From my experience I think at age 9 the most important thing is to play on a team where the coach emphasizes development of technical skills (good ball control, ability to settle balls in the air, shoot with both feet, etc) and also one that emphasizes a possession game over a long ball / kickball style game. As they get older the team also needs to be able to compete in the upper divisions of EDP and/or local/regional tourneys so if the time comes where a switch to ECNL or some comparable league is needed to pursue a college career, they will already be mostly adapted to a higher level of play with faster speed of the game. So in other words, playing at an ECNL club at a young age just for the sake of it may not be optimal for development or your pocketbook unless you get lucky with a really good coach. If your kid is talented enough by U15 having developed outside of ECNL, they can likely walk on to any team who has an opening and get a roster spot.

you do know that ECNL doesn't start until 13 right? If an ECNL coach is talking to your daughter now about playing with them in 4 years he's gauging your pocketbook and loyalty and not the talent of a 9 year old.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She’s 9….

Didn't you read OP's post. ECNL coaches are already recruiting her

lol

OP, I was once in your shoes years ago…

ECNL>Girls Academy>USYS

ECNL gets roughly 70% of D1 players. 25% Girls Academy. 5% Others and that is probably high.

Another note, the landscape always seems to change. Rumors floating that ECNL is embezzling money, but then again, that is just rumors. Everything can change by the time your DD is 13.

Most importantly, put your DD’s education 1st and what ever passion she has that she can actually make a living out of. Women’s soccer is not going to be it. Use soccer as a means to get into the best college possible for her future career whether D1 or D3.

I know too many idiots who’s daughters just go to college because “it’s a good soccer school” instead of a good Medical school.

Anonymous wrote:you sure it's her dream?

there is over a 50% chance she won't be playing soccer past 8th grade.

the girls my daughter played with a 9- only 3 are still playing.

Anonymous wrote:I would be very skeptical of a coach promising they will start their own club/league. How would that even happen? It's already so crowded with competing clubs in this area. They would need to have significant financial backing to succeed in order to do enough marketing to fill the teams, get fields to play on, etc.

Is ECNL the only path? No. But right now it is the most common path by far. Of the current D1 players, it's about 70% ECNL, 20% GA, and maybe 5-10% other which is mostly international players. Use that data as you choose.

Coaches lie and assume parental ignorance. DD's U12 team was great. They were in the top brackets of highly regarded tournaments and usually placed. They easily won their division in EDP. Coming into the spring the coach tried to convince us that he'd register the team for ECNL in the fall. Fortunately, no one believed him and the kids who wanted to play ECNL tried out elsewhere

I would be very skeptical of a coach promising they will start their own club/league. How would that even happen? It's already so crowded with competing clubs in this area. They would need to have significant financial backing to succeed in order to do enough marketing to fill the teams, get fields to play on, etc.

Is ECNL the only path? No. But right now it is the most common path by far. Of the current D1 players, it's about 70% ECNL, 20% GA, and maybe 5-10% other which is mostly international players. Use that data as you choose.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She’s 9….

Didn't you read OP's post. ECNL coaches are already recruiting her

the recruit every kid who has a parent who is willing to pay for the next 9 years of expensive club soccer, they have to get their salaries paid by someone.

Or they give the same speech every year to encourage parents to pay for U9-12 teams and then take the best players who show up for tryouts at u13 regardless of where they come from

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She’s 9….

Didn't you read OP's post. ECNL coaches are already recruiting her

the recruit every kid who has a parent who is willing to pay for the next 9 years of expensive club soccer, they have to get their salaries paid by someone.

you sure it's her dream?

there is over a 50% chance she won't be playing soccer past 8th grade.

Anonymous wrote:She’s 9….

Didn't you read OP's post. ECNL coaches are already recruiting her

She’s 9….

ECNL makes the pathway the easiest there is if you DD has the talent and drive

cool sstory

My DD dreams of playing at a collegiate level. She is only 9 years old, and we are already being approached by ECNL coaches. Most recently a parent has told me of a reparable Coach starting his own league/club. Not sure when this league/club or team is suppose to start, but has me questioning the importance of league vs coach. Is ECNL the only path to top D1 schools or can a coach with a good placement record and coaching record be suffice .