The ECNL Sales Pitch - Fact or Fiction

[Unregistered]

2. is not a fact. where there are cheaper non-ECNL routes there are also equivalent and/or more expensive non-ECNL routes.

Didn't even suggest any of them were facts. Saying these were my conclusions, and my point was if you do ECNL you think its best, and if you do non-ECNL route you think its best. Its kind of funny that you thought my post was based in fact and not opinion based on these posts. Lighten up friend.

[Unregistered]

#4 -- Please direct us to one of his points that is valid, meaning one that makes a point not used to then draw some completely distorted and illogical conclusion. Take your time. I'll give you until Xmas.

I didnt suggest his points were valid or invalid, only that the people here do not support him. I don't have the slightest idea who he is, but it appears he has or had some affiliation with NEFC. If he has an affiliation with a non-ECNL club he should be in support of that route-don't ya think? Im neither agreeing or disagreeing with him. I actually couldnt care less. I can't afford ENCL or any equivalent club anyway-and doubt i have a kid talented for that level of soccer.

[Unregistered]

Yeah, right. What state? And most of this has nothing to do with ECNL, unless you are now claiming only ECNL parents travel and pay tolls.

Ahhh...let me help you out as a neighboring state without giving it all away. All I said is that I agreed with the poster quote of estimated costs, but if you throw on parent/family travel notch it up $5,000 for the year. Nothing was said that this was any more or less than any elite or ecnl team. Just think anyone reading this who is considering ecnl or premier level soccer needs to be aware. It was not a vote for or against ecnl...so no high horse needed on that note... Let me try my totals for my U16 player with my current budget:

Team fees regular season about $2,200
Player travel $4,000 (assume 5 out of town trips/three with airfare)
Uniforms and shoes, etc. $750
Two prospect camps: $1,000
Extra Training: $1,000
Off Season Playing fees 3v3: $450
So Total: $9,400

So add family travel and you get to about $15,000

Again, meant to be helpful, not an arguement...comment if your expenses were different.

[Unregistered]

Some interesting FDU tidbits....

Won 4 games last year. Huge improvement from 2010.

Largest recruiting class ever coming in. 14 frosh, including 6 Canadians.

One of the 14 is a GK from of all places Massachusetts. Only one other GK on the roster.

Head Coach Renee Montana, whom btdt used to laud, relieved of her duties immediately effective last Thursday.

[Unregistered]

I didnt suggest his points were valid or invalid, only that the people here do not support him. I don't have the slightest idea who he is, but it appears he has or had some affiliation with NEFC. If he has an affiliation with a non-ECNL club he should be in support of that route-don't ya think? Im neither agreeing or disagreeing with him. I actually couldnt care less. I can't afford ENCL or any equivalent club anyway-and doubt i have a kid talented for that level of soccer.

Nope, there is nothing else worthy of doing if stars are not involved. I heard that next year they will change their name to sun. Stars are to broad. With being very average in ECNL they are feeling the center of galaxy slipping away-time for new strategy.

[Unregistered]

Nope, there is nothing else worthy of doing if stars are not involved. I heard that next year they will change their name to sun. Stars are to broad. With being very average in ECNL they are feeling the center of galaxy slipping away-time for new strategy.

Don't have another drink.

Deconstruct this all you want....Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Georgetown, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, UNC, Maryland, Colgate, UConn, UMass, Williams, Johns Hopkins, Amherst, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Tufts, Lehigh, BC, BC, BC, BC, BC, BU, Notre Dame, Elon, Villanova...

[Unregistered]

UCLA or MCLA.....You make the call.

[Unregistered]

I'm still thinking about the turnover. I wonder if they ONLY went through 150 players. Wouldn't be surprised if the ratio was actually more like 4 or 5 to 1. Makes those commitment percentage look awfully small when you think they may have gone through as many as 250 players to find the 4 players they are sending to top programs. Think about if the cost only averaged out to $10K a player over the whole group. The numbers are stagging for such a little return.

I'm familiar with the Stars U18 ECNL team you cite and the turnover has been minimal. The team has remained largely intact from U15 onward. A few kids added from older Stars teams, and a couple kids injured or burnt out.

College placements for this team are impressive. As they are for the Stars West and Stars United U18 teams, both of whom rival all other teams not called Scorpions.

It's mind-boggling that the hard work of these girls and their families has been twisted negatively.

[Unregistered]

It is the talent, athletic ability, technical ability, and brain that make a player. Itis also the academic ability that define the college achievement as few colleges will ignore grades. It is not the club that defines this. The club will have an impact. The biggest impact is simply the accumulation of a few extremely talented players that lead the team and build the greater good. You site Stars U18. Since U14 they have had the two best fowards in the state on this team, both national pool players since that age. Any team with that ability up front will succeed. It is a very good team, particularly with the addition of the U17 national team captain this year. But the college placement of the players is because of the players themselves.

College placements on Stars West and Stars United at this age is ok, but nothing to crow about. There are several players going to some great academic colleges, but there are few going to D1 or D2 colleges, so please spare us the silliness. Particularly since going to a Bowdoin or Colby College has very little to do with soccer.

[Unregistered]

College placements on Stars West and Stars United at this age is ok, but nothing to crow about.

Not crowing. Just pointing out that players committed to Vassar, AIC, SNH (2), BU, Hamilton (2), Dickinson, Assumption, UConn, and Westfield State is similar to other non-ECNL teams.

And if a coach from Bowdoin or Colby wants your child, it most certainly helps in the admission process.

[Unregistered]

I'm familiar with the Stars U18 ECNL team you cite and the turnover has been minimal. The team has remained largely intact from U15 onward. A few kids added from older Stars teams, and a couple kids injured or burnt out.

College placements for this team are impressive. As they are for the Stars West and Stars United U18 teams, both of whom rival all other teams not called Scorpions.

It's mind-boggling that the hard work of these girls and their families has been twisted negatively.

Think back if you will, most teams will turnover huge chunks of their roster the younger ages and then slow down during the high school year. My daughter's team is a rising U16 her team has already gone through 33 players since the team has started.

[Unregistered]

Which begs the question. Is it fair to go back to U10 or U12, 8 years prior to graduation, to determine whether a club or coach "develops" talent? I don't think so. Turnover in the early years is normal. Kids decide they like piano, or video games, or some other sport more than soccer and move on. Turnover from U15 onward is more meaningful.

[Unregistered]

I'm familiar with the Stars U18 ECNL team you cite and the turnover has been minimal. The team has remained largely intact from U15 onward. A few kids added from older Stars teams, and a couple kids injured or burnt out.

College placements for this team are impressive. As they are for the Stars West and Stars United U18 teams, both of whom rival all other teams not called Scorpions.

It's mind-boggling that the hard work of these girls and their families has been twisted negatively.

Clearly you don't follow this forum all that much because TS is like the tides. The ECNL supporters (Stars/Scorpions) will make a point and then the rest of the soccer world will counter. There is an absolute ebb and flow to it. Back and forth. It never stops.

The unfortunate part about the way the ECNL clubs market their program is they make college commitments a huge part of their pitch. That puts the kids and their decisions under the microscope. If you want the negativity to stop then you need to turn it back on the Scorpions promoter who keeps chanting about commitments. When everyone lives in glass houses you really shouldn't be surprised if someone throws a stone at yours after you threw one at theirs. There is an ebb and flow here. Back and forth. It never stops.

[Unregistered]

Which begs the question. Is it fair to go back to U10 or U12, 8 years prior to graduation, to determine whether a club or coach "develops" talent? I don't think so. Turnover in the early years is normal. Kids decide they like piano, or video games, or some other sport more than soccer and move on. Turnover from U15 onward is more meaningful.

Looking at the entire team span speaks to the whole process. When you think about it, no one should be crowing about success when you are turning rosters over 2 and 3 times over the span of a team's life because that shows that there were many more failures. It also helps define more clearly what that success really is.. being at the right place at the right time.

[Unregistered]

the u18 stars ecnl team cited earlier did not turn over the roster 2-3 times. maybe other teams have, but they didn't. yet they placed 19 of 21 girls in d1 programs. 1 to d2 champs st rose, and 1 to d3 williams. clearly these girls were at the right place at the right time...