Anonymous wrote:One decent gauge when moving up is that they should currently be one of the best players on their team. If there are disparities between the two clubs in question (the current RL team is at a below average club and the ECNL team is at a successful club) then your kid better be the standout on their current team...like they need to be "the guy".

This obviously doesn't cover every situation and not always correct, but if you have a middle of the pack RL player it's kinda crazy to think ECNL will be an option. So i'd start there. And if your kid isn't up to speed it can be a motivation to work harder off the pitch and get better. Either way, always good to be real and honest about where they are at.

Best player doesn't need to mean goal scorer too. Does your kid see the field and create space. Do they always know where 2-3 options are. If a defender, do they know how to shield and beat opponents without booting the ball?

One decent gauge when moving up is that they should currently be one of the best players on their team. If there are disparities between the two clubs in question (the current RL team is at a below average club and the ECNL team is at a successful club) then your kid better be the standout on their current team...like they need to be "the guy".

This obviously doesn't cover every situation and not always correct, but if you have a middle of the pack RL player it's kinda crazy to think ECNL will be an option. So i'd start there. And if your kid isn't up to speed it can be a motivation to work harder off the pitch and get better. Either way, always good to be real and honest about where they are at.

Anonymous wrote:FYI your dc must be good enough to start for the ECNL team. Not to many ECNL coach’s are adding bench players

I would add, we have ECNL RL and ECNL and there is still a big difference in talent and soccer IQ between the 2 teams. Most ECNL RL players would have a hard time transitioning to ECNL. Your player should be a starter and play most of the game. They should not lose the ball either in dribbling or passing and they shouldn't be caught ball watching. If you have that, then can catch up to the speed of play... it might not happen overnight. An honest ECNL coach will tell you where you would be numerically on the roster, 2nd string or even 3rd string. Some kids don't want to be 2nd or 3rd string. Some do and they work at it and move up the ladder. Depends on the player. Open call tryouts are very tough, get in for some practice time (anyway you can) if possible.

FYI your dc must be good enough to start for the ECNL team. Not to many ECNL coach’s are adding bench players

Find the local ECNL team closest to you. Contact the coach tell them your story ask if your DC can come attend a practice or two to see if the talent level is correct. If the coach see potential your DC will be invited to join practices throughout the season and be ready for tryouts in the summer. If your DC does not have a chance with making that team the coach will most likely tell you or stop inviting your kid to practice

If you call around to local directors I'm sure your child could get invited into a training session and see how they hold up.

Def contact them to put them on the radar for spring. Both my boys made the jump to ECNL this past summer and we did a few things to make that happen:

1) Obviously they need to be good enough and/or be what their given age group coach is looking for
2) We scoped out what the club was offering in the winter to get them "seen"
3) Went to pickup futsal that was offered by the club
4) Tried out for and joined a winter futsal team put on by the club (this was where my boys got noticed most)
5) Attended any paid training camps over the winter put on by the club or by an associated organization (even if just some of the ECNL coaches are involved to make side money)
6) Asked to attend a practice before the ECNL tryout (rules about this so be careful)
7) Basically, hunted for any and all opportunities to put my boys in front of the club

One size def doesn't fit all, but some ideas. If your kid is good enough, I would recommend them being seen and a known player before a tryout...cause tryouts suck and are filled with kids all trying to make a mark.

The key differentiator is speed of play and decision making. How's your kid on those two things?

you lost me at "they"

Thanks! Yes, we're looking to make the change next year. I wasn't sure if it required making connections with the club before general tryouts or not. I understand the odds, but if everyone else is practicing with the team first or making connections with coaches ahead of time I wanted to be sure I didn't just send them off to tryouts cold without that as I imagine it would certainly make the odds even slimmer.

The process is making the team- at the end of the year. Are you trying to move now? If goal is next year, ask if you can come try out a few trainings starting around December/January. This puts your kid on their radar before the all call tryouts. Most ECNL teams only swap 3-4 kids off roster this year if at all, largely from outside the club. Some clubs have more churn than others.

Anonymous wrote:I'm not asking what it takes for him to go from B team to A team. I'm asking what the process is for switching clubs from a club whose A team is ECNLR to a club whose A team is ECNL. Do you just cold call someone and ask? We've only ever been at our local club.

Go for tryouts.

I'm not asking what it takes for him to go from B team to A team. I'm asking what the process is for switching clubs from a club whose A team is ECNLR to a club whose A team is ECNL. Do you just cold call someone and ask? We've only ever been at our local club.

Anonymous wrote:DC just let me know they are interested in possibly moving from playing ECNLR at our local club this year to ECNL. What does this process look like? We are not in a "feeder" club. What is the likelihood anyone would take a look at him? I am completely unfamiliar with any process other than just trying out and playing for your local club. How would I even know if they've got what it takes (beyond the yes, they start, yes they play the whole game)? What is the time commitment for ECNL over ECNLR? So many questions, but I want to make sure I at least know what I'm doing so they have a decent shot.

Can't really be asking what it takes to go from B team to A team in generic sense.

DC just let me know they are interested in possibly moving from playing ECNLR at our local club this year to ECNL. What does this process look like? We are not in a "feeder" club. What is the likelihood anyone would take a look at him? I am completely unfamiliar with any process other than just trying out and playing for your local club. How would I even know if they've got what it takes (beyond the yes, they start, yes they play the whole game)? What is the time commitment for ECNL over ECNLR? So many questions, but I want to make sure I at least know what I'm doing so they have a decent shot.