College Recruiting ECNL/NPL or....

[Unregistered]

Speed of play is a function of talent and the amount of soccer played. If a player gets passed up its because they haven't worked hard enough and aren't really good enough. It has nothing to do with the league they play in. My daughter's NPL team has been beating ECNL team's butts for years and the top players on the roster have had no problem getting recruited. No one is claiming that they can't play fast enough. There are also kids on the same roster though who aren't doing the work and can't play as fast. Now they are out on the same fields, often at the same time as the top players, but most of them are having problems with recruiting. Their problems are not because of the speed of play, its because of their lack of work.

Or simple lack of skill & athleticism.

[Unregistered]

Speed of play is a function of talent and the amount of soccer played. If a player gets passed up its because they haven't worked hard enough and aren't really good enough. It has nothing to do with the league they play in. My daughter's NPL team has been beating ECNL team's butts for years and the top players on the roster have had no problem getting recruited. No one is claiming that they can't play fast enough. There are also kids on the same roster though who aren't doing the work and can't play as fast. Now they are out on the same fields, often at the same time as the top players, but most of them are having problems with recruiting. Their problems are not because of the speed of play, its because of their lack of work.

Agree with you. Out of curiosity are there lower (bench) players on the ECNL roster getting D1 spots at a faster rate over top NPL players on your daughter's roster? If so, is that a function of the ECNL coach or DOC supporting his ECNL kids above the NPL kids, or do you think the ECNL "filter" someone spoke of carries more weight with the colleges.

[Unregistered]

I think a lot of these posts on TS, are simply echoing the discussions going on with parents on the sidelines these days. In the past, D1 soccer rosters were filled with players who were multi-sport athletes, and played one or two local leagues that did not require as much travel and financial commitment as it does today. The fairly recent club soccer boom, has created (largely by parent driven demand) an ever-increasing one-upsmanship of "prestige" leagues, that cost more and require more and more travel and commitment. I think we are getting closer to the tipping point, where parents and players will finally no longer willing to go to the required "all in" levels to pursue that D1 roster spot. Hence I hear many parents on these top teams question more and more whether or not ECNL and DA are necessary to reach D1. Multiple cross country trips for showcases or giving up HS soccer & other sports is starting to seem like the step too far for many. Some will still reluctantly go along, but I already am hearing others considering stepping back a bit, and down to NPL or like levels again. These are not bench players eithers, but starters. I think that there is a bit of "we created a monster" and now it's out of control thought process going on.

Will there still be enough girls to fill these ECNL & DA rosters... of course. But I am just hearing more and more that some of these top players are no longer willing or able to play by the rules set forth by some of these top leagues.

All this being said, I am not talking about rare kids who are true national team level prospects. College soccer is not their priority like it is for the majority of these other top team players.

[Unregistered]

Agree with you. Out of curiosity are there lower (bench) players on the ECNL roster getting D1 spots at a faster rate over top NPL players on your daughter's roster? If so, is that a function of the ECNL coach or DOC supporting his ECNL kids above the NPL kids, or do you think the ECNL "filter" someone spoke of carries more weight with the colleges.

The ECNL filter carries more weight. Smaller D1 programs don't have the recruiting funds to go to every showcase. So they go to the showcases with the biggest concentration of talent. That's ECNL showcases. NPL showcases are not as well attended for this reason.

[Unregistered]

If such a player exists, the only way they would end up on a college roster is at D3. And even then, they would have to self-recruit the self to that school.

You are nuts. If a kid from East Westboro U16 Travel goes to a BC camp and shreds everyone there (there will likely be kids from top teams at those too), then the coach that fails to notice is an idiot with a short tenure and likely a losing record. It's easier to get in front of top coaches when on top leagues in top teams, but opportunities still exist for others to get in front of these coaches as well. you just have to shine like a diamond in a goats @$$ at an 'id clinic' of about 120 kids. If you shine bright, the coach will want to know more. If you don't, good luck with that.

[Unregistered]

Do D1 colleges EVER look for that diamond in the rough...that player who may not be on an ECNL or NPL level team either due to finances or academics?

It seems to me that there has to be a player or two out there in NE who is as good as or better than some of her ECNL/NPL counterparts who is not getting even a remote glance because of the team she is on.

When two equal players are side by side, one ECNL with lower academics and one normal NEP or other local league with outstanding academics, it seems as if the ECNL player is always the one chosen. Even the bench ECNL player gets more of a look than someone else, despite superior athletic performance, leadership and skill of the lower league player. Why is that?

Discuss...

My wife and I have a lower income than the majority of our daughters soccer counterparts, this is our reality. My daughter is an excellent player who would most likely make an ECNL team but we can't afford it. She is also an excellent student. We are hoping that somehow there is a way to get some exposure for her.

[Unregistered]

My wife and I have a lower income than the majority of our daughters soccer counterparts, this is our reality. My daughter is an excellent player who would most likely make an ECNL team but we can't afford it. She is also an excellent student. We are hoping that somehow there is a way to get some exposure for her.

With good grades she'll have opportunities. It probably won't be top D1 programs, but if she cares about school and top D1 isn't her focus then don't sweat it. She will have to do more work contacting coaches and proving she is worthy of consideration. But coaches love good students - they should pass admissions and they help raise the team's overall GPA. She very well could get more academic and financial aid and merit money then she ever would with athletic money. Merit money sticks you she maintains a manageable GPA and financial aid stays pretty constant unless your income changes a great deal. Athletic can be lost

[Unregistered]

My wife and I have a lower income than the majority of our daughters soccer counterparts, this is our reality. My daughter is an excellent player who would most likely make an ECNL team but we can't afford it. She is also an excellent student. We are hoping that somehow there is a way to get some exposure for her.

This is our exact situation as well only my daughter is only an average student. She has dyslexia and ADHD. School has always been a struggle for her but she excels in multiple sports. Is D2 or D3 her only options?

[Unregistered]

You are nuts. If a kid from East Westboro U16 Travel goes to a BC camp and shreds everyone there (there will likely be kids from top teams at those too), then the coach that fails to notice is an idiot with a short tenure and likely a losing record. It's easier to get in front of top coaches when on top leagues in top teams, but opportunities still exist for others to get in front of these coaches as well. you just have to shine like a diamond in a goats @$$ at an 'id clinic' of about 120 kids. If you shine bright, the coach will want to know more. If you don't, good luck with that.

You are right. If the kid from East Westboro town travel team does that, they will be noticed. Unfortunately, this never happens.

[Unregistered]

This is our exact situation as well only my daughter is only an average student. She has dyslexia and ADHD. School has always been a struggle for her but she excels in multiple sports. Is D2 or D3 her only options?

Look for best academic fit for her, that will matter more than anything else. Many schools have very good programs for kids with learning issues and take those issues into account for admissions. Keeping up with the demands of college is tough for kids like your D so look for a school that offers lots of support. Some D1 schools may be within reach because the level of athletics doesn't necessarily mean high academics. Many D3s have very tough admissions standards even though the soccer may not be as good. Also with most D3s a coach will hold little sway with admissions. D1 and D2 coaches have a little more pull for players they really want.

- parent of two athletes, one with learning issues, one without

[Unregistered]

The fictions never end. Sometimes you just wish he would come right out with his point, which is transparent anyway, instead of this never ending childish hide and seek game.

[Unregistered]

The fictions never end. Sometimes you just wish he would come right out with his point, which is transparent anyway, instead of this never ending childish hide and seek game.

Shut up already! These are not fictions. There is an actual interesting convo going on here. If you don't like it, take a hike. Please!

[Unregistered]

Shut up already! These are not fictions. There is an actual interesting convo going on here. If you don't like it, take a hike. Please!

Some of the responses are genuine and it's disgusting that someone would exploit the good faith of others the way he does with fiction after fiction. Reprehensible.

[Unregistered]

This is our exact situation as well only my daughter is only an average student. She has dyslexia and ADHD. School has always been a struggle for her but she excels in multiple sports. Is D2 or D3 her only options?

She may have no athletic options as excelling in grade school or even high school may mean nothing in terms of college. There will be average and lower D3s that are viable and there are a ton of those in Massachusetts.

[Unregistered]

We left one of the state's best ECNL teams at the beginning of high school because the commute was too stressful on our family and the travel added $$$ per year which we could not afford. She has excelled in her current league and in high school and has excelled academically more than she ever would have had we kept going where we were. We are finding that due to the amount of girls now playing ECNL and NPL at her age group that even the average D2 soccer programs are recruiting (and getting) players from these teams, because they can. There simply aren't enough roster spots to accommodate all the players who bought into the D1 dream. Good for the D2, D3 average programs - bad for those of us who believe they have those "diamonds in the rough." Academically she could go anywhere she wants, but she wants to play soccer and has limited her school choices to those that have programs she believes she has a chance at. "Shredding" an ECNL player at an ID camp has happened, but it's typically someone who is already 2/3 the way through the recruiting process with the coach, and the ID camp seems to be just a formality. This includes D2 programs.