GA to ECRL

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Gateway is a dumb ECNL marketing term for gullible parents. Please find a Match Fit player from ECRL who has committed please. Also provide a population of players only then we can discuss the merit of ECRL.

THERE IS NO UPWARD MOBILITY in “top clubs” - only in lower clubs who lose players to top clubs. I’ve only seen players pushed down. Some minor exceptions are movement from PDA white to PDA blue under coaches guidance.

Correct for example PDA Shore ECRL is awful across all age groups....players leaving in droves to GA from there.

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100% The GAL coaches on here talking about how kids should have fun and avoid the pressures of play in the ECNL would sell their soul for an ECNL badge.

The GAL coaches I know are definitely not thinking or talking like kids should just have fun. They are serious and dedicated with the same expectations for their players. I know you want to paint the picture that GAL is horrible and crappy with zero redeeming qualities, but your just wrong. Just to be clear I am not a GAL coach.

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Jesus, just look at this year before you decide to misquote. These are the commitment figures they will change, but not by much. In any case the top GA teams will commit “at least 3x as many players” as “mid table” ECNL club such as Match Fit. These are the figures. You figure out how to spin the narrative.

How many ECRL players committed in the past anyways. ECRL is a joke if you are U16 or above. Just 1/1000 chance of going anywhere. The league is a marketing ploy. The chance to play ECNL teams in playoffs is 1/8. The ECNL teams you play in playoffs are the ones from the bottom 1/4 of the league. There are zero college coaches watching those games.

not the poster but stop using local examples to represent much of anything for either league. Some GAL clubs are top notch - they're trying to leave :), but that's another topic. Some ECNL teams are crap, and there's overlap in between, not just clubs and teams but also players. Many of the 2020 and 2021 commits came onto GDA when it started. Finding a spot on an ECNL team 2 years after as GDA started to really fall apart often wasn't possible. After this year's graduating class there will be a even sharper drop off between the two leagues. Not in terms of total numbers but the level of college play. Top D1 will be heavily dominated by ECNL, mid level some mixing, low level more GAL or other leagues. Some teams/clubs will still land some quality top spots; some will land low level stuff that didn't require national travel and cost to get there.

There's always exceptions but at this point in the recruiting game it's ECNL > GAL in terms of quality soccer programs. However that leaves plenty of other opportunities out there. There's thousands of spots that need to be filled each year. Just keep in mind Covid has shrunk the # of spots some for the next 2-3 years so chose your target college teams carefully

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The GAL coaches I know are definitely not thinking or talking like kids should just have fun. They are serious and dedicated with the same expectations for their players. I know you want to paint the picture that GAL is horrible and crappy with zero redeeming qualities, but your just wrong. Just to be clear I am not a GAL coach.

What the heck is wrong with that??? Having fun and being in a chill relaxed atmosphere is underestimated in today’s cut throat youth soccer world. We have girls that miss practices/games once in a while to go skiing, hang with their friends, play another HS sport etc. Glad our GA club affords them the opportunity without too much pressurization and consequence. The positive is we have a small roster so plenty of PT for everyone.

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What the heck is wrong with that??? Having fun and being in a chill relaxed atmosphere is underestimated in today’s cut throat youth soccer world. We have girls that miss practices/games once in a while to go skiing, hang with their friends, play another HS sport etc. Glad our GA club affords them the opportunity without too much pressurization and consequence. The positive is we have a small roster so plenty of PT for everyone.

There is a difference between having a good balance in your child’s life and their determination and commitment level to their team and sport. Is it cool that a club lets kids skip practices for other sports? Nope. That’s not how you build a cohesive team. You have to be committed to it. Yes, there is vacations and events that would cause you to miss once in a while, but my child is at a GA club and she is held accountable for her commitment level. It would never fly with her coach if she didn’t show up to practice because she wanted to hang out with her friends that night and IMO that’s how it should be.

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What the heck is wrong with that??? Having fun and being in a chill relaxed atmosphere is underestimated in today’s cut throat youth soccer world. We have girls that miss practices/games once in a while to go skiing, hang with their friends, play another HS sport etc. Glad our GA club affords them the opportunity without too much pressurization and consequence. The positive is we have a small roster so plenty of PT for everyone.

Those kids would be better served playing in EDP D3. Less travel, fun atmosphere, no worrying about showcasing to compete for college roster spots, etc.

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Stop giving GAL any credit for commit this year. Those are commits from GDA. Period.

Stop giving GDA credit, those kids did not become great players in 2 years! Most came in after years with other clubs (often ECNL). Give me a break!

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Those kids would be better served playing in EDP D3. Less travel, fun atmosphere, no worrying about showcasing to compete for college roster spots, etc.

Better yet, go back to your travel club and just play with your school friends and neighbors.

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Don’t you EVER tell me what to do

Better yet, go back to your travel club and just play with your school friends and neighbors.

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MF Shore tryouts March 31st-April 7th. See what the buzz is all about.

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Currently and post-covid for awhile stability wins the day. The landscape has had a lot of upheaval the last few years and people are sick of it. Despite the GDA, attack ECNL survived and is even getting stronger. That means a lot to families.

I'm of the same opinion. The wounds from the collapse of the GDA are still fresh and I'm not putting my kid through that again.

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Those kids would be better served playing in EDP D3. Less travel, fun atmosphere, no worrying about showcasing to compete for college roster spots, etc.

Huh? Some teams at some GA clubs are pretty much EDP D3 level, what’s your point?

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MF Shore tryouts March 31st-April 7th. See what the buzz is all about.

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Huh? Some teams at some GA clubs are pretty much EDP D3 level, what’s your point?

This is harsh. I'd say EDP D2 level.

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This is harsh. I'd say EDP D2 level.

Not everyone can be as good as the MF Shore 09 team. I'm not a parent but I'm really impressed with this team/club. They seem to be doing everything right!