Girls DA

[Unregistered]

Not the OP, but yes, I think everyone involved in ECNL and GDA would welcome some modifications that reduced the overall travel. There are lots of ways that could be done -- move games to neutral locations so that less overnight stays are required. Sure it may require more field logistics and costs, but that could easily be offset by the real $$ parents pay in hotels, tolls, and gas.

The national showcases do not need to be that. You could easily break it up into at least East Coast, Midwest, and, West Coast. Do we need to go to San Diego to play a team from Florida? No.

Playoffs could follow a regional pyramid structure that doesn't require everyone to travel all the way across the country. Part of this is biased in that all of these national events seem to be on the West Coast. So another option would be to at least flip coasts every other year so that it evens out if you are in it for several years.

As far as USSF, they care about a pool for YNT. But once parents realize they aren't really chasing that dream (or playing Women's Pro if that even exists by then), then perhaps they can figure out what really helps them to achieve their personal goals.

your last sentence implies the USSF are leading the travel charge. they arent. The ECNL are ADDING events. why is no one at Stars or PDA going to the DoCs and saying enough ? why is the Stars DoC saying we have to listen to parents.If you guys are to be believed there should be parents all over him to lobby the ECNL to reduce the travel no ?

No one wants to say the Emperor has no clothes. Why ? SUSA are doing back flips about getting ECNL. Why ?

the fact is the ECNL management get HUGE kickbacks by taking the travelling economy with them to various places across the USA. I bet its worth HUGE sums to those involved and its all YOUR money. They have no incentive to do anything but INCREASE travel and you will pay it just so you can say oh look , this what elite soccer is and we are doing it .

its a con and a joke, but until parents are honest with themselves about why they are doing this and what they hope to achieve it will not change.

my family is done with youth soccer. last kid is finished. in the 10 or so years ive been around it have seen a lot of new things. the one constant is the cost goes up and the quality in many cases has gotten worse. When we started the NE was loaded with YNT players, now its a fraction of what is was. PDA and Stars had loads of kids on that world. Now, very few. why? what changed ?

[Unregistered]

your last sentence implies the USSF are leading the travel charge. they arent. The ECNL are ADDING events. why is no one at Stars or PDA going to the DoCs and saying enough ? why is the Stars DoC saying we have to listen to parents.If you guys are to be believed there should be parents all over him to lobby the ECNL to reduce the travel no ?

No one wants to say the Emperor has no clothes. Why ? SUSA are doing back flips about getting ECNL. Why ?

the fact is the ECNL management get HUGE kickbacks by taking the travelling economy with them to various places across the USA. I bet its worth HUGE sums to those involved and its all YOUR money. They have no incentive to do anything but INCREASE travel and you will pay it just so you can say oh look , this what elite soccer is and we are doing it .

its a con and a joke, but until parents are honest with themselves about why they are doing this and what they hope to achieve it will not change.

my family is done with youth soccer. last kid is finished. in the 10 or so years ive been around it have seen a lot of new things. the one constant is the cost goes up and the quality in many cases has gotten worse. When we started the NE was loaded with YNT players, now its a fraction of what is was. PDA and Stars had loads of kids on that world. Now, very few. why? what changed ?

Talent and big bank account are necessarily a pair.

[Unregistered]

your last sentence implies the USSF are leading the travel charge. they arent. The ECNL are ADDING events. why is no one at Stars or PDA going to the DoCs and saying enough ? why is the Stars DoC saying we have to listen to parents.If you guys are to be believed there should be parents all over him to lobby the ECNL to reduce the travel no ?

No one wants to say the Emperor has no clothes. Why ? SUSA are doing back flips about getting ECNL. Why ?

the fact is the ECNL management get HUGE kickbacks by taking the travelling economy with them to various places across the USA. I bet its worth HUGE sums to those involved and its all YOUR money. They have no incentive to do anything but INCREASE travel and you will pay it just so you can say oh look , this what elite soccer is and we are doing it .

its a con and a joke, but until parents are honest with themselves about why they are doing this and what they hope to achieve it will not change.

my family is done with youth soccer. last kid is finished. in the 10 or so years ive been around it have seen a lot of new things. the one constant is the cost goes up and the quality in many cases has gotten worse. When we started the NE was loaded with YNT players, now its a fraction of what is was. PDA and Stars had loads of kids on that world. Now, very few. why? what changed ?

Exactly. ECNL is flawed. That is why GDA is even more of a disappointment. They kept the ridiculous travel (both for weekly games and national events several times a year), instead of figuring out how to improve that.

I can understand the ECNL clubs' motiviations - they are businesses. But USSF could have done something else with GDA. That is the larger point...they are continuing the folly.

[Unregistered]

So please explain why they play in those leagues? you do realize that the Clubs are nothing without customers. If every kid said. i want to play NPL, guess what.....I understand the demographics of where kids attend but i think there is a status component to it that parents feel compelled to pay for and travel to attain.

Why is the ECNL adding NEW showcases. I dont see a single post complaining about that. yet i read ECNL vs GDA all the time.

why are parents tolerating it? for what benefit?

1) Of course there's status - many want whatever it is they think is "Best." But they also think it's what is best for their player. Overall the better coaching, players and competition is at the higher levels. If everyone en masse said "no more" then sure it could happen. But it won't. All it takes is a few thinking the other thing is better then others worry they might be missing out, and so on. Yes crowd mentality but it works for the leagues and always will.

2) The promise of college soccer is an amazing draw. In reality you're much less likely to get recruited if you're not in a top league. Yes it can happen outside GDA/ECNL/NPL, but much less often and with a lot more hard work and sometimes luck. Cha-ching!

3) Crazy but true, many players want to be challenged and want to play at the highest level they can.

4) Playing with or against other top players better prepares you for the rigors of college soccer.

[Unregistered]

So please explain why they play in those leagues? you do realize that the Clubs are nothing without customers. If every kid said. i want to play NPL, guess what.....I understand the demographics of where kids attend but i think there is a status component to it that parents feel compelled to pay for and travel to attain.

Why is the ECNL adding NEW showcases. I dont see a single post complaining about that. yet i read ECNL vs GDA all the time.

why are parents tolerating it? for what benefit?

The new ones won't be attended by all, and in fact help create a more regional approach. Having more for the U13/14s make attendance easier for them.

[Unregistered]

1) Of course there's status - many want whatever it is they think is "Best." But they also think it's what is best for their player. Overall the better coaching, players and competition is at the higher levels. If everyone en masse said "no more" then sure it could happen. But it won't. All it takes is a few thinking the other thing is better then others worry they might be missing out, and so on. Yes crowd mentality but it works for the leagues and always will.

2) The promise of college soccer is an amazing draw. In reality you're much less likely to get recruited if you're not in a top league. Yes it can happen outside GDA/ECNL/NPL, but much less often and with a lot more hard work and sometimes luck. Cha-ching!

3) Crazy but true, many players want to be challenged and want to play at the highest level they can.

4) Playing with or against other top players better prepares you for the rigors of college soccer.

lol none of what you said is achieved by travelling all over the country to play other teams that are similar flight to you? different competition? sure . Better no. you could get better competition scrimmaging a local boys team or older girls team.

the top league nonsense is pure marketing. if you are good enough its irrelevant . you are confusing more exposure with more quality.

rigors of College soccer? please...stop. what makes College soccer rigorous is the daily grind and time management, not the universal quality. there are 20 really good teams in College every year, the rest are pretty bad.

[Unregistered]

lol none of what you said is achieved by travelling all over the country to play other teams that are similar flight to you? different competition? sure . Better no. you could get better competition scrimmaging a local boys team or older girls team.

the top league nonsense is pure marketing. if you are good enough its irrelevant . you are confusing more exposure with more quality.

rigors of College soccer? please...stop. what makes College soccer rigorous is the daily grind and time management, not the universal quality. there are 20 really good teams in College every year, the rest are pretty bad.

You asked why people did it, not whether or not it is sane and rational. We'd all prefer a more regionalized approach. But the douche-bags at ECNL, USSF, USClub and all the other alphabet soup leagues have decided traveling to AVOID playing local teams is somehow good for development. Clubs latch onto it because that way they don't have to risk losing to local teams. Everyone is fighting over the same pie and it can only be divided so many ways.

[Unregistered]

Personally, I think there should be more travel, the kids love it!

-Anthony Travel

[Unregistered]

Ma board said Seacoast is being added for GDA. Desperation leads to desperate acts.

[Unregistered]

Ma board said Seacoast is being added for GDA. Desperation leads to desperate acts.

Yay, now we get to travel to a new state for a single game! New Hampshire or bust!

These leagues are really messing with people. It's great to drive by local competition that is will be just as good in search of the holy grail. Imagine if everyone pooled a fraction of their travel expenses towards specialized training? The kids could hire a WNT player to coach them for a day instead of 20 hotel rooms.

[Unregistered]

Yay, now we get to travel to a new state for a single game! New Hampshire or bust!

These leagues are really messing with people. It's great to drive by local competition that is will be just as good in search of the holy grail. Imagine if everyone pooled a fraction of their travel expenses towards specialized training? The kids could hire a WNT player to coach them for a day instead of 20 hotel rooms.

Its the same for ECNL and USYS NL, stop bitching.

[Unregistered]

Yay, now we get to travel to a new state for a single game! New Hampshire or bust!

These leagues are really messing with people. It's great to drive by local competition that is will be just as good in search of the holy grail. Imagine if everyone pooled a fraction of their travel expenses towards specialized training? The kids could hire a WNT player to coach them for a day instead of 20 hotel rooms.

It really is absurd at this point. Seacoast is an OK NPL club with less than mediocre BDA teams. Adding them brings nothing

[Unregistered]

Its the same for ECNL and USYS NL, stop bitching.

That's the problem - too many leagues and clubs fighting over the same players. They dont dare play each other in case they might lose. Parents buy in because they want their progeny to play in the best! league. If all of it were under one umbrella with a clear structure, promotion and relegation etc much of this nonsense would go away. Instead teams are traveling across multiple states to avoid paying similar teams close to home.

[Unregistered]

Its the same for ECNL and USYS NL, stop bitching.

Yes, it would be one thing if the teams were expected to be strong, but the take is that they are middle of the road NPL now playing in GDA. Probably less strong than Stars GDA who weren't that strong in the GDA. The point is GDA will be weaker competition next year and further travel...a great combination.

[Unregistered]

Yay, now we get to travel to a new state for a single game! New Hampshire or bust!

These leagues are really messing with people. It's great to drive by local competition that is will be just as good in search of the holy grail. Imagine if everyone pooled a fraction of their travel expenses towards specialized training? The kids could hire a WNT player to coach them for a day instead of 20 hotel rooms.

I appreciate playing teams far away, because I hate dealing with the parents of players on local teams on the sidelines.

;-)