Ecnl - pay to post

[Unregistered]

Most important, PDA is on the board of directors of ECNL (with a hefty stipend?) and I think there are plenty of documented cases (before GDA's demise) on how ECNL was strong-arming clubs and saying "unless you put your best team in ECNL you are out".
- Colorado
- LA
- Fury
- World Class/NYCFC

Lets just say they did not want to see any marketplace competition and milk the pay-to-play model into the sunset. GDA was providing a higher level of service to players and parents at a lower cost, and it was not going well with the marketing dept.

Don't think that's true at WC. Moving their GDA to NYCFC pretty much made that kind of strong-arming impossible. WC left GDA because families were complaining about 7hr drives to to play uncompetitive games.

[Unregistered]

Does the ECNL pay some of these posters who constantly feel it's necessary to write things about the GAL? It's amazing how these posters have all this "inside" info about GAL teams such as all the kids that left to go play for ECNL teams, teams that are begging to get out and the overall quality of teams that are located all over the country. It almost feels as if the ECNL has created a propaganda machine to try and bring down the GAL. Why would a league like the ECNL, who promotes itself as the top league need to lower themselves and litter an anonymous soccer board with constant cheap shots to another league that's obviously inferior?

Girls youth soccer is a very small world, people hear things and some coaches have loose lips. By u15 most of the better player parents know or know of the other players because they have either played with or against at some point. Also, a lot of the people like to drink, amazing what a DOC can say with some beers in them.

[Unregistered]

Youth soccer was already crushing in the money time and travel and gda made it even worse on all 3 counts. What were they thinking?

[Unregistered]

Fair but now we are speaking of GAL. I honestly think ECNL is just as corrupt. Teams having the ability to object or to oppose the addition of competitors just because they want that monopoly and PDA awarding another badge to themselves when they can barely justify it... I don’t have any respect for that and many people don’t. It’s all about the $$$$$$$$.

No system is perfect, never will be. No one should ever expect it. There's too much money involved in all youth sports so don't think this is unique to soccer. Pick your poison based on what your options are

[Unregistered]

We are in the same position and we are exploring other options.

Be careful what you wish for. We left the GA to go to a ECNL team. The roster has 22 kids on it and even though my d is very good, she sees a out 20-25 min if playtime if shes lucky. We are considering going back to a GA club in the fall for a smaller roster size. I can say this, the training she was getting at the GA was on par to what shes getting with the ECNL team. That's not why we left. The GA was brand new, not much was known about it, and we made a impulse decision.

[Unregistered]

PDA did fine in the GDA. Post the results so we can see all your BS. BTW nothing wrong with a club with 3K players losing to a club with 30K players now and then.

So did many of the other clubs that went back to ECNL, in fact a few were tops in the country. That's when we knew GDA was in trouble. It wasn't just the Empire United's leaving/getting kicked out but TOP clubs.

[Unregistered]

Is it possible that people are just speaking the truth about how they see GAL? My kid is in GAL and we are not happy. Mainly due to DA folding and we were stuck with this league. If I can get her on an ECNL team I will. Bottom line is we came to the club we are at for DA not GAL. And what we see at the club is GAL is being pushed hard as such a great league yet we know our club would jump to ECNL in a heart beat. But definitely not happening.

As far as ECNL paying for bashing on TS. Well thats just silly. ECNL sells itself at this point and from what you see around the country top clubs have been moving to ECNL since even when DA was around.

The ECNL has brainwashed many into believing they're the only "pathway" to college soccer. If parents actually believe their kids will have an advantage getting recruited solely based on the ECNL badge they're seriously mistaken. The top players on ECNL clubs will be recruited heavily, as are the top players on GA teams, all other players will have to market themselves to get seen by a college coach. The top D1 coaches who go to showcases are only looking at 1-3% of the girls playing so if your daughter isn't one of these players don't expect Anson Dorrance to walk up to you. The other D1, D2 and D3 schools won't go to showcases anymore cause they don't have budgets for recruiting unless the showcase happens to be in the area of their school. The ECNL wants all of their parents/players to think the only way for them to get into a D1 school is through them playing for an ECNL team when in reality players 5 and up on the depth chart aren't getting recruited at all. Parents should focus on their daughter's coach and their development not the team they play for cause all of the other "noise" created by those in the "know" is b.s.

[Unregistered]

NJ girls play at 7 ECNL clubs if you include all 3 PDA groups. SJEB, STA, and CSA are all good clubs as well. Many options no matter where you live in NJ.

Just because NJ has players on 7 ECNL clubs doesn't mean that NJ players have access to all of them. Nearest club to us is an hour away and it isn't one that would be anyone's first, second or third choice. People in Atlantic and Cape May County would beg to differ on being able to get to a good club as even SJEB can be over 1-1.5hrs to some.

[Unregistered]

I think PDA moved out of GDA because their top teams were simply getting "bashed" in a very lopsided way by teams from Cali and Texas. From what I've heard PDA was in GDA "on paper only" while still
- they still practiced 2x a week
- assigned a bunch of homework to kids
- coaches would not show up due to college schedule to practice/games
- were not able to make extra money from "side training sessions" for $15/$20 a session
- coaches were required to be certified for a lot of money (and didn't)

Most important, PDA is on the board of directors of ECNL (with a hefty stipend?) and I think there are plenty of documented cases (before GDA's demise) on how ECNL was strong-arming clubs and saying "unless you put your best team in ECNL you are out".
- Colorado
- LA
- Fury
- World Class/NYCFC

Lets just say they did not want to see any marketplace competition and milk the pay-to-play model into the sunset. GDA was providing a higher level of service to players and parents at a lower cost, and it was not going well with the marketing dept.

higher level of service and lower cost? lol lol lol lol

[Unregistered]

Be careful what you wish for. We left the GA to go to a ECNL team. The roster has 22 kids on it and even though my d is very good, she sees a out 20-25 min if playtime if shes lucky. We are considering going back to a GA club in the fall for a smaller roster size. I can say this, the training she was getting at the GA was on par to what shes getting with the ECNL team. That's not why we left. The GA was brand new, not much was known about it, and we made a impulse decision.

Just curious. On the GA team she came from, were there players that were only getting 20-25 minutes per game (and your D was getting much more)? In other words, was she one of the better players on her GA team, and perhaps not so on the ECNL team? Not being judgmental here, just trying to understand the decision-making process.

[Unregistered]

The ECNL has brainwashed many into believing they're the only "pathway" to college soccer. If parents actually believe their kids will have an advantage getting recruited solely based on the ECNL badge they're seriously mistaken. The top players on ECNL clubs will be recruited heavily, as are the top players on GA teams, all other players will have to market themselves to get seen by a college coach. The top D1 coaches who go to showcases are only looking at 1-3% of the girls playing so if your daughter isn't one of these players don't expect Anson Dorrance to walk up to you. The other D1, D2 and D3 schools won't go to showcases anymore cause they don't have budgets for recruiting unless the showcase happens to be in the area of their school. The ECNL wants all of their parents/players to think the only way for them to get into a D1 school is through them playing for an ECNL team when in reality players 5 and up on the depth chart aren't getting recruited at all. Parents should focus on their daughter's coach and their development not the team they play for cause all of the other "noise" created by those in the "know" is b.s.

I don't think ECNL has ever claimed to be the "only pathway" to college soccer. They have claimed to be the "best pathway", but not the only one.

[Unregistered]

Be careful what you wish for. We left the GA to go to a ECNL team. The roster has 22 kids on it and even though my d is very good, she sees a out 20-25 min if playtime if shes lucky. We are considering going back to a GA club in the fall for a smaller roster size. I can say this, the training she was getting at the GA was on par to what shes getting with the ECNL team. That's not why we left. The GA was brand new, not much was known about it, and we made a impulse decision.

D left a DA/GA club where she was getting 50-60% playing time to an ECNL team that changed her position and is now seeing 75%+ playing time. Problem though is the coach is a hack, guy does the least amount of work possible. I'm surprised he was even given an ECNL team since he was already know for this with his other team which was a B team. Never seen so many eager to move from an ECNL team as I know at least 4 of his top players have already started talking to other clubs. The GA team my D left trains like it's their job while her current ECNL team would rather go to a birthday party.

[Unregistered]

Don't think that's true at WC. Moving their GDA to NYCFC pretty much made that kind of strong-arming impossible. WC left GDA because families were complaining about 7hr drives to to play uncompetitive games.

or was it because nycfc stopped supporting?

[Unregistered]

PDA did fine in the GDA. Post the results so we can see all your BS. BTW nothing wrong with a club with 3K players losing to a club with 30K players now and then.

example game at a showcase:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCG_...ature=emb_logo

results (no detailed results kept, but from what I recall PDA had 1 loss in the division? rest came from intra league play?)
http://www.ussoccerda.com/sam/standi...d=MTAwOQ%3D%3D

[Unregistered]

So did many of the other clubs that went back to ECNL, in fact a few were tops in the country. That's when we knew GDA was in trouble. It wasn't just the Empire United's leaving/getting kicked out but TOP clubs.

Spot on