Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ideally, ECNL takes over regional duties and feeds into DA. There can then be room for local leagues to serve more of the missing “Town Soccer” function.

So ECNL would need to be better structured NPL and eliminate NPL. Being Regional would significantly lesson the travel even though people will still complain about going to Richmond or VA Beach regardless.

This would be great. So what’s keeping it from happening? Where is the money being made that disincentivizes league consolidation into a real pyramid with DA at the top, ECNL/Region 1 combo at the regional level, and NCSL at the local level?

It's not just the money motive--much of the problem stems from the egos, petty rivalries, and hunger for power of many of those involved. I do get why the ECNL leadership were pissed at USSF, which handled the girls DA rollout horribly, but it's done, and it should be obvious to all involved that you want the national federation (and its deep pockets) to run the girls' program along with the boys'. I don't see the current ECNL leadership being willing to do the right thing if it means acknowledging that they are not the top league. A pity because they have good management skills and relationships with most of their member clubs.

The financial incentives come from clubs wanting to claim they are elite to draw more kids, which allows TDs and a few top coaches to justify comfortable salaries, and many of them also just care a lot about being top dog. They all hate losing any players or perceived prestige to rival clubs. When the boys DA started in 2007, there was huge angst from the clubs that didn't get the designation. They hated that their rivals could brag about DA as a way for pulling families in, so they rushed to create their own allegedly elite leagues like CCL. Since, as we've seen on DCUM, there are a whole lot of credulous parents who believe these claims, there was incentive to continue. Meanwhile, NCSL and WAGS were vulnerable given years of poor and inflexible management. There was intense mutual dislike between the league leadership and some of the guys running clubs that joined CCL. I think NCSL is better now, but there would need to be a lot of new leadership at top clubs for the local scene to improve.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A money grab or the soccer industrial complex. Parents just get caught up in the nonsense. At any age group, you have 20+ quality teams between Richmond and Baltimore. If you take the ECNL/DA teams and add DI of EDP and the top teams in NCSL DI, CCL and VPL, you will have a very competitive league without the need to travel by plane to games.

Agreed. If I were king, I might expand a bit to 30 teams, establish two tiers with pro/rel.

Why not just include all the teams and have many tiers, like the British system?

How much does it cost a British family to put their kid on a youth soccer team? I am guessing it is a small fraction of what it is here and there is your answer.

Why is that an answer? Have a league like NCSL, where fees are relatively low. Every team that wants to enter can enter. Like current NCSL but with many more divisions to accommodate more teams. It will never happen, because the big clubs wouldn’t be able to command as much money, but it would be the best idea.

The sad thing is that we had this basic set up 10 years ago, though with NCSL for boys and WAGS for girls. There were tons of divisions in both and NCSL had a pure pro-rel set up from spring of U11 onward. It was a huge deal to win NCSL division 1 and the rivalries among the teams were incredible. There was so much intensity that came with trying to move up or avoid relegation.

It's so clear in retrospect how everything went awry, and it is especially infuriating given that almost all of the people involved work for not-for-profit clubs that are supposed to be helping their communities.

But they will spend it which is exactly why there are so many leagues and options. The consumers drive the system and they want an elite option for their player. No one will pay 10 k to play in a low division. We need lots of top divisions so lots of leagues.

Anonymous wrote:It is so insane that kids are flying to weekend games on a regular basis. Seriously, who is spending 10k a year for travel soccer. The whole system is stupid, including those who allowed themselves to be sucked into it.

Yep. That weekend flying is not improving their game. Some of these kids are flying more frequently than an MLS player.

It’s ridiculous.

It is so insane that kids are flying to weekend games on a regular basis. Seriously, who is spending 10k a year for travel soccer. The whole system is stupid, including those who allowed themselves to be sucked into it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A money grab or the soccer industrial complex. Parents just get caught up in the nonsense. At any age group, you have 20+ quality teams between Richmond and Baltimore. If you take the ECNL/DA teams and add DI of EDP and the top teams in NCSL DI, CCL and VPL, you will have a very competitive league without the need to travel by plane to games.

Agreed. If I were king, I might expand a bit to 30 teams, establish two tiers with pro/rel.

Why not just include all the teams and have many tiers, like the British system?

How much does it cost a British family to put their kid on a youth soccer team? I am guessing it is a small fraction of what it is here and there is your answer.

Why is that an answer? Have a league like NCSL, where fees are relatively low. Every team that wants to enter can enter. Like current NCSL but with many more divisions to accommodate more teams. It will never happen, because the big clubs wouldn’t be able to command as much money, but it would be the best idea.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A money grab or the soccer industrial complex. Parents just get caught up in the nonsense. At any age group, you have 20+ quality teams between Richmond and Baltimore. If you take the ECNL/DA teams and add DI of EDP and the top teams in NCSL DI, CCL and VPL, you will have a very competitive league without the need to travel by plane to games.

Agreed. If I were king, I might expand a bit to 30 teams, establish two tiers with pro/rel.

Why not just include all the teams and have many tiers, like the British system?

How much does it cost a British family to put their kid on a youth soccer team? I am guessing it is a small fraction of what it is here and there is your answer.

Anonymous wrote:Ideally, ECNL takes over regional duties and feeds into DA. There can then be room for local leagues to serve more of the missing “Town Soccer” function.

So ECNL would need to be better structured NPL and eliminate NPL. Being Regional would significantly lesson the travel even though people will still complain about going to Richmond or VA Beach regardless.

This would be great. So what’s keeping it from happening? Where is the money being made that disincentivizes league consolidation into a real pyramid with DA at the top, ECNL/Region 1 combo at the regional level, and NCSL at the local level?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A money grab or the soccer industrial complex. Parents just get caught up in the nonsense. At any age group, you have 20+ quality teams between Richmond and Baltimore. If you take the ECNL/DA teams and add DI of EDP and the top teams in NCSL DI, CCL and VPL, you will have a very competitive league without the need to travel by plane to games.

Agreed. If I were king, I might expand a bit to 30 teams, establish two tiers with pro/rel.

Why not just include all the teams and have many tiers, like the British system?

Ideally, ECNL takes over regional duties and feeds into DA. There can then be room for local leagues to serve more of the missing “Town Soccer” function.

So ECNL would need to be better structured NPL and eliminate NPL. Being Regional would significantly lesson the travel even though people will still complain about going to Richmond or VA Beach regardless.

I started to write "You know my views on this," but then realized that you didn't, because I'm anonymous. But I agree with you and feel strongly that the competing leagues are a huge waste of resources and opportunity. It seems obvious to me that we should have a nationwide pyramid with DA on the top and local rec leagues on the bottom.

For our area, using Maryland as the example, since that's where I live, I'd like to see MSI, NCSL, Region 1 (could be EDP or VPL--but just one regional league), National League and DA. Region 1 and National League would provide a good level of competition for those kids who needed more than NCSL division 1 and hoped to play in college, but couldn't make a DA team or didn't want quite that level of intensity, or wanted to play HS. NCSL would have to expand and work on meeting the needs of its expanded pool of member clubs in this scenario.

I understand why ECNL exists and think they did a good job fulfilling the top girls' level for many years (though it has always been way too expensive). But having two competing national leagues and multiple competing regional leagues is not good for players. I will be happy if ECNL and the part of CCL that's in the DMV end up folding. While I'm thinking about my perfect vision, DA also needs to be much cheaper than it currently is for most players. Whether that comes about through increased investment by USSF or otherwise, it definitely needs to happen.

Anonymous wrote:A money grab or the soccer industrial complex. Parents just get caught up in the nonsense. At any age group, you have 20+ quality teams between Richmond and Baltimore. If you take the ECNL/DA teams and add DI of EDP and the top teams in NCSL DI, CCL and VPL, you will have a very competitive league without the need to travel by plane to games.

Agreed. If I were king, I might expand a bit to 30 teams, establish two tiers with pro/rel.

A money grab or the soccer industrial complex. Parents just get caught up in the nonsense. At any age group, you have 20+ quality teams between Richmond and Baltimore. If you take the ECNL/DA teams and add DI of EDP and the top teams in NCSL DI, CCL and VPL, you will have a very competitive league without the need to travel by plane to games.

Parents are always looking for something more prestigious, and are willing to pay for it. I agree it would make more sense for everyone to be in NCSL, and the cream would rise to the top.

agree, but apparently it generates money so there you go.