you can point them where you think they should go but ultimately if she is not very passionate and I dont mean 12 year old passionate I mean 17 year old passionate (when life and all the options she will be contending with) she will opt not to pursue at the next level that you think she should be at.

*on my team

What age group is she? I'll take her in my team 😉

My DD has been offered ECNL twice but does not want to do the travel/time commitment. The problem is with so many GA and ECNL options the level of play really falls off if you are not in one of those leagues(this includes the ECNL-r). She wants to play with girls who see the field the way she does and have the technical skills to execute. Guess she is out of luck?