Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:55
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
Anonymous wrote:the clubs that moved to GA chose to weaken their girls' programs in favor of the boys' programs and all the new money that comes with that decision. those clubs are currently trying to sell the idea that they haven't actually weakened the girls' programs. the reality is they absolutely have. it's simply a business decision, and probably a profitable one, but their girls will suffer from that decision and the talent in GA will become diluted.
the clubs that are staying in ECNL will see their girls' teams become stronger and more competitive on a national level as the more talented girls/coaches from those weakened clubs will switch for the higher competition they need and club mergers further concentrate the talent in this area. some girls are already looking to switch and that will increase as things become more clear.
the result is the MLSNext/GA clubs will become even stronger for the boys and ECNL clubs will become even stronger for the girls. conceivably, the MLSNext/GA partnership might be so lucrative that it can strengthen GA as an entire league, over time, to the point where GA might one day be on par with ECNL girls. but there are a lot of dots to connect for that to happen and the youth soccer culture in this country is fickle and weird and shake ups seem to be the norm now. rough for the kids having to deal with all this, but the cream always rises.
You say all that…at the end of the day a D1 kid is a D1 kid no matter the league.
MLS next is just getting started. Clubs are holding back to see what happens first. But expect next year to be bigger
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:52
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
the clubs that moved to GA chose to weaken their girls' programs in favor of the boys' programs and all the new money that comes with that decision. those clubs are currently trying to sell the idea that they haven't actually weakened the girls' programs. the reality is they absolutely have. it's simply a business decision, and probably a profitable one, but their girls will suffer from that decision and the talent in GA will become diluted.
the clubs that are staying in ECNL will see their girls' teams become stronger and more competitive on a national level as the more talented girls/coaches from those weakened clubs will switch for the higher competition they need and club mergers further concentrate the talent in this area. some girls are already looking to switch and that will increase as things become more clear.
the result is the MLSNext/GA clubs will become even stronger for the boys and ECNL clubs will become even stronger for the girls. conceivably, the MLSNext/GA partnership might be so lucrative that it can strengthen GA as an entire league, over time, to the point where GA might one day be on par with ECNL girls. but there are a lot of dots to connect for that to happen and the youth soccer culture in this country is fickle and weird and shake ups seem to be the norm now. rough for the kids having to deal with all this, but the cream always rises.
the clubs that are staying in ECNL will see their girls' teams become stronger and more competitive on a national level as the more talented girls/coaches from those weakened clubs will switch for the higher competition they need and club mergers further concentrate the talent in this area. some girls are already looking to switch and that will increase as things become more clear.
the result is the MLSNext/GA clubs will become even stronger for the boys and ECNL clubs will become even stronger for the girls. conceivably, the MLSNext/GA partnership might be so lucrative that it can strengthen GA as an entire league, over time, to the point where GA might one day be on par with ECNL girls. but there are a lot of dots to connect for that to happen and the youth soccer culture in this country is fickle and weird and shake ups seem to be the norm now. rough for the kids having to deal with all this, but the cream always rises.
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:28
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
Anonymous wrote:So where is this line up going to change in the next few years?
It doesn't seem to me that one of either ECNL and GA will disappear. So which is better positioned for young women who are in rising freshmen in HS and are trying to plan their path to success.
Will ECNL continue to be "better" than GA or is there a real shift occurring in NOVA soccer?
https://www.ncfcyouth.com/sms-ncc-partnership
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:22
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
Will all depend on which club(s) gets the itch for MLS Next. When they start seeing their boys programs losing their best players to surrounding mls next clubs…..that may force a switch
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:21
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
To follow up on this - if you have a rising freshman right now, ECNL likely to be more competitive. or "better".
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:18
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
Anonymous wrote:So where is this line up going to change in the next few years?
It doesn't seem to me that one of either ECNL and GA will disappear. So which is better positioned for young women who are in rising freshmen in HS and are trying to plan their path to success.
Will ECNL continue to be "better" than GA or is there a real shift occurring in NOVA soccer?
ECNL likely to still be more competitive at the older age groups at this point. There may be certain GA teams that are competing at the same level as ECNL, but with the saturation in Louduon County, GA likely to be more unbalanced in the short term. I would expect girls to gravitate towards a couple top GA1 teams/clubs, and then relegation to GA Aspire for lower performing clubs, so GA to be more "elite" in the longer term. However, as long as other strong clubs stay in the MA Conference for ECNL (like CSA, Richmond and Courage), it will continue to be highly competitive and draw top talent.
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:15
Subject: Re:Where are things currently and where are they headed?
2024-25 Season ECNL
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union
2024-25 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
2025-26 Season ECNL
VDA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2025-26 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
NVA
Alexandria
2026-27 Season ECNL
VDA
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2026-27 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
NVA
Arlington
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union
2024-25 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
2025-26 Season ECNL
VDA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2025-26 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
NVA
Alexandria
2026-27 Season ECNL
VDA
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2026-27 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
NVA
Arlington
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:03
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
2024-25 Season ECNL
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union
2024-25 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
2025-26 Season ECNL
VDA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2025-26 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
NVA
2026-27 Season ECNL
VDA
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2026-27 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
NVA
Arlington
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union
2024-25 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
2025-26 Season ECNL
VDA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2025-26 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
NVA
2026-27 Season ECNL
VDA
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2026-27 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
NVA
Arlington
Anonymous
03/10/2025 20:40
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
So where is this line up going to change in the next few years?
It doesn't seem to me that one of either ECNL and GA will disappear. So which is better positioned for young women who are in rising freshmen in HS and are trying to plan their path to success.
Will ECNL continue to be "better" than GA or is there a real shift occurring in NOVA soccer?
It doesn't seem to me that one of either ECNL and GA will disappear. So which is better positioned for young women who are in rising freshmen in HS and are trying to plan their path to success.
Will ECNL continue to be "better" than GA or is there a real shift occurring in NOVA soccer?
Anonymous
03/08/2025 13:49
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
Think valor is fvu as well
Anonymous
03/08/2025 13:43
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
Thanks, so it would look like this?
2024-25 Season ECNL
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union
2024-25 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
2025-26 Season ECNL
VDA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2025-26 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
NVA
2024-25 Season ECNL
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union
2024-25 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
2025-26 Season ECNL
VDA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2025-26 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
NVA
Anonymous
03/08/2025 13:34
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
Anonymous wrote:This post is focused on Girls ECNL and GA for Northern Virginia/Mid Atlantic for birth years 10/09/08/07/06.
Is the breakdown of the ECNL and GA clubs for Northern Virginia accurate below for this current season and next season?
[/u]
What will the clubs look like in 2026-27 and why?
2024-25 Season ECNL
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union
2024-25 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
2025-26 Season ECNL
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2025-26 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
Incorrect.
NVA to GA for 25-26
Anonymous
03/08/2025 13:13
Subject: Where are things currently and where are they headed?
This post is focused on Girls ECNL and GA for Northern Virginia/Mid Atlantic for birth years 10/09/08/07/06.
Is the breakdown of the ECNL and GA clubs for Northern Virginia accurate below for this current season and next season?
[/u]
What will the clubs look like in 2026-27 and why?
2024-25 Season ECNL
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union
2024-25 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
2025-26 Season ECNL
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2025-26 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun
Is the breakdown of the ECNL and GA clubs for Northern Virginia accurate below for this current season and next season?
[/u]
What will the clubs look like in 2026-27 and why?
2024-25 Season ECNL
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union
2024-25 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
2025-26 Season ECNL
VDA
NVA
Arlington
Fairfax Virginia Union (BRYC, Valor, Villareal, and VYS)
2025-26 Season GA
Revolution
Springfield
The Saint James
McLean (previously FVU)
Loudoun