The Girls Academy League is adding clubs

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Is the player defection to ECNL the reason Stars is so weak? Other geographies had player defections to the ECNL brand from GA while in Massachusetts it has been less than a trickle. OTher clubs got stronger while Stars just... Stars.

I'm hearing clubs in the former DA/GA/ now NPL/EDP like NEFC and South Shore Select are trying to attract Stars players to play for them. hahahahahahhahaha I see the top kids from both Stars ECNL teams running-I mean sprinting- to go play IMPACT NPL or EDP. Yah that's the ticket as a top player on 1 of those 2 teams. Can you imagine your daughter as a top 3 player on a NEFC or Select team playing NPL-whoops I mean IMPACT NPL or EDP?? Nothing against those 2 leagues for most girls, but if you are a top girl playing in those leagues it's a joke!!

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Is the player defection to ECNL the reason Stars is so weak? Other geographies had player defections to the ECNL brand from GA while in Massachusetts it has been less than a trickle. OTher clubs got stronger while Stars just... Stars.

very sure Stars does not really care about GA teams. Not to sound like a d*uche but everyone knows that GA is on it's last legs so who really cares about GA clubs? I actually am cheering for 1 GA team though. Go get em Empire United- the huge underdog ready for a comeback...if the GA lasts till next fall.

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very sure Stars does not really care about GA teams. Not to sound like a d*uche but everyone knows that GA is on it's last legs so who really cares about GA clubs? I actually am cheering for 1 GA team though. Go get em Empire United- the huge underdog ready for a comeback...if the GA lasts till next fall.

They may not care about GA teams but they most definitely care about players. Stars spring recruitment is already in action. I get a call every year, maybe this will be the year?

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I'm hearing clubs in the former DA/GA/ now NPL/EDP like NEFC and South Shore Select are trying to attract Stars players to play for them. hahahahahahhahaha I see the top kids from both Stars ECNL teams running-I mean sprinting- to go play IMPACT NPL or EDP. Yah that's the ticket as a top player on 1 of those 2 teams. Can you imagine your daughter as a top 3 player on a NEFC or Select team playing NPL-whoops I mean IMPACT NPL or EDP?? Nothing against those 2 leagues for most girls, but if you are a top girl playing in those leagues it's a joke!!

On one thread someone posted - and I agree - that now it's GAL/NPL/ECLR and some EDP all competing for the B level players. That's not a sustainable number of leagues/clubs. Something isn't going to make it.

Another year, another landscape re-work.

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They may not care about GA teams but they most definitely care about players. Stars spring recruitment is already in action. I get a call every year, maybe this will be the year?

It will be great to cherry pick NEFC's top girls. How are they going to sell NPL or EDP to their top girls? It's almost impossible.

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It will be great to cherry pick NEFC's top girls. How are they going to sell NPL or EDP to their top girls? It's almost impossible.

But... but stay at NEFC we are the best club in the world.

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It will be great to cherry pick NEFC's top girls. How are they going to sell NPL or EDP to their top girls? It's almost impossible.

Calm down. GA isn’t going anywhere, it’s just all the mighty ECNL parents/coaches talking Sh$t. Why are you all obsessed about GA if ECNL is the best why do you guys care sooooooo much?

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Calm down. GA isn’t going anywhere, it’s just all the mighty ECNL parents/coaches talking Sh$t. Why are you all obsessed about GA if ECNL is the best why do you guys care sooooooo much?

Yes it can continue to exist, as a B league

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Calm down. GA isn’t going anywhere, it’s just all the mighty ECNL parents/coaches talking Sh$t. Why are you all obsessed about GA if ECNL is the best why do you guys care sooooooo much?

More like laughing at GA but carry on.

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More like laughing at GA but carry on.

I feel bad for the kids caught up in all of this mess, but don't feel much sympathy for the clubs and league organizers.

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I feel bad for the kids caught up in all of this mess, but don't feel much sympathy for the clubs and league organizers.

Very well said. Look at each top team at Select. 2 years ago DA was all the rage with their director. Then last year when DA didn't work out it was GA is the best pathway. Both were relatively easy sells to the parents as the competition for the girls was somewhat strong but more importantly there was national exposure for the top girls. It will be very interesting this year to see the spin on how NPL is the best pathway. This will be 3 vastly different leagues in 3 years for the top girls at select. The spin will be in overdrive in Hingham come May.

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Very well said. Look at each top team at Select. 2 years ago DA was all the rage with their director. Then last year when DA didn't work out it was GA is the best pathway. Both were relatively easy sells to the parents as the competition for the girls was somewhat strong but more importantly there was national exposure for the top girls. It will be very interesting this year to see the spin on how NPL is the best pathway. This will be 3 vastly different leagues in 3 years for the top girls at select. The spin will be in overdrive in Hingham come May.

As a parent of a GA players I’m still willing to see how showcases are attended. The final list of attendees at the Texas one was actually above average.. of course it didn’t happen. I know lots of people here hate on the league additions and its depth but overall the GA has 25% of the top 100 clubs. It’s not as deep as ECNL but if coaches show up to top tier showcase games then that’s what matters... at least to us

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As a parent of a GA players I’m still willing to see how showcases are attended. The final list of attendees at the Texas one was actually above average.. of course it didn’t happen. I know lots of people here hate on the league additions and its depth but overall the GA has 25% of the top 100 clubs. It’s not as deep as ECNL but if coaches show up to top tier showcase games then that’s what matters... at least to us

Keep in mind there's a backlog with recruiting because of Covid. Events this spring may or not be indicative of ongoing demand. Fingers crossed they all get to happen for the kids' sakes.

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Calm down. GA isn’t going anywhere, it’s just all the mighty ECNL parents/coaches talking Sh$t. Why are you all obsessed about GA if ECNL is the best why do you guys care sooooooo much?

They are hoping that college coaches come on this site and read this. Then they are hoping that these coaches are swayed by the opinion of a few parents. Finally, they hope that by influencing these college coaches, they can get them to pay more attention to their kids and not look at any kids on GA teams. It's a long shot, but when you have nothing better to do all day and are in fear of your mediocre kids losing their place to better players in "inferior" leagues, well, this is what you do.

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How can GAL keep marketing itself in this way with a straight face?

'The Girls Academy (GA) is the leading youth development platform for the best female soccer players in the United States'