Anonymous wrote:Should we take a moment to be amused that the big CCL boosters (Arlington, BRYC, Loudoun) are scrambling/have scrambled to find other options?

I think all three of those clubs screwed up by playing chicken with US Soccer and Wash Spirit Girls DA last year and losing. They should have gone ahead and ceded control of the DA teams to the Spirit/GDA organization instead of insisting on coach and team selection control.

I agree with the earlier posters on some important points. The talent pool in near-Beltway NOVA/MD is too diluted for the current ECNL and GDA teams to compete nationally, and a contraction would make sense. However, traffic and commuting patterns have a significant impact that cuts against contraction, at least up to about the U15 level when the girls who are not looking for college play are moving away from the higher intensity teams. I'm not sure how we reconcile those two things in our region.

And what about coaching dilution as more "elite" teams are added? How many really good coaches for all of these *girls* teams are out there, with less potential for increased salary by climbing the ladder than on the boys side, and how many of those coaches can live well in this area on their coaching salary/manage two (or three) jobs to make the rent? Maybe paying slightly better salaries is part of the reason for the Washington Spirit higher prices for GDA--they do seem to have stellar coaching that doesn't rely on a cult of personality the way some of the other elite clubs do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that Northern VA specifically needs contraction rather than expansion of ECNL/GDA teams. In 2016-17 there were 2 elite girls programs in Northern VA.........FCV ECNL and Mclean ECNL. Getting a spot on one of those teams was difficult with only 40ish roster spots available between the two programs for each age group. In 2017-18 WS VA, VDA, and BRYC made for 3 GDA and 2 ECNL teams. If you assume each team could have 20 girls rostered per team, there are now 100 spots instead of 40.

I have watched a number of GDA and ECNL games this year, and let's face it, there are not 100 elite level players currently filling those roster openings in each age group. If potentially Arlington is added to the GDA and Loudon to ECNL (have heard that floated out there), that would then open another 40 roster spots per age group. The talent would be even further dissipated, and the ability to beat those top level teams like Penn Fusion, Real Colorado, etc will be further and further away.

I am not sure what the correct solution is ........in a perfect world the BRYC, Loudon, and Arlington's partnership with the Spirit (remember they were originally listed as partners along with Vienna who is now a part of the VDA) would have worked. That certainly would have been a start.

I think what is needed depends on your goals. If you want to compete against the western DA powerhouses you do need contraction. That might be a players and parents goal but that is not the goal of USSDA. They aim to create a pipeline to the national team. To do that, they need a pyramid structure that cannot be achieved by simply adding more DA teams/franchises. I don't understand the current direction really because even the current extensions to U13 only offer incremental improvement. If you really want a big pyramid (that locks out other alternatives which appears to be another USS goal), you need another entire layer below DA that feeds up starting from U11 or U12. NPL resembles this, and would actually foster a healthier academy style training environment at clubs with promotion/relegation to keep things competitive.

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that Northern VA specifically needs contraction rather than expansion of ECNL/GDA teams. In 2016-17 there were 2 elite girls programs in Northern VA.........FCV ECNL and Mclean ECNL. Getting a spot on one of those teams was difficult with only 40ish roster spots available between the two programs for each age group. In 2017-18 WS VA, VDA, and BRYC made for 3 GDA and 2 ECNL teams. If you assume each team could have 20 girls rostered per team, there are now 100 spots instead of 40.

I have watched a number of GDA and ECNL games this year, and let's face it, there are not 100 elite level players currently filling those roster openings in each age group. If potentially Arlington is added to the GDA and Loudon to ECNL (have heard that floated out there), that would then open another 40 roster spots per age group. The talent would be even further dissipated, and the ability to beat those top level teams like Penn Fusion, Real Colorado, etc will be further and further away.

I am not sure what the correct solution is ........in a perfect world the BRYC, Loudon, and Arlington's partnership with the Spirit (remember they were originally listed as partners along with Vienna who is now a part of the VDA) would have worked. That certainly would have been a start.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that Northern VA specifically needs contraction rather than expansion of ECNL/GDA teams. In 2016-17 there were 2 elite girls programs in Northern VA.........FCV ECNL and Mclean ECNL. Getting a spot on one of those teams was difficult with only 40ish roster spots available between the two programs for each age group. In 2017-18 WS VA, VDA, and BRYC made for 3 GDA and 2 ECNL teams. If you assume each team could have 20 girls rostered per team, there are now 100 spots instead of 40.

I have watched a number of GDA and ECNL games this year, and let's face it, there are not 100 elite level players currently filling those roster openings in each age group. If potentially Arlington is added to the GDA and Loudon to ECNL (have heard that floated out there), that would then open another 40 roster spots per age group. The talent would be even further dissipated, and the ability to beat those top level teams like Penn Fusion, Real Colorado, etc will be further and further away.

I am not sure what the correct solution is ........in a perfect world the BRYC, Loudon, and Arlington's partnership with the Spirit (remember they were originally listed as partners along with Vienna who is now a part of the VDA) would have worked. That certainly would have been a start.

1. I don't really see ECNL being a major draw past the 07 age group.
2. Arlington GDA would work only as U12-U13 GDA and NOT a full GDA
3. Combined age groups would concentrate players

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that Northern VA specifically needs contraction rather than expansion of ECNL/GDA teams. In 2016-17 there were 2 elite girls programs in Northern VA.........FCV ECNL and Mclean ECNL. Getting a spot on one of those teams was difficult with only 40ish roster spots available between the two programs for each age group. In 2017-18 WS VA, VDA, and BRYC made for 3 GDA and 2 ECNL teams. If you assume each team could have 20 girls rostered per team, there are now 100 spots instead of 40.

I have watched a number of GDA and ECNL games this year, and let's face it, there are not 100 elite level players currently filling those roster openings in each age group. If potentially Arlington is added to the GDA and Loudon to ECNL (have heard that floated out there), that would then open another 40 roster spots per age group. The talent would be even further dissipated, and the ability to beat those top level teams like Penn Fusion, Real Colorado, etc will be further and further away.

I am not sure what the correct solution is ........in a perfect world the BRYC, Loudon, and Arlington's partnership with the Spirit (remember they were originally listed as partners along with Vienna who is now a part of the VDA) would have worked. That certainly would have been a start.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9:28 - disagree. Trying to get from Arlington to Reston during rush hour for any midweek practice would probably discourage any family with 2 working parents who didn't have a nanny or a driver on staff. Even with a carpool, that is a hike. I can see a DA in Arlington attracting talent from Arlington, DC, Alexandria, Falls Church and McLean, which might be enough.

(my kid is U10 so I have no dog in this fight.)

Agree it’s a traffic thing at that age. Arlington is doable for some lower Montgomery kids(especially the girls in DC private schools). On the girls side in DC, many of the top girls are already travel to the burbs. So arlington is not that big of a deal. So Arlington should be able to pick off the top girls(the ones who show promise ) from Alexandria, McLean, Great Falls, DC, etc. The thing that is missing for the DC area in access for any girls in PG county and really Montgomery county(in terms of the lower ages).

If Arlington is only doing the early ages, not all those girls will make the next level, but they will most likely stay with the club. So Arlington will greatly increase the number of top girls playing for their club in the older years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9:28 - disagree. Trying to get from Arlington to Reston during rush hour for any midweek practice would probably discourage any family with 2 working parents who didn't have a nanny or a driver on staff. Even with a carpool, that is a hike. I can see a DA in Arlington attracting talent from Arlington, DC, Alexandria, Falls Church and McLean, which might be enough.

(my kid is U10 so I have no dog in this fight.)

Agree it’s a traffic thing at that age. Arlington is doable for some lower Montgomery kids(especially the girls in DC private schools). On the girls side in DC, many of the top girls are already travel to the burbs. So arlington is not that big of a deal. So Arlington should be able to pick off the top girls(the ones who show promise ) from Alexandria, McLean, Great Falls, DC, etc. The thing that is missing for the DC area in access for any girls in PG county and really Montgomery county(in terms of the lower ages).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: On the other hand, there are still plenty of girls in the DMV for which all the DA teams are too far to get to regularly.

As long as the DC-area ECNL teams hang in there, and strong players remain at Bethesda, BRYC, and McLean, there is not enough additional top talent to fill another DA program, at least in Virginia (at least in my opinion). There are currently girls' DAs in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties - I'd say Northern Virginia is pretty well covered geographically. If you're in Arlington, there's no reason you can't get to Reston. There can't be a DA in everyone's back yard. Right now, our DMV DAs are struggling to compete with those in other states where the talent seems to be more concentrated, and the DA teams are truly the cream of the crop. It's no different than the pre-DA days. The DMV's top talent is spread among too many clubs who all hold themselves out to be "elite." We as an area would compete nationally if there were fewer top programs and they were limited to the very best players. Imagine if we took the best 2-3 players in each age group from BRYC, McLean, FCV, Loudoun, WS DA, VDA, etc and made one super club. Then we could compete against the CA, MI, TX teams which always seem to beat us at national events.

Yeah but the wide net approach....the more in the pipe the better.

And I don't think a fourth full DA would be considered for NoVA. MD could use one more possibly and other than that I have said Richmond and/or VA Beach area. But NoVa would need another FULL GDA like a hole in the head. I am in full support of a fourth GDA as a partial DA similar to Loudoun's setup and McLean's on the boys side.
PP here...I get it, and you're right. More options for good training over time SHOULD lead to more player development that long term should generate more good players. I guess the thought of a 4th DA in NoVa in the short term just seems like a bad idea to me. But my kids are older so my view is selfishly shorter term.

Anonymous wrote:9:28 - disagree. Trying to get from Arlington to Reston during rush hour for any midweek practice would probably discourage any family with 2 working parents who didn't have a nanny or a driver on staff. Even with a carpool, that is a hike. I can see a DA in Arlington attracting talent from Arlington, DC, Alexandria, Falls Church and McLean, which might be enough.

(my kid is U10 so I have no dog in this fight.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: On the other hand, there are still plenty of girls in the DMV for which all the DA teams are too far to get to regularly.

As long as the DC-area ECNL teams hang in there, and strong players remain at Bethesda, BRYC, and McLean, there is not enough additional top talent to fill another DA program, at least in Virginia (at least in my opinion). There are currently girls' DAs in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties - I'd say Northern Virginia is pretty well covered geographically. If you're in Arlington, there's no reason you can't get to Reston. There can't be a DA in everyone's back yard. Right now, our DMV DAs are struggling to compete with those in other states where the talent seems to be more concentrated, and the DA teams are truly the cream of the crop. It's no different than the pre-DA days. The DMV's top talent is spread among too many clubs who all hold themselves out to be "elite." We as an area would compete nationally if there were fewer top programs and they were limited to the very best players. Imagine if we took the best 2-3 players in each age group from BRYC, McLean, FCV, Loudoun, WS DA, VDA, etc and made one super club. Then we could compete against the CA, MI, TX teams which always seem to beat us at national events.

Yeah but the wide net approach....the more in the pipe the better.