NEP Meeting

[Unregistered]

Promotion/Relegation at every level stop the monopoly.

Doesn't that go against the theory that results don't matter?

This is tough, because I do feel there should be shuffling, promo/releg of some sort so teams can ensure they are always in competitive matches. However, coaches will abandon all measures of working on development only since being relegated will cost someone their job.

[Unregistered]

Doesn't that go against the theory that results don't matter?

This is tough, because I do feel there should be shuffling, promo/releg of some sort so teams can ensure they are always in competitive matches. However, coaches will abandon all measures of working on development only since being relegated will cost someone their job.

NO! Play for wins in the 2nd or 3rd division and you will probably get them, but bush league tactics don't work at higher levels and if the teams can't play soccer, they will eventually find a permanent home and level. This is the best part. So many of the NPL teams can't compete in the 1st division of EDP but they are still in the most revered division. Even better, is that no one cares about the strength of a club while putting teams into brackets that promote or relegate ... it comes down to individual teams and ones that can play will not be should not be held back. Leagues that appoint NPL teams are basically screwing everyone else and forcing better players on those teams to leave and find alternatives that allow play in top divisions. EDP's biggest mistake is not awarding NPL status to teams but to clubs and not basing this on play on the field. Even better is that the teams that earn to be there year after year will undoubtedly be the strongest teams around and they would likely fare well in national playoffs. I am all in favor of making teams earn their lot or getting cast off. Mediocre teams/clubs that are larger in size are finding favor not because of how they do on the field but because of how much money they generate. In the grand scheme of things they often are not the best (across the board) at developing talent and have to keep replacing their own in-house players to compete ..... kids get good elsewhere and then join at the expense of kids trained by the club. How do you think the new kids will end up? Sorry, reward the clubs and teams and coaches that are doing it right and earn it.

[Unregistered]

Doesn't that go against the theory that results don't matter?

This is tough, because I do feel there should be shuffling, promo/releg of some sort so teams can ensure they are always in competitive matches. However, coaches will abandon all measures of working on development only since being relegated will cost someone their job.

Coaches will always be coaches. When the NEP was created the guidelines were supposed to enforce a certain style of play. That’s gone and the league is full of the clowns we never wanted because of the all mighty dollar.

GPS/Seacoast/NEFC/Stars/Scorps - The big 5 are responsible for what the league has become. There has been so much hypocrisy over the years it’s frightening. Nobody has the balls to do what’s right because they all want status. GPS talked a great game in the beginning but now everyone understands who they are what they are about. Stars, Scorps, NEFC and Seacoast have fractured the landscape of youth soccer so bad that now development is not even in the vocabulary anymore it’s just league play. You’re recognized now not by your ability but by which league you play in. I’m an ECNL player!!! What does that mean?

Aztec and Yankee should have been replaced in multiple age groups. These clubs should have done right by the kids but instead their membership trumped everything. Who enjoys traveling to Trumbull to hear grown men scream at kids?

Bayside should send all of their parents to an etiquette course or ban them completely. Enough is enough!!

[Unregistered]

The league never takes a real look at itself. Despite SC’s claims to the contrary, he refuses to address the biggest issues. I hope the recent interest shown by the EDP will help create a decent option to a number of clubs.

[Unregistered]

NEP Meeting

How about you give us your top 5 issues that make you so concerned?

Truth is, as parents, many of us have no idea what you are talking about. I’d actually be interested in hearing the overall problems/issues that surround the league, but posts like this don’t really help.

Not in the meetings but here are some clear issues:

1. Player Pass- allowing NPL/ECNL/Premiership players to player pass down into Championship and League 1.
2. Club Mergers- Anyone can merge, NEP won't let the club in but they can merge with the big clubs.
3. Divisions- teams placed by clubs, many times placed low to win or too high to hold spots
4. Game schedules- Should be organized better so those who coach multiple teams can request certain times before schedules are posted. Re-scheduling is almost impossible.

[Unregistered]

The hypocricy within the league is stunning. SC does little to stop the recruiting, cheating and laughable antics of many of the clubs. Unless they admit that an impartial and unbiased person be brought in to straighten things out, the league will start to fall apart within the next 2 years.

[Unregistered]

SC = Puppet, or Muppet, depends on the day.

[Unregistered]

The league has rules around any number of things that aren't followed. Certain club can do what ever they want while smaller, less influential clubs, get nasty emails from SC for any number of things. The league is doomed unless someone comes in to straighten it out, though it may be too late. The bigger clubs who have run amok may find themselves on the outside forced to only play each other every week.

[Unregistered]

Imagine for a minute that the NEP asked the hierarchy at USSF to run a report on how the league is run? I think they’d laugh their way out of MA.

[Unregistered]

NO! Play for wins in the 2nd or 3rd division and you will probably get them, but bush league tactics don't work at higher levels and if the teams can't play soccer, they will eventually find a permanent home and level. This is the best part. So many of the NPL teams can't compete in the 1st division of EDP but they are still in the most revered division. Even better, is that no one cares about the strength of a club while putting teams into brackets that promote or relegate ... it comes down to individual teams and ones that can play will not be should not be held back. Leagues that appoint NPL teams are basically screwing everyone else and forcing better players on those teams to leave and find alternatives that allow play in top divisions. EDP's biggest mistake is not awarding NPL status to teams but to clubs and not basing this on play on the field. Even better is that the teams that earn to be there year after year will undoubtedly be the strongest teams around and they would likely fare well in national playoffs. I am all in favor of making teams earn their lot or getting cast off. Mediocre teams/clubs that are larger in size are finding favor not because of how they do on the field but because of how much money they generate. In the grand scheme of things they often are not the best (across the board) at developing talent and have to keep replacing their own in-house players to compete ..... kids get good elsewhere and then join at the expense of kids trained by the club. How do you think the new kids will end up? Sorry, reward the clubs and teams and coaches that are doing it right and earn it.

100% Agree

GPS MA has two bad teams in 2005 NPL boys (White and Blue, 3 wins for White, zero for Blue in the Fall), and GPS NH at that age is truly a poor team. They haven’t won more than a game or two in all comps in 2 years - guaranteed win for any club’s regional teams in tournaments. It makes me wonder why the parents let their kids play for them because they get killed every season with no hope of winning. Poor kids must be miserable, but they get get the NPL patch.

And yet GPS Euro (former Maple Euro team) and Aztec Boston (former Ruah) ‘05 boys are both extremely strong and would be upper half of current NPL bunch, but they are ignored. Black sheep because they are recent mergers, but get no chance for promotion, even though other teams have been promoted from Fall to Spring in the past two+ years.

[Unregistered]

The NEP has lots of things to be proud of. If they are willing to take a real look at a more fair system they’ll continue to thrive for many more years. My sense is that most clubs within their structure are getting tired and change has to happen.

[Unregistered]

Very happy to hear that Regionals will be back next year!

[Unregistered]

Coaches will always be coaches. When the NEP was created the guidelines were supposed to enforce a certain style of play. That’s gone and the league is full of the clowns we never wanted because of the all mighty dollar.

GPS/Seacoast/NEFC/Stars/Scorps - The big 5 are responsible for what the league has become. There has been so much hypocrisy over the years it’s frightening. Nobody has the balls to do what’s right because they all want status. GPS talked a great game in the beginning but now everyone understands who they are what they are about. Stars, Scorps, NEFC and Seacoast have fractured the landscape of youth soccer so bad that now development is not even in the vocabulary anymore it’s just league play. You’re recognized now not by your ability but by which league you play in. I’m an ECNL player!!! What does that mean?

Aztec and Yankee should have been replaced in multiple age groups. These clubs should have done right by the kids but instead their membership trumped everything. Who enjoys traveling to Trumbull to hear grown men scream at kids?

Bayside should send all of their parents to an etiquette course or ban them completely. Enough is enough!!

Great post. It's been amazing to see NEP transform from something the market really needed, as MAPLE deteriorated into garbage, and grow into essentially the same mess with the same problems.

[Unregistered]

Very happy to hear that Regionals will be back next year!

Usys state cup has always had regionals.

[Unregistered]

Great post. It's been amazing to see NEP transform from something the market really needed, as MAPLE deteriorated into garbage, and grow into essentially the same mess with the same problems.

Same coaches, same clubs... why would you expect anything different?