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Should my Daughter join a Club that plays in the ECNL?

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    Should my Daughter join a Club that plays in the ECNL?

    Aspirations to play college soccer and hopes of a scholarship are apt to influence many decisions young players and their parents make. We've relayed some of the common questions we've heard from parents to Lisa Lavelle, president of The Sport Source, which has spent more than 20 years in college counseling for student-athletes.

    By Lisa Lavelle

    My daughter got invited to play for an ECNL team. It's very expensive and they practice four times a week, requiring a significant commute. Some of the players from that club have gotten college scholarships, which makes it sound like the financial investment may pay off. But what if she's just a roster-filler? She's thrilled that she got asked and wants to make the move. Besides the thousands of dollars we'd be spending, I'm concerned how the time commitment might affect her homework. How do I make this call?

    Great question, let’s examine a few factors when making this decision. First let’s look at cost. It is estimated the average cost to participate in ECNL is about $8,000 to $10,000 annually when all the related expenses are added up.

    When it comes to scholarship allocation, money is money and when it comes to college scholarships a student-athlete's grades can equal big bucks and remove a barrier to entry when a coach has little to no money left in the budget.

    The fact is, collegiate soccer is a non-revenue sport, and when it comes to women’s soccer at the collegiate level, the Division I women's programs that are “fully funded” have 14 scholarships that are allocated over four years -- often with a roster with 23-32 players.

    So if it’s about a scholarship, athletically speaking not everyone will get a “full-ride” and in many cases little to no athletic money. Which brings me back to cost -- at $10K per year and your child plays ECNL for let’s say four years -- you would have spent $40K

    If you live in California and your daughter wants to attend UCLA -- the new student mandatory fee for the first year is $15,131 -- based on ECNL dues and fees paid, you could have covered nearly three years of college tuition with the same amount of money spent on playing ECNL.

    ECNL rules say the roster can have a maximum of 30 players -- and realistically, it all comes down to money and players -- so your instinct could be correct. Club teams at any level can’t guarantee playing time either. Remember, if she is really good, and a game-changer, college coaches are looking for the brightest and best players for their roster, especially if they can add value, depth and dimension to their college team.

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to sports, and what one coach sees as a great player, another coach might not.

    As an example, in Dallas, there was young girl who tried out for an ECNL team, was told she was not good enough -- so she continued to play for her high school and club team. When National Signing Day came around, she signed with Davidson. While the ECNL coach said she was not good enough for his youth team -- the college coach said she was great for his collegiate program. Bottom line, college coaches will be the final judge on who they recruit, and pick student-athletes they think are right for their program.

    As you consider the options for your daughter, you need to be aware that there is a significant time commitment to playing ECNL, including travel and training, along with various tournaments that are out-of-town. All of this adds up and based on the commitment required, it may require your daughter to be out of school for one or more days. These are un-excused absence days, and depending on the school, your child might be required to attend summer school to maintain her academic and attendance requirements.

    Take for example, Royal High School in California, its policy states “Teachers may fail any student who accrues a total of seven (7) unexcused absences in any one semester.” Teachers are not required to provide make-up work or allow students to take tests missed because of absences which have been designated as "unexcused" or "truant."

    Each state and school has their own policy, so before you make your decision to pursue ECNL or any sports program that would require your child to miss school due to travel and events, parents should speak with the school counselor and find out what if any ramifications will apply if their child has excessive absences due to ECNL or other sporting events.

    Parents should also review the club policy regarding travel, tournaments and make sure the club understands excessive absences due to sports participation outside of their school could cause their child issues along the way. When it comes to NCAA Division I or II sports, students must meet both academic and athletic eligibility.

    #2
    IT'S NOT $10,000 A YEAR DAMMIT. I CAN SHOW YOU MY COSTS. AND PARENT TRAVEL DOESN'T FACTOR IN. IF YOU ARE ON A TRAVELING TEAM, YOU ARE ALREADY SPENDING CLOSE TO THIS AMOUNT.

    Ok, have I captured all of angry rants that the ECNL crowd has posted on here regarding costs over the past 12 months?

    Comment


      #3
      "While the ECNL coach said she was not good enough for his youth team -- the college coach said she was great for his collegiate program. Bottom line, college coaches will be the final judge on who they recruit, and pick student-athletes they think are right for their program."


      Well this just isn't right. No way. This auther is making this up. You have to do ECNL to play in college.

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        #4
        It's clear that Lisa Levelle is associated with the Timbers Alliance some how. I bet she's a coach. They will do anything to put down something they don't have.

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          #5
          If you have $40,000 to invest and your daughter is not top 40% then it is a good option.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            "While the ECNL coach said she was not good enough for his youth team -- the college coach said she was great for his collegiate program. Bottom line, college coaches will be the final judge on who they recruit, and pick student-athletes they think are right for their program."


            Well this just isn't right. No way. This auther is making this up. You have to do ECNL to play in college.
            Maybe the ECNL team was better than the college team. Not unlikely.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              Maybe the ECNL team was better than the college team. Not unlikely.
              You missed the point Gomer. The point is, it doesn't matter where you play. The college coach decides if you are good enough or not, regardless of what the club coaches said. You don't have to do ECNL to get a college offer.

              Comment


                #8
                If she's 'filler', she not going to make many rosters, then you just pay for training. Then you're only looking at a few hundred bucks more then some hillbilly crap club team each year. Then it would be a bargain. The 'good' players will simply have more college choices and better offers, so that might be worth it.. In the mean time, they are all getting better and get to play in a different league and not have to deal with the politics of arguing which local club isn't the worst, then go play FWRL and find out that being at the top of the steaming dung heap isn't that impressive once you leave Oregon.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  If she's 'filler', she not going to make many rosters, then you just pay for training. Then you're only looking at a few hundred bucks more then some hillbilly crap club team each year. Then it would be a bargain. The 'good' players will simply have more college choices and better offers, so that might be worth it.. In the mean time, they are all getting better and get to play in a different league and not have to deal with the politics of arguing which local club isn't the worst, then go play FWRL and find out that being at the top of the steaming dung heap isn't that impressive once you leave Oregon.
                  So that's why your "filler" dd doesn't have an offer.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    So that's why your "filler" dd doesn't have an offer.
                    My dd isn't currently playing. But if it's argued anecdotally on T.S. that players can be found anywhere. You would want your dd playing, training and practicing with and against the best players you can find. That way they will have a chance to shine when the coach comes knocking. Once there, have a shot at playing college or at least keep their scholarship for more then a year.

                    If ECNL is such a bad idea, why did the winners of OYSA send their teams to FWRL? It's all based on the same premise, that you want your kids to challenge themselves, to get better. It's clear after seeing the FWRL results, that it isn't happening in our backwater, inbred league currently.

                    It's so funny, a couple of years ago, T/S was all abuzz about how Oregon needs consolidation, more out of state play and we need ECNL. Now that it's here, the argument is since our club doesn't have it, we don't need it afterall. Make up your freakin' minds people!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      If you have $40,000 to invest and your daughter is not top 40% then it is a good option.
                      That a lot of money.

                      Do pro women soccer players make much money?

                      Or is this trying for athletic scholarships?

                      Smarter to go for academic scholarships. You don't lose those with an injury.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        That a lot of money.

                        Do pro women soccer players make much money?

                        Or is this trying for athletic scholarships?

                        Smarter to go for academic scholarships. You don't lose those with an injury.
                        You can cut that in half by not going to the away matches. I doubt the ECNL coaches need you on the sidelines yelling at the refs.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                          That a lot of money.

                          Do pro women soccer players make much money?

                          Or is this trying for athletic scholarships?

                          Smarter to go for academic scholarships. You don't lose those with an injury.
                          Academics always first. You are right. I've seen one injury stop a player from achieving college dream.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                            My dd isn't currently playing. But if it's argued anecdotally on T.S. that players can be found anywhere. You would want your dd playing, training and practicing with and against the best players you can find. That way they will have a chance to shine when the coach comes knocking. Once there, have a shot at playing college or at least keep their scholarship for more then a year.

                            If ECNL is such a bad idea, why did the winners of OYSA send their teams to FWRL? It's all based on the same premise, that you want your kids to challenge themselves, to get better. It's clear after seeing the FWRL results, that it isn't happening in our backwater, inbred league currently.

                            It's so funny, a couple of years ago, T/S was all abuzz about how Oregon needs consolidation, more out of state play and we need ECNL. Now that it's here, the argument is since our club doesn't have it, we don't need it afterall. Make up your freakin' minds people!
                            ECNL is a great option if it was 4-6k a year. 8k+ and it becomes a financial investment that doesn't get its return if you're looking for scholarships. It's a great league, with some great teams and some bad teams. Their tournaments as a whole are strong. At the end of the day, there becomes a point when the argument has to change. If you have the money and want your DD to have a strong soccer experience, then more power to you. Enjoy it. If you your doing it for the sole purpose of chasing scholarships, you could be at a great risk of not getting your full return on your investment. I know that if I had the money and it was expendable, I would spend more to create more opportunities for my DD.

                            I do believe that ECNL girls on average have a better chance at playing in college, but this is also because you're comparing their statistics to those of leagues that have teams that don't desire to move onto college. It would be a great statistic to see how ECNL does with college exposure when compared to the top 2-4 teams in each of their respective states. My guess is that they would look very similar. The top teams in Nor Cal and So Cal outside of ECNL look identical to their ECNL teams when it comes to college recruiting/ placement. OR can't claim ECNL success for college yet, all these girls were developed and played in Non-ECNL programs and events. This one year might've help a little, but majority was done prior. This state has had a program long enough to see the proven differences.

                            Take it for what it is. ECNL provides great exposure at a larger than typical cost. Is it good? Yes! Does it offer exposure? Yes! Is it the only way? NO! Is it the best way? Depends on your DD and your family situation (I'm not talking specifically finances).

                            Consolidation is great. ECNL in Oregon is beneficial. Thorns has an opportunity to add to the girls side in Oregon if they can get things figured out. I hope all work out in this state and that we all are better for it.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                              Academics always first. You are right. I've seen one injury stop a player from achieving college dream.
                              This is exactly right. Primary focus should always be on a academic scholarship money.

                              Injuries are terrible but do happen.

                              Comment

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