$800 is a low estimate. I estimate I'll spend nearly $10K this year between club fees, uniforms and travel for U16.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a concerted effort in the DMV to stop the madness of the gerrymandering of leagues? There is zero need for any teams, including top teams in this area to be traveling five-plus hours one way. Teams in ECNL at the older age group are playing each other once all year while traveling to New Jersey, New York, North Carolina or South Carolina several times a year. It just doesn't make sense. Nobody is developing talent by spending $800 a weekend and ten hours in the car. Stop the silliness. Parents should demand that there be a high level DMV extended league that stays within a two-hour radius.

No one is forcing your kid to play ECNL. If you don't like it, drop your kid to a lower level. RL teams usually stay within 2-4 hours. We knew what we signed up for when we accepted the offers. Get over it or get out.

How does your response change the facts of the PP?
Because you love the illogical irrational system doesn't make it less so

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a concerted effort in the DMV to stop the madness of the gerrymandering of leagues? There is zero need for any teams, including top teams in this area to be traveling five-plus hours one way. Teams in ECNL at the older age group are playing each other once all year while traveling to New Jersey, New York, North Carolina or South Carolina several times a year. It just doesn't make sense. Nobody is developing talent by spending $800 a weekend and ten hours in the car. Stop the silliness. Parents should demand that there be a high level DMV extended league that stays within a two-hour radius.

Teams in ECNL are traveling to NJ and NY several times a year? I think you are making this up. NC and SC...sadly, I agree with that.

Parents should demand that there be a high level DMV league? Demand this to who? but anyway...OK, let's start. Tell us what to do.

U13 and U14 ECNL go to South Carolina in May. How many times do the GA teams go to Florida?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a concerted effort in the DMV to stop the madness of the gerrymandering of leagues? There is zero need for any teams, including top teams in this area to be traveling five-plus hours one way. Teams in ECNL at the older age group are playing each other once all year while traveling to New Jersey, New York, North Carolina or South Carolina several times a year. It just doesn't make sense. Nobody is developing talent by spending $800 a weekend and ten hours in the car. Stop the silliness. Parents should demand that there be a high level DMV extended league that stays within a two-hour radius.

No one is forcing your kid to play ECNL. If you don't like it, drop your kid to a lower level. RL teams usually stay within 2-4 hours. We knew what we signed up for when we accepted the offers. Get over it or get out.

Eye roll. OP is correctly identifying an issue that should be corrected.

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a concerted effort in the DMV to stop the madness of the gerrymandering of leagues? There is zero need for any teams, including top teams in this area to be traveling five-plus hours one way. Teams in ECNL at the older age group are playing each other once all year while traveling to New Jersey, New York, North Carolina or South Carolina several times a year. It just doesn't make sense. Nobody is developing talent by spending $800 a weekend and ten hours in the car. Stop the silliness. Parents should demand that there be a high level DMV extended league that stays within a two-hour radius.

No one is forcing your kid to play ECNL. If you don't like it, drop your kid to a lower level. RL teams usually stay within 2-4 hours. We knew what we signed up for when we accepted the offers. Get over it or get out.

Driving 4 hours to play NAL and ECRL in just one level of insanity above ECNL

You're dedicating a day or weekend to low quality soccer, fast food and stress

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a concerted effort in the DMV to stop the madness of the gerrymandering of leagues? There is zero need for any teams, including top teams in this area to be traveling five-plus hours one way. Teams in ECNL at the older age group are playing each other once all year while traveling to New Jersey, New York, North Carolina or South Carolina several times a year. It just doesn't make sense. Nobody is developing talent by spending $800 a weekend and ten hours in the car. Stop the silliness. Parents should demand that there be a high level DMV extended league that stays within a two-hour radius.

Teams in ECNL are traveling to NJ and NY several times a year? I think you are making this up. NC and SC...sadly, I agree with that.

Parents should demand that there be a high level DMV league? Demand this to who? but anyway...OK, let's start. Tell us what to do.

Most of us completely agree, OP. It hasn't even been like this for very long! I do think it will change but who knows when.

In the meantime... each league is competing to creat a niche for itself, each club to be in the highest league it can, and each family/kid in the highest level team it can manage. All of which makes the individual leagues bigger.

I mean... it's bad enough that there are two elite leagues for boys (MLS Next and ECNL), they now have non-elite second level teams! ECNL Regional makes no sense except for kids to say they are playing at "highest level" even though everyone knows that they aren't.

It's totally ridiculous and families pay the price in more ways than one but if people are willing to drive and pay, who is going told step in and change the structure?? The clubs that try to stay small and not play the game are much less appealing than they were fifteen years ago. And the kids who don't want to travel just won't have access to the highest competition. Shrug.

Yo, why you join TRAVEL if you have a problem with TRAVELING?

No one is forcing you to do it. Simple supply and demand my friend. If enough parents wanted it would happen.

Totally agree. Like a lot of things in life, it is a no-brainer that has not happened due to human dynamics.

Stuck in rainy day traffic on the way to NJ bro?

How else would you brag about how elite your child is without traveling every weekend?

Good luck with this, Don Quixote.

Why isn't there a concerted effort in the DMV to stop the madness of the gerrymandering of leagues? There is zero need for any teams, including top teams in this area to be traveling five-plus hours one way. Teams in ECNL at the older age group are playing each other once all year while traveling to New Jersey, New York, North Carolina or South Carolina several times a year. It just doesn't make sense. Nobody is developing talent by spending $800 a weekend and ten hours in the car. Stop the silliness. Parents should demand that there be a high level DMV extended league that stays within a two-hour radius.