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    NH soccer landscape

    Taking this out of another thread. I would like to know about NH clubs and NH athletes and their success. For years it seems the top two clubs have been Seacoast and Classics/GPS NH. Have they produced some top players? D1, D2 athletes?

    What are some NH families experiences with NH clubs and if they wanted to pursue college how were they recruited and where did they go?

    #2
    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
    Taking this out of another thread. I would like to know about NH clubs and NH athletes and their success. For years it seems the top two clubs have been Seacoast and Classics/GPS NH. Have they produced some top players? D1, D2 athletes?

    What are some NH families experiences with NH clubs and if they wanted to pursue college how were they recruited and where did they go?
    Yes, both have produced D1 athletes on both the boys and girls side. As we know, GPS is no longer but they did get commits. Which, from a GPS perspective, is quite remarkable since they never put teams in close to the top tier.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      Yes, both have produced D1 athletes on both the boys and girls side. As we know, GPS is no longer but they did get commits. Which, from a GPS perspective, is quite remarkable since they never put teams in close to the top tier.
      If true then that shows quality players can be found by playing in nh-based clubs, why would anyone travel to a club outside of NH? I understand the chances to be seen are greater, but if you are a good enough player to be seen sounds like you don't need to rely on the league and instead just your own skills?

      Can a similar case be made for the smaller clubs/HS routes?

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
        If true then that shows quality players can be found by playing in nh-based clubs, why would anyone travel to a club outside of NH? I understand the chances to be seen are greater, but if you are a good enough player to be seen sounds like you don't need to rely on the league and instead just your own skills?

        Can a similar case be made for the smaller clubs/HS routes?
        To answer your first question because what that poster wrote is misleading. Yes Seacoast produces a few D1 commits each year boys and girls, well usually 1 girl and more boys but no GPS NH does not produce D1 commits especially on the girls side. I know GPS NH NPL boys were stronger for a while and produced some D2 boys and a few girls over the last years have gone D2, however I don't know any girls committed to D1 schools in the last 5 years out of GPS NH.

        Top NH names like Morgan Andrews and Gabi Brummett both traveled to MA to play and that was 5+ years ago when Seacoast was even stronger for girls because there were fewer teams and fewer leagues and so they did monopolize the stronger NH players especially girls.

        And why travel to MA? Because the higher leagues and larger clubs have better coaches, more competitive teams and play strong competition from MA, CT, NJ, NY, MD, etc. That means a player will improve their skill by playing in a faster and stronger league. Very skilled players with a lot of heart and determination can't overcome a low level coach and a slow league and college coaches know where to look and not to look for this and it's very difficult to judge a player that scores 8 goals in a game against a very weak opponent.

        The same is said for high school. Colleges coaches don't recruit from high school or watch high school games and again this is because better but not great players can look fantastic in a game surrounded by lower level players.

        Obviously college soccer is not the end game for most players and strong players typically seek out better teams, leagues, and clubs because they start to shine brightly on weaker teams. Parents and coaches see this and recommend traveling to MA because there are so many more kids down there playing and that competition means stronger groups coming together. It's pretty basic statistics. If you have a club with 15 teams of the same age group vs a club that can barely scrape together 1 team then the larger club's top team is going to be stronger.

        And of course a really good player could stay in NH and want to play in college and commit to a D1 program. It is more difficult but it can be done. I've also seen "super stars" on NH teams go down to MA and be shocked and disappointed that they were placed on lower level teams.

        Comment


          #5
          Hmmm...I know very little of the GPS girls, but also know for a fact they place girls in D1 because I'm staring at a roster right now and see one on it. No idea how many else...just, literally, the first roster I looked at.

          Every year Seacoast puts 2-4 girls into D1 programs; same with boys.

          So, again, if you can go to a D1 program and not leave the state team; why would you?

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            Hmmm...I know very little of the GPS girls, but also know for a fact they place girls in D1 because I'm staring at a roster right now and see one on it. No idea how many else...just, literally, the first roster I looked at.

            Every year Seacoast puts 2-4 girls into D1 programs; same with boys.

            So, again, if you can go to a D1 program and not leave the state team; why would you?
            Because it is easier to go D1 from a top MA program in a top league. That is not to say NH kids can’t go D1 from NH programs. It’s just that the top MA teams in the top leagues are more well known to college coaches and draw more coaches to games and tournaments and college coaches want to see players playing against the highest level of competition.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              Hmmm...I know very little of the GPS girls, but also know for a fact they place girls in D1 because I'm staring at a roster right now and see one on it. No idea how many else...just, literally, the first roster I looked at.

              Every year Seacoast puts 2-4 girls into D1 programs; same with boys.

              So, again, if you can go to a D1 program and not leave the state team; why would you?
              Okay Dad. I know a few bounced from GPS NH to Seacoast and back and forth. GPS NH I guess must have produced one or two who went to D1 programs but it certainly is not common. Seacoast puts more boys, not sure if it's as high as 2-4 girls, I would say 1-2 girls/year is more common. But yes I totally agree it's not impossible to play in NH and go on to play in college and even at the D1 level. I'm unsure of the scholarship money any of these athletes were given. There is a difference between going to a D1 school and getting significant (50% or higher) scholarship money and it is easier to get more money coming out of a well known MA program. And that's because the coaches all know one another and that bolsters a player's clout and that does translate to more and higher offers.

              I'm a NH guy and would love it if there was one major club in NH that attracted all the NH talent and I know those teams would be very competitive.

              Seacoast appears to be monopolizing venues so here's hoping they can get some good solid coaches and continue to expand. I would really like to see them succeed.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                Because it is easier to go D1 from a top MA program in a top league. That is not to say NH kids can’t go D1 from NH programs. It’s just that the top MA teams in the top leagues are more well known to college coaches and draw more coaches to games and tournaments and college coaches want to see players playing against the highest level of competition.

                So, sounds like if you are a good player, you don't need to go to MA to play then, correct? Like, the league doesn't make the player good.

                Maybe if you are marginal player and can't stand out on your own, the league will help you. I guess?

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  Okay Dad. I know a few bounced from GPS NH to Seacoast and back and forth. GPS NH I guess must have produced one or two who went to D1 programs but it certainly is not common. Seacoast puts more boys, not sure if it's as high as 2-4 girls, I would say 1-2 girls/year is more common. But yes I totally agree it's not impossible to play in NH and go on to play in college and even at the D1 level. I'm unsure of the scholarship money any of these athletes were given. There is a difference between going to a D1 school and getting significant (50% or higher) scholarship money and it is easier to get more money coming out of a well known MA program. And that's because the coaches all know one another and that bolsters a player's clout and that does translate to more and higher offers.

                  I'm a NH guy and would love it if there was one major club in NH that attracted all the NH talent and I know those teams would be very competitive.

                  Seacoast appears to be monopolizing venues so here's hoping they can get some good solid coaches and continue to expand. I would really like to see them succeed.
                  Ok mom. Again, I don't mean to say I'm the expert on all. I did see Seacoast have 4 girls this year, and last, commit to D1. As for the GPS girl I am referring to, she was always a GPS girl. I happened to catch her on a roster I was looking at for a different reason. I have no idea who else is out there, hence why I was asking.

                  As I mentioned above, it's proven multiple times every year NH girls can play on in-state teams and go to D1 programs every year. If that's one's desire, I'm still not seeing the need. If you are good enough, you can and will be recruited. Sure, you will get more visibility playing in the gourmet leagues, but then that makes me wonder if the player is being recruited based on the league, and not the player...

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    Ok mom. Again, I don't mean to say I'm the expert on all. I did see Seacoast have 4 girls this year, and last, commit to D1. As for the GPS girl I am referring to, she was always a GPS girl. I happened to catch her on a roster I was looking at for a different reason. I have no idea who else is out there, hence why I was asking.

                    As I mentioned above, it's proven multiple times every year NH girls can play on in-state teams and go to D1 programs every year. If that's one's desire, I'm still not seeing the need. If you are good enough, you can and will be recruited. Sure, you will get more visibility playing in the gourmet leagues, but then that makes me wonder if the player is being recruited based on the league, and not the player...
                    You guys are all missing the boat. As if the number of D1 players is a gauge for the success of a club. Seacoast academy has done incredibly well recently with college placements. You are of course forgetting D2 and D3. And you are also forgetting that NONE (ok maybe 1) of these D1 players are going to play “pro”. You will get the odd u17/u19 player trying to ply his (or her maybe) trade overseas - but as you may not know, that hasn’t been too successful lately. All of those kids have come back and rejoined the Seacoast academy team (or other academy teams) after their stint in Europe and South America. Also, any of the “top” prospects have already left Seacoast for greener professional academy pastures - and of course they will struggle to break in to ANY MLS 1st team. So what’s this all about then? For those without their rose colored glasses on- it’s about....their college education. Differentiating your child through sports and getting additional funding and furthering their enjoyment of the game. Of course college athletes will differentiate themselves in marketability and ultimately the job market. And those D1 and D2 wannabe parents - be very careful what you wish for. It’s not easy. And if they are there for their education - playing “full time” will be detrimental to their GPA. Just saying.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      You guys are all missing the boat. As if the number of D1 players is a gauge for the success of a club. Seacoast academy has done incredibly well recently with college placements. You are of course forgetting D2 and D3. And you are also forgetting that NONE (ok maybe 1) of these D1 players are going to play “pro”. You will get the odd u17/u19 player trying to ply his (or her maybe) trade overseas - but as you may not know, that hasn’t been too successful lately. All of those kids have come back and rejoined the Seacoast academy team (or other academy teams) after their stint in Europe and South America. Also, any of the “top” prospects have already left Seacoast for greener professional academy pastures - and of course they will struggle to break in to ANY MLS 1st team. So what’s this all about then? For those without their rose colored glasses on- it’s about....their college education. Differentiating your child through sports and getting additional funding and furthering their enjoyment of the game. Of course college athletes will differentiate themselves in marketability and ultimately the job market. And those D1 and D2 wannabe parents - be very careful what you wish for. It’s not easy. And if they are there for their education - playing “full time” will be detrimental to their GPA. Just saying.
                      Oh, I completely agree. I was just answer the "D1 or bust" crowd who have lost site of what playing the game should be about...

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        So, sounds like if you are a good player, you don't need to go to MA to play then, correct? Like, the league doesn't make the player good.

                        Maybe if you are marginal player and can't stand out on your own, the league will help you. I guess?
                        I think you are probably more concerned with the girl's side? For the boys, I would bet that almost every D1 player coming out of Seacoast played in the DA league, which was the top league in the country until it folded last year. A player would have a much better chance to play D1, especially from a state with such a small population, if playing on a team in the highest league that attracts D1 college coaches to their tournaments and showcases. I would also bet that if Seacoast had lost their DA membership somewhere along the way, the number of D1 recruits they sent off each year would have dropped substantially, due to less exposure and to top players moving down to a MA club just to keep playing in the DA (having UNH nearby would be pretty much the only shot). Of course there are always exceptions for a phenomenal player, but it seems like certain leagues do make a difference statistically for D1 recruitment.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          GPS Boys had a D1 recruit, 2x all-American and Herman Award semi-finalist, and the favorite to win the award his senior season (before he opted out and went pro).

                          Never played above NPL level.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                            GPS Boys had a D1 recruit, 2x all-American and Herman Award semi-finalist, and the favorite to win the award his senior season (before he opted out and went pro).

                            Never played above NPL level.
                            GPS NH team put 5/6 kids in DI and another few in DII and a few more in DIII. Always NPL level. A strong league is very helpful to advance a player.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                              Yes, both have produced D1 athletes on both the boys and girls side. As we know, GPS is no longer but they did get commits. Which, from a GPS perspective, is quite remarkable since they never put teams in close to the top tier.
                              What are you talking about, GPS put their teams in the top tier

                              Comment

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