Is Girls ECNL at FC Bucks or FC Delco worth it?

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Every club in the Philadelphia area was a feeder club for Delco back in the 90's and early 00's, but that stopped, and is the reason why FC Delco is failing today. Spirit, LMSC, PSC and Nether NEVER had an agreement with Delco as feeder programs, if kids left for Delco, they left, but that dried up. Around 2005 clubs like LVU, YMS, LMSC, Philly Soccer Club, Spirit/Penn Fusion and PA Classics had taken over FC Delco, and their players were no longer leaving for FC Delco, because those clubs were getting results and had better coaching. FC Delco has no feeder system today (Westmont and Spirit for a very short time, but gone now), that is why the girls program is ready to fold, and without the DA coming when it did, there would be no more FC Delco boys. Also, without the Union giving support, I doubt FC Delco would be around today in any form.

All of these non-for profit (tongue in cheek) soccer team take overs. Is it really about the kids anymore?

[Unregistered]

All of these non-for profit (tongue in cheek) soccer team take overs. Is it really about the kids anymore?

They are not about kids or communities. It’s all about ego and money.

[Unregistered]

They are not about kids or communities. It’s all about ego and money.

There plenty of community teams out there but at a certain point it has to be more about what is best for the player. Clubs that base decisions on what is best for the community will always lose their best players and then the dominoes fall until the community club barely exists past u10.

[Unregistered]

All of these non-for profit (tongue in cheek) soccer team take overs. Is it really about the kids anymore?

It’s big business now. So not really about the kids

[Unregistered]

It’s big business now. So not really about the kids

Both clubs are in the ECNL - which along with the GDA are the top leagues in the country.

ECNL can be worth it if the club truly functions like an ECNL club is supposed to .

Word on the street is that delco has a problem attracting kids bc they don’t have a feeder system , but delco definitely functions more like an ECNL club in terms of what they offer. They have top facilities, top professional coaches and offer 3 nights of practice /speed and agility training year round, They also seem to be able to place their girls in better college programs and have several girls selected for the top ODP levels. They have made some good new hires so they seem to be heading in the right direction. Time will tell how it goes.

Buck has a great feeder system but they do not function like an ECNL club. They have unlicensed parents coaching some of their teams, they lack decent facilities, relying on using one high school turf field for the girls programs. They are lucky if the teams train 2 times a week but many average 1.5 times a week. There is a six week speed and agility program during the winter . So at Bucks you are basically getting the same quality as a local top level travel team but you are paying a lot of money for the extra travel required by ECNL. The college commitments page at Bucks is not very impressive.

So in a nutshell do your research, go to some ID clinics, find out who exactly is coaching the team and what that coaches reputation is. Ask the parents of existing players. And then decide for yourself if you are better off at a top local EDP team or if you want the patch of the ECNL.

But remember the ECNL patch means nothing if the team doesn’t perform and if the club doesn’t give you what they promise.

[Unregistered]

Both clubs are in the ECNL - which along with the GDA are the top leagues in the country.

ECNL can be worth it if the club truly functions like an ECNL club is supposed to .

Word on the street is that delco has a problem attracting kids bc they don’t have a feeder system , but delco definitely functions more like an ECNL club in terms of what they offer. They have top facilities, top professional coaches and offer 3 nights of practice /speed and agility training year round, They also seem to be able to place their girls in better college programs and have several girls selected for the top ODP levels. They have made some good new hires so they seem to be heading in the right direction. Time will tell how it goes.

Buck has a great feeder system but they do not function like an ECNL club. They have unlicensed parents coaching some of their teams, they lack decent facilities, relying on using one high school turf field for the girls programs. They are lucky if the teams train 2 times a week but many average 1.5 times a week. There is a six week speed and agility program during the winter . So at Bucks you are basically getting the same quality as a local top level travel team but you are paying a lot of money for the extra travel required by ECNL. The college commitments page at Bucks is not very impressive.

So in a nutshell do your research, go to some ID clinics, find out who exactly is coaching the team and what that coaches reputation is. Ask the parents of existing players. And then decide for yourself if you are better off at a top local EDP team or if you want the patch of the ECNL.

But remember the ECNL patch means nothing if the team doesn’t perform and if the club doesn’t give you what they promise.

ECNL and GDA do offer more exposure for players. If you are looking to move to another club I suggest Penn Fusion, PA Classics, SJEB or PDA South. EDP and ODP give you very little return on your money, and all of these options cost lots of money.

FC Delco is an absolute dumpster fire on the girl’s side. The hires were far from good, but there weren’t any other options. They hired guys with zero experience, and that shouldn’t be the case at an ECNL level club. The new guys never coached girls before, and have no idea how to help the players with college recruitment. None of the coaches, or directors, had anything to do with helping the girls currently playing college soccer. The staff are not top professional coaches, and the 3 nights a week of practice year-round won’t help these low-level players, not to mention they don’t even have enough players. They are struggling to field teams and are in danger of having to pull out of games. As for facilities, anyone who wants to pay to use USTC or the Proving Grounds can. Delco has use of the fields just as much as Lower Merion, FC Europa, Penn Fusion, Lionville, Philadelphia Union or whoever else will pay the rent.

No doubt FC Bucks are a mess, but at least they have kids, and when things eventually get straightened out they will be fine. But there is a lot that needs to be fixed. A new DOC would be a good start. After securing Bryn Athyn and Lower Moreland turf fields things have improved a bit from a facilities standpoint. In terms of coaching, the addition of JM was huge, however the rest of the staff is suspect, and there is no question that the club lacks a DOC, there is no leadership, zero vision. Just look at the FC Bucks 06 thread. The club is run by a bunch of no nothings who are only interested in protecting themselves. Manella and Fehrle are universally despised by virtually all FC Bucks parents. The BOD knows they are terrible, and are hearing about it. Lew Spiewak knows they are bad, but so far, no changes. I think the changes will happen, they have to happen. As bad as things are, the girls club is still better than FC Delco.

FC Bucks have the players and facilities, just really poor leadership! FC Delco don't have the players, and they too have poor leadership. One will survive, one is on life support, time will tell.

[Unregistered]

ECNL and GDA do offer more exposure for players. If you are looking to move to another club I suggest Penn Fusion, PA Classics, SJEB or PDA South. EDP and ODP give you very little return on your money, and all of these options cost lots of money.

FC Delco is an absolute dumpster fire on the girl’s side. The hires were far from good, but there weren’t any other options. They hired guys with zero experience, and that shouldn’t be the case at an ECNL level club. The new guys never coached girls before, and have no idea how to help the players with college recruitment. None of the coaches, or directors, had anything to do with helping the girls currently playing college soccer. The staff are not top professional coaches, and the 3 nights a week of practice year-round won’t help these low-level players, not to mention they don’t even have enough players. They are struggling to field teams and are in danger of having to pull out of games. As for facilities, anyone who wants to pay to use USTC or the Proving Grounds can. Delco has use of the fields just as much as Lower Merion, FC Europa, Penn Fusion, Lionville, Philadelphia Union or whoever else will pay the rent.

No doubt FC Bucks are a mess, but at least they have kids, and when things eventually get straightened out they will be fine. But there is a lot that needs to be fixed. A new DOC would be a good start. After securing Bryn Athyn and Lower Moreland turf fields things have improved a bit from a facilities standpoint. In terms of coaching, the addition of JM was huge, however the rest of the staff is suspect, and there is no question that the club lacks a DOC, there is no leadership, zero vision. Just look at the FC Bucks 06 thread. The club is run by a bunch of no nothings who are only interested in protecting themselves. Manella and Fehrle are universally despised by virtually all FC Bucks parents. The BOD knows they are terrible, and are hearing about it. Lew Spiewak knows they are bad, but so far, no changes. I think the changes will happen, they have to happen. As bad as things are, the girls club is still better than FC Delco.

FC Bucks have the players and facilities, just really poor leadership! FC Delco don't have the players, and they too have poor leadership. One will survive, one is on life support, time will tell.

My girl currently plays on a high level EDP team, she is a 2006 player but in seventh grade. She definitely wants to play high school soccer and play other high school sports, so DA teams are not a fit. She also isn’t sure she would even want to play in college.

I see that both Delco and Bucks are having ID clinics, mid year tryouts etc. this week.

I also see from reading and also from word of mouth the problems with both clubs. Looks like the two teams tied each other this year. Ive heard that bucks has a parent coach at the 2006 age group, which is something I definitely do not want. And what about the roster sizes on both clubs 2006 teams? And how is the delco coach at this age? Are there any changes in the works with bucks leadership, since it sounds like they are the more viable club?

My kid is happy on her current team , she has professional coaches, and gets good training, likes her teammates, and her team does very well.

I’m trying to decide if ECNL even make sense with what is being said about these two clubs. Other than the college exposure but again not sure she wants college ball, is ECNL worth it? And if so what advantages outside of the college exposure does it offer?

[Unregistered]

There is some quote out there (and I am probably getting this wrong) about every day the lion must wake up and outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve, and every day the gazelle wakes up, it knows it must run faster than the fastest lion, or it will be killed.

In reality, if you are the second slowest gazelle you survive - simply by running just a bit faster than the slowest gazelle. Right now, it seems like Delco is the slowest gazelle and is about to be killed. FC Bucks is the second slowest gazelle and is likely to survive simply by just doing enough to "outrun" Delco.

But once Delco is done, then guess who the slowest gazelle will be. Probably the best thing that could happen to FC Bucks is for Delco to be dropped from ECNL and replaced by a new club that competes for players with FC Bucks. This will force FC Buck to finally get its **** together and fix the mess it has created for itself.

[Unregistered]

My girl currently plays on a high level EDP team, she is a 2006 player but in seventh grade. She definitely wants to play high school soccer and play other high school sports, so DA teams are not a fit. She also isn’t sure she would even want to play in college.

I see that both Delco and Bucks are having ID clinics, mid year tryouts etc. this week.

I also see from reading and also from word of mouth the problems with both clubs. Looks like the two teams tied each other this year. Ive heard that bucks has a parent coach at the 2006 age group, which is something I definitely do not want. And what about the roster sizes on both clubs 2006 teams? And how is the delco coach at this age? Are there any changes in the works with bucks leadership, since it sounds like they are the more viable club?

My kid is happy on her current team , she has professional coaches, and gets good training, likes her teammates, and her team does very well.

I’m trying to decide if ECNL even make sense with what is being said about these two clubs. Other than the college exposure but again not sure she wants college ball, is ECNL worth it? And if so what advantages outside of the college exposure does it offer?

If she is happy stay where you are and let her enjoy playing!!

[Unregistered]

FC Delco is an absolute dumpster fire on the girl’s side. The hires were far from good, but there weren’t any other options. They hired guys with zero experience, and that shouldn’t be the case at an ECNL level club. The new guys never coached girls before, and have no idea how to help the players with college recruitment. None of the coaches, or directors, had anything to do with helping the girls currently playing college soccer. The staff are not top professional coaches, and the 3 nights a week of practice year-round won’t help these low-level players, not to mention they don’t even have enough players. They are struggling to field teams and are in danger of having to pull out of games. As for facilities, anyone who wants to pay to use USTC or the Proving Grounds can. Delco has use of the fields just as much as Lower Merion, FC Europa, Penn Fusion, Lionville, Philadelphia Union or whoever else will pay the rent.

This is our first year at Delco and we're very happy. We came for the: facilities, coaching, style of play (something never mentioned on this site) and location. The new ECNL director is great- plans and supervises training sessions, fills in when coaches can't make it and seems to have a strong vision. The 3 or 4 coaches I've seen up close know their stuff and run great training sessions. Not one training session has been canceled yet- 3 per week and 1 speed/agility. I would like to see a technical session added since they aren't allowed to do technical work during their team sessions- that is expected to be done at home.
I know most of you care more about wins/loses rather than style of play, but for u9-14 I value style of play much more. Delco teaches the right way to play but there's no denying the girls results have been bad.
The player pool needs to increase for sure. LMSC is never at The PG but Europa is there more and more. I can see a partnership or something in the future which would benefit both clubs.

[Unregistered]

This is our first year at Delco and we're very happy. We came for the: facilities, coaching, style of play (something never mentioned on this site) and location. The new ECNL director is great- plans and supervises training sessions, fills in when coaches can't make it and seems to have a strong vision. The 3 or 4 coaches I've seen up close know their stuff and run great training sessions. Not one training session has been canceled yet- 3 per week and 1 speed/agility. I would like to see a technical session added since they aren't allowed to do technical work during their team sessions- that is expected to be done at home.
I know most of you care more about wins/loses rather than style of play, but for u9-14 I value style of play much more. Delco teaches the right way to play but there's no denying the girls results have been bad.
The player pool needs to increase for sure. LMSC is never at The PG but Europa is there more and more. I can see a partnership or something in the future which would benefit both clubs.

Thanks for the update coach. Every practice should have technical aspects, especially when the rosters are full of kids that can’t pass, dribble or shoot. How does a child do technical work at home when they are basically scrimmaging 3 nights a week and have 2 games at the weekend? They are driving to and from PG when they aren’t in school or doing homework. You can do all the speed and agility you want, but if you aren’t able to do the soccer basics on the field it’s all for nothing. Wins/loses, not that important, but getting them to be better players, and to play at a decent level is, and unfortunately that is where Delco is broken. There is no player pool from U9 to U14 and if there was the better kids will end up at Penn Fusion. The money spent to play at Delco is not worth the investment.

[Unregistered]

Thanks for the update coach. Every practice should have technical aspects, especially when the rosters are full of kids that can’t pass, dribble or shoot. How does a child do technical work at home when they are basically scrimmaging 3 nights a week and have 2 games at the weekend? They are driving to and from PG when they aren’t in school or doing homework. You can do all the speed and agility you want, but if you aren’t able to do the soccer basics on the field it’s all for nothing. Wins/loses, not that important, but getting them to be better players, and to play at a decent level is, and unfortunately that is where Delco is broken. There is no player pool from U9 to U14 and if there was the better kids will end up at Penn Fusion. The money spent to play at Delco is not worth the investment.

Even with all the negatives. It’s still more than what FC Bucks offers. 1x practice a week. Usually just scrimmaging. No technical work. No speed or agility.

[Unregistered]

Thanks for the update coach. Every practice should have technical aspects, especially when the rosters are full of kids that can’t pass, dribble or shoot. How does a child do technical work at home when they are basically scrimmaging 3 nights a week and have 2 games at the weekend? They are driving to and from PG when they aren’t in school or doing homework. You can do all the speed and agility you want, but if you aren’t able to do the soccer basics on the field it’s all for nothing. Wins/loses, not that important, but getting them to be better players, and to play at a decent level is, and unfortunately that is where Delco is broken. There is no player pool from U9 to U14 and if there was the better kids will end up at Penn Fusion. The money spent to play at Delco is not worth the investment.

You made a good point that Delco does not have a feeder system, so the teams start out with limited rosters and talent. FC Bucks has a good feeder system, but don't have good leadership, not that Delco does either, but it is worse at this point. Simple fix for FC Bucks, bring in new DOC and leadership, and the club will be back in good shape and it's a quick fix.
No quick fix for Delco! Without players you can't develop teams. Spirit and Westmont, along with the good coaches from those clubs, are gone. You want style of play and culture, hard to do when you don't have young teams to teach it. The health of both clubs is really bad, and it shows. I happen to think if the right people are brought into FC Bucks, things will be good again.

[Unregistered]

Even with all the negatives. It’s still more than what FC Bucks offers. 1x practice a week. Usually just scrimmaging. No technical work. No speed or agility.

And amdad coaching with zero qualifications!

[Unregistered]

Thanks for the update coach. Every practice should have technical aspects, especially when the rosters are full of kids that can’t pass, dribble or shoot. How does a child do technical work at home when they are basically scrimmaging 3 nights a week and have 2 games at the weekend? They are driving to and from PG when they aren’t in school or doing homework. You can do all the speed and agility you want, but if you aren’t able to do the soccer basics on the field it’s all for nothing. Wins/loses, not that important, but getting them to be better players, and to play at a decent level is, and unfortunately that is where Delco is broken. There is no player pool from U9 to U14 and if there was the better kids will end up at Penn Fusion. The money spent to play at Delco is not worth the investment.

It seems from reading this thread and others and from word of mouth - neither Bucks or Delco is worth the money at this point. Apart from college exposure these two clubs don’t provide anything more than a TOP level EDP club provides. The ECNL patch means nothing if the clubs aren’t run like true ECNL clubs. It’s really one giant con job at bucks and delco. Many of their college placements are D3 schools and you can play D3 college ball by being on a top EDP team. It’s amazing the number of parents that buy into it. Logic tells you along with the facts the chance of any kid playing top level D1 soccer are slim and they are next to impossible if you play for Bucks or Delco.