Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is absolutely no way clubs would agree to let their RL teams be individually demoted based on performance to NCSL+/National League.

Very bad for business.

Agree. People accept a spot on an "RL" team for Larlo. Show up in September and that particular team has been demoted? VERY BAD FOR BUSINESS. Ain't happening.

If I accepted an RL offer from a club that had some teams who are struggling, I might be a little leery that sometime in the summer they’re going to be like, “surprise we’re in National 1 now!” It’s really not clear whether RL is going to keep requiring clubs to enter a team at all levels for both boys and girls or if it’s going to become more of a team based league. If a National 1 team can earn their way into RL, then RL is no longer a club based league. So maybe clubs with only a couple of strong RL teams put everyone in N1 and then figure their strong teams can earn their way (back) into RL. I really don’t know.

Nowhere in the advertising do they say that National 1 teams can earn their way into the regular RL league. (Unless I missed seeing something?) They imply that they will have some tournaments that maybe the National teams can earn their way into. I don't know what those tournaments would be.

Letting one-off teams into RL and demoting individual RL teams would be a HUGE headache for VPSL. Right now, the clubs do all the work of scheduling. Every demotion would be a huge argument with the club. There is no benefit to them to do that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is absolutely no way clubs would agree to let their RL teams be individually demoted based on performance to NCSL+/National League.

Very bad for business.

Agree. People accept a spot on an "RL" team for Larlo. Show up in September and that particular team has been demoted? VERY BAD FOR BUSINESS. Ain't happening.

If I accepted an RL offer from a club that had some teams who are struggling, I might be a little leery that sometime in the summer they’re going to be like, “surprise we’re in National 1 now!” It’s really not clear whether RL is going to keep requiring clubs to enter a team at all levels for both boys and girls or if it’s going to become more of a team based league. If a National 1 team can earn their way into RL, then RL is no longer a club based league. So maybe clubs with only a couple of strong RL teams put everyone in N1 and then figure their strong teams can earn their way (back) into RL. I really don’t know.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a rebranded merger between NPL and NL. A place for smaller clubs to place their top teams and for larger clubs to place 2nd or 3rd teams. Basically the top of EDP or NCSL but with an opportunity to qualify for national competitions.

It's "team based" meaning clubs don't need to put all of their age levels in the league. Presumably, the clubs that are "announcing" are clubs that have registered to place some of their teams in the league.

Am I understanding correctly that you are suggesting that if a club doesn't have teams that perform well at all age divisions in ECNL RL that they can pull those specific teams (age groups) to National 1? I thought the contract for ECNL says that the top team in all divisions must play. This is terrible for small clubs that join and don't have strong teams in all age groups. So, a drop down would be good. I do wonder if teams like those I mentioned would switch to National or stay ECNL.

No one wants to sign their kid up for an RL team in March and pay a premium for "RL" and then find out in August that their kid's team was demoted to NCSL ReBrand. People will quit. Clubs also charge higher fees for RL teams than for their NCSL teams-do they issue those families refunds? That sounds very messy for the clubs to deal with.

Anonymous wrote:In Mid Atlantic, USYS NL is the top level of EDP starting at U13. Before this year, EDP started at Division 3 and Divisions 1 and 2 were administered separately as NL. This year they revamped it so ECP goes up to Regional League and the higher teams are still in NL.

There is relegation/promotion between EDP and NL.

9:06 here, I don't really understand the EDP league as our team has never played in it before, I just know our manager said we were in the top level and man some of the teams are really weak. I'm not sure if they were promoted there or can just sign themselves up for whatever level they choose.

In Mid Atlantic, USYS NL is the top level of EDP starting at U13. Before this year, EDP started at Division 3 and Divisions 1 and 2 were administered separately as NL. This year they revamped it so ECP goes up to Regional League and the higher teams are still in NL.

There is relegation/promotion between EDP and NL.

Anonymous wrote:It's a rebranded merger between NPL and NL. A place for smaller clubs to place their top teams and for larger clubs to place 2nd or 3rd teams. Basically the top of EDP or NCSL but with an opportunity to qualify for national competitions.

It's "team based" meaning clubs don't need to put all of their age levels in the league. Presumably, the clubs that are "announcing" are clubs that have registered to place some of their teams in the league.

Am I understanding correctly that you are suggesting that if a club doesn't have teams that perform well at all age divisions in ECNL RL that they can pull those specific teams (age groups) to National 1? I thought the contract for ECNL says that the top team in all divisions must play. This is terrible for small clubs that join and don't have strong teams in all age groups. So, a drop down would be good. I do wonder if teams like those I mentioned would switch to National or stay ECNL.

I know RL competition is not high level so don't come at me, soccer snobs, but one of the huge benefits is the club to club scheduling and not being scheduled to play random teams who no show. Especially at U15 and up, where RL only schedules maybe 9 or 10 games for the entire year. Not fair to the kids.

Our team is playing in EDP for the spring just to get extra games for our team and even though we are in the first of what? 7 or 8 levels of skill for EDP? there is a huge gap between the best and worst teams. We have only had 2 competitive games all spring (one against the other RL team who signed up). And we were a mid table RL team in fall so not some amazing team. These are presumably the types of teams that would want to be in National 1. If my kid is only getting 9 games a year, I don't want some of them to be complete wastes of time or on crappy grass fields.

One of the benefits of RL is if you have multiple kids playing, your away games will all be against the same club on the same day. That's a huge scheduling plus.

I don't want to deal with one-off fly by night random scheduling or teams.

What's nice about the RL league now is its well organized and the clubs are all established clubs. You show up for a game, there's a nice field, tents set up, benches, the coaches are generally not crazy, competent refs are hired, very little cheating with the rosters etc.

Our experience in NCSL with these tiny clubs is that they might have one or two teams that are decent (usually, the founder of the club's kids are on those teams) but they don't have permits for turf fields, they fold in the middle of the season, or they show up with 7 players for 11v11 soccer and two of them are obviously over age. Or they don't show up at all after you've driven to BFE.

Anonymous wrote:There is absolutely no way clubs would agree to let their RL teams be individually demoted based on performance to NCSL+/National League.

Very bad for business.

Agree. People accept a spot on an "RL" team for Larlo. Show up in September and that particular team has been demoted? VERY BAD FOR BUSINESS. Ain't happening.

Anonymous wrote:It's also going to be available to both ECNL and MSLN clubs - a common tier above the state level but below RL/AD.

Where did you see MLSN clubs would be participating? That's a completely separate eco system.

There is absolutely no way clubs would agree to let their RL teams be individually demoted based on performance to NCSL+/National League.

Very bad for business.

It's also going to be available to both ECNL and MSLN clubs - a common tier above the state level but below RL/AD.

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is it is basically absorbing/ replacing NCSL but allowing a promotion and relegation pathway with ECNL RL, including possible playoffs that includes RL and N 1 League. I hope it is true what someone said regarding lower RL teams move into this league. I assume this also becomes more of a team platform vs club, which is also a positive.

I would be surprised if they let clubs move up single teams into ECRL. That would damage the perceived exclusivity of the brand, as pp mentioned.

Its not replacing NCSL. There will still be NCSL travel and NCSL Rec.