Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any update on ASA getting GA? Would like to know if we should stay or go somewhere else. Club is not being very responsive.

The most recent club communication (posted yesterday, 3/19) is that ASA expects to hear from the GA early this week. The committee has apparently voted on ASA's application, and the next step is the GA reaching out to ASA. I disagree that the club hasn't been very responsive. I think they're doing their best with what has been a surprisingly long process that they don't control.

Any update from ASA on whether they got in?

So despite ASA saying there is no intention to go GA/ MLS, this forum thinks they were lying and will go this direction? What does that say about the trust in ASA leadership.

This is regarding Alexandria Soccer Association, not Arlington!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there relegation rules for new clubs in ECNL RL/NL? If a new clubs NL or RL team land at the bottom of their region in their first year, does it affect their ability to stay in the ECNL? Essentially, will a club/age/team face relegation?

ECNL has avoided relagating clubs. What they like to do is force terrible ECNL clubs to merge with better clubs. This way ECNL saves face by not admiting that there's terrible ECNL clubs. But it also keeps clubs from switching to other leagues. The problem is the owners at one club stop getting checks. So they eventually get pissed and split back off forming or reforming another terrible club.

This sounds strangely familiar with all the VA alliances. Glad this isn't an issue in our area, but you hit the nail on the head.

This seems like a DMV issue only. Has anybody heard of ECNL forcing mergers in any other part of the country?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there relegation rules for new clubs in ECNL RL/NL? If a new clubs NL or RL team land at the bottom of their region in their first year, does it affect their ability to stay in the ECNL? Essentially, will a club/age/team face relegation?

ECNL has avoided relagating clubs. What they like to do is force terrible ECNL clubs to merge with better clubs. This way ECNL saves face by not admiting that there's terrible ECNL clubs. But it also keeps clubs from switching to other leagues. The problem is the owners at one club stop getting checks. So they eventually get pissed and split back off forming or reforming another terrible club.

This sounds strangely familiar with all the VA alliances. Glad this isn't an issue in our area, but you hit the nail on the head.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there relegation rules for new clubs in ECNL RL/NL? If a new clubs NL or RL team land at the bottom of their region in their first year, does it affect their ability to stay in the ECNL? Essentially, will a club/age/team face relegation?

ECNL has avoided relagating clubs. What they like to do is force terrible ECNL clubs to merge with better clubs. This way ECNL saves face by not admiting that there's terrible ECNL clubs. But it also keeps clubs from switching to other leagues. The problem is the owners at one club stop getting checks. So they eventually get pissed and split back off forming or reforming another terrible club.

Spot on synopsis and one of the several reasons why youth soccer in USA sucks hard. However for foreign coaches it’s a gold mine

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any update on ASA getting GA? Would like to know if we should stay or go somewhere else. Club is not being very responsive.

The most recent club communication (posted yesterday, 3/19) is that ASA expects to hear from the GA early this week. The committee has apparently voted on ASA's application, and the next step is the GA reaching out to ASA. I disagree that the club hasn't been very responsive. I think they're doing their best with what has been a surprisingly long process that they don't control.

Any update from ASA on whether they got in?

So despite ASA saying there is no intention to go GA/ MLS, this forum thinks they were lying and will go this direction? What does that say about the trust in ASA leadership.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there relegation rules for new clubs in ECNL RL/NL? If a new clubs NL or RL team land at the bottom of their region in their first year, does it affect their ability to stay in the ECNL? Essentially, will a club/age/team face relegation?

ECNL has avoided relagating clubs. What they like to do is force terrible ECNL clubs to merge with better clubs. This way ECNL saves face by not admiting that there's terrible ECNL clubs. But it also keeps clubs from switching to other leagues. The problem is the owners at one club stop getting checks. So they eventually get pissed and split back off forming or reforming another terrible club.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any update on ASA getting GA? Would like to know if we should stay or go somewhere else. Club is not being very responsive.

The most recent club communication (posted yesterday, 3/19) is that ASA expects to hear from the GA early this week. The committee has apparently voted on ASA's application, and the next step is the GA reaching out to ASA. I disagree that the club hasn't been very responsive. I think they're doing their best with what has been a surprisingly long process that they don't control.

Any update from ASA on whether they got in?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any update on ASA getting GA? Would like to know if we should stay or go somewhere else. Club is not being very responsive.

The most recent club communication (posted yesterday, 3/19) is that ASA expects to hear from the GA early this week. The committee has apparently voted on ASA's application, and the next step is the GA reaching out to ASA. I disagree that the club hasn't been very responsive. I think they're doing their best with what has been a surprisingly long process that they don't control.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ECNL overplayed their hand this past year in the forced mergers. They thought they held all the cards and so had no problem threatening clubs with the risk of losing their ECNL badge. Turns out ECNL no longer holds all the leverage they thought they did. So it’s an interesting turn of events that has u folded and it has ECNL a bit on its heels in having to respond and rethink its approach to clubs.

All that said, I mostly blame incompetent club leaders who had zero backbone to stand up to ECNL and protect their clubs when they were told to merge. These clubs may be extracting their revenge now with the GA/MLS stuff- but at the end of the day communities lost their soccer club and players lost the camaraderie of a community club. It will take at least a decade for these clubs to reestablish themselves to what they once were (if that is even possible ).

This is incomprehensible

Anonymous wrote:ECNL overplayed their hand this past year in the forced mergers. They thought they held all the cards and so had no problem threatening clubs with the risk of losing their ECNL badge. Turns out ECNL no longer holds all the leverage they thought they did. So it’s an interesting turn of events that has u folded and it has ECNL a bit on its heels in having to respond and rethink its approach to clubs.

All that said, I mostly blame incompetent club leaders who had zero backbone to stand up to ECNL and protect their clubs when they were told to merge. These clubs may be extracting their revenge now with the GA/MLS stuff- but at the end of the day communities lost their soccer club and players lost the camaraderie of a community club. It will take at least a decade for these clubs to reestablish themselves to what they once were (if that is even possible ).

Anonymous wrote:ECNL overplayed their hand this past year in the forced mergers. They thought they held all the cards and so had no problem threatening clubs with the risk of losing their ECNL badge. Turns out ECNL no longer holds all the leverage they thought they did. So it’s an interesting turn of events that has u folded and it has ECNL a bit on its heels in having to respond and rethink its approach to clubs.

All that said, I mostly blame incompetent club leaders who had zero backbone to stand up to ECNL and protect their clubs when they were told to merge. These clubs may be extracting their revenge now with the GA/MLS stuff- but at the end of the day communities lost their soccer club and players lost the camaraderie of a community club. It will take at least a decade for these clubs to reestablish themselves to what they once were (if that is even possible ).

Anonymous wrote:ECNL overplayed their hand this past year in the forced mergers. They thought they held all the cards and so had no problem threatening clubs with the risk of losing their ECNL badge. Turns out ECNL no longer holds all the leverage they thought they did. So it’s an interesting turn of events that has u folded and it has ECNL a bit on its heels in having to respond and rethink its approach to clubs.

All that said, I mostly blame incompetent club leaders who had zero backbone to stand up to ECNL and protect their clubs when they were told to merge. These clubs may be extracting their revenge now with the GA/MLS stuff- but at the end of the day communities lost their soccer club and players lost the camaraderie of a community club. It will take at least a decade for these clubs to reestablish themselves to what they once were (if that is even possible ).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there relegation rules for new clubs in ECNL RL/NL? If a new clubs NL or RL team land at the bottom of their region in their first year, does it affect their ability to stay in the ECNL? Essentially, will a club/age/team face relegation?

ECNL has avoided relagating clubs. What they like to do is force terrible ECNL clubs to merge with better clubs. This way ECNL saves face by not admiting that there's terrible ECNL clubs. But it also keeps clubs from switching to other leagues. The problem is the owners at one club stop getting checks. So they eventually get pissed and split back off forming or reforming another terrible club.