Impact NPL

[Guest]

Do you have any research based evidence to support that? Truly not meant in an argumentative way. Everything I I have read still points to benefits of multiple sports as teens and as the parent of a teen who plays a different winter sport, what you’re saying is worrisome. Injuries are our primary concern.

For which part would you like a link?

"True" Multi-sport can work if you mean a single different sport per season. i.e. fall = soccer, winter = basketball, spring = lacrosse, summer = baseball.
(unfortunately, most parents consider multi-sport to mean multiple sports within the same season, which is often disastrous.)

The advantages of true multi-sport:
1. your athlete is unlikely to have overuse injuries, or mental burnout.
2. your athlete will be a more well-rounded athlete with more balanced upper body and core.
3. your athlete may have a more advantageous social setup being part of more groups, but that varies.

The downsides of true multi-sport:
1. your athlete will be behind the curve skill-wise in any individual sport. she could fall into a "chicken and egg" scenario later on. i.e. can't get better without being on top team, can't get on top team without being better.
2. your athlete's lower body muscle imbalance will still be there without very specific strength training. and that is what often leads to blowups, along with bad mechanics and improper equipment.
3. your athlete is not likely suffering from overuse, but is also not really resting because she isn't taking time off. strains may "feel" better but they won't fully heal, and will put her at increased risk of serious injury.

Final warning about "false" multi-sport: kids in elementary school can withstand an unbelievable amount of sports-based punishment to their bodies. That changes drastically in middle school, and then more in high school. Parents put their young kids in multiple sports per season and then don't adjust later on because "they've never had a problem". Don't fall into that.

[Guest]

Which clubs have made it official they are returning or not?

Albany Alleycats
Aztec Soccer Club
Bayside FC
Best FC
Boston Bolts West
Liverpool International Academy
Spirit of Liverpool
FC Stars
South Shore Select
Legacy Soccer Club

[Guest]

For which part would you like a link?

"True" Multi-sport can work if you mean a single different sport per season. i.e. fall = soccer, winter = basketball, spring = lacrosse, summer = baseball.
(unfortunately, most parents consider multi-sport to mean multiple sports within the same season, which is often disastrous.)

Final warning about "false" multi-sport: kids in elementary school can withstand an unbelievable amount of sports-based punishment to their bodies. That changes drastically in middle school, and then more in high school. Parents put their young kids in multiple sports per season and then don't adjust later on because "they've never had a problem". Don't fall into that.

Amen to the last paragraph. Parents don't realize how quickly it changes. Kids that never had an injury now in HS are plagued with them. Their bodies need rest. They shouldn't be playing anything 6 days a week, let alone 2 things 4 days and one another 2-3. Something has to give. At a minimum drop one sport down a few levels.

If your kid plays 1+ sports at an intense level spend some $ on a quality trainer that works with young athletes. It's not a guarantee to prevent all injuries but a trainer can identify problem areas and teach injury prevention exercises. Teach kids to listen to their bodies too. Hurt and injured aren't the same thing.

[Guest]

Albany Alleycats- no
Aztec Soccer Club - yes
Bayside FC- no
Best FC ?
Boston Bolts West ?
Liverpool International Academy -?
Spirit of Liverpool-?
FC Stars- no
South Shore Select - yes
Legacy Soccer Club - no

[Guest]

Actually knows anything - no
Got it all wrong - yes

[Guest]

Albany Alleycats- no
Aztec Soccer Club - yes
Bayside FC- no
Best FC ?
Boston Bolts West ?
Liverpool International Academy -?
Spirit of Liverpool-?
FC Stars- no
South Shore Select - yes
Legacy Soccer Club - no

WRONG. Alleycats and Bayside are moving their top teams to ECRL. Neither of them play in Impact currently. Alleycats is still advertising Impact for their 2nd teams. Stars is moving various regions to ECRL but is still advertising NPL. Stop lying for attention. It’s pitiful.

[Guest]

Amen to the last paragraph. Parents don't realize how quickly it changes. Kids that never had an injury now in HS are plagued with them. Their bodies need rest. They shouldn't be playing anything 6 days a week, let alone 2 things 4 days and one another 2-3. Something has to give. At a minimum drop one sport down a few levels.

If your kid plays 1+ sports at an intense level spend some $ on a quality trainer that works with young athletes. It's not a guarantee to prevent all injuries but a trainer can identify problem areas and teach injury prevention exercises. Teach kids to listen to their bodies too. Hurt and injured aren't the same thing.

It's actually more like this for the current Spring season:
1 sport in HS 6 days week with either practices or games/competitions (for example in the lax, or track)
Town soccer with 1 practice per week and a game on Saturday or Sunday.
Club soccer with 2 practices a week and a game on Sunday.
Rest/Recovery days: 0
Specific strength training: 0
Injury prevention: 0
That is the life of an HS-aged student athlete from beginning of April through end of May.
This falls on adults 100%. MIAA (or any other state) and US Youth Soccer or US Club don't talk to each other. HS Athletic directors pretend they don't know what's going on. Soccer clubs care mostly about putting their product forth (College prep.) and the money it brings them.

[Guest]

Nobody should make any decisions on anything they hear on this site. Ask questions based on it (which is great bTW) but don't make decisions. If you read this thread from the beginning, pretty much everything that can possibly happen has been mentioned as happening and most of it, is not happening. Impact is not folding, DG is not leaving (while some don't have any others do have 2+ jobs), stars current impact team - not leaving, ally cats. - not leaving. Impact lost legacy who is a flight 1 NECSL club at best and Bayside - (4th league in 5 years) who can now travel either travel 2-4 hours for their games or play stars regional sites who at best, should be playing legacy; (unless they can steal other clubs' players). Question - why play for a region who has never developed anything, and I do mean not a thing? Oh right, bc college coaches only recruit from ECNL platforms....got it. If that's what you need to tell yourself ....write the check.

[Guest]

I think a lot of people were trying to warn friends in impact that the league would now be weaker. It turned into the league is folding. Although the Northeast ECRL (new) will not be as strong as this years impact. The current New England ECRL is better in the long run for strong players. I think it all got mixed up when the clubs like Bayside who will be putting top team in the new Northeast ECRL May have come on here to defend this new region. Impact is a nice solid local league for those who don’t want much travel. The current ECRL which Stars has a blue and white team in, and Scorpions has a team in is more competitive soccer than you will find at impact. But there’s the cost of travel. Each family can respect each others choices. No big deal.
whats more important is:
does your kid like the team
does your kid like the coach
does your kid get playing time
Is your kid improving
is your kid being challenged

Don’t worry about the league as much.

[Guest]

It will always be a crap shoot year to year with mid level soccer. Unless your kid is a national ECNL or GA player the team and league can change drastically year to year. This is because clubs like Stars, SSS, Scorpions and NEFC have historically placed all of their attention on the National teams. I do sense a shift that second teams are starting to get better coaching and opportunities than they used to.
But mid level 2nd and 3rd teams can be super strong one year and then they lose their top players to 1st teams. The team is not the same the following year as the mid level teams often get pilaged. The best player on your impact team, DPL, or ECRL team is likely practicing with a national ECNL or GA team in the spring. So the team your kid was on in the spring will be weaker in the fall. The only teams that don’t suffer this year to year are the teams that are the clubs first team playing in DPL or Impact. For example RI Surf top teams will be dominating DPL because that’s the top team and unless the players jump to a new club that teams stays in tact. Liverpool top teams play impact (no national opportunity) so unless liverpool players jump clubs, those impact teams will always dominate mid level. Aztec as well will dominate the mid level impact or DPL.
SSS, Scorpions, NEFC, and NEFC will always lose their best few players to their clubs top teams. Those players aren’t really replaceable. Less talent after u14 as players mid to low leave soccer clubs for HS sports or other sports.

[Guest]

It will always be a crap shoot year to year with mid level soccer. Unless your kid is a national ECNL or GA player the team and league can change drastically year to year. This is because clubs like Stars, SSS, Scorpions and NEFC have historically placed all of their attention on the National teams. I do sense a shift that second teams are starting to get better coaching and opportunities than they used to.
But mid level 2nd and 3rd teams can be super strong one year and then they lose their top players to 1st teams. The team is not the same the following year as the mid level teams often get pilaged. The best player on your impact team, DPL, or ECRL team is likely practicing with a national ECNL or GA team in the spring. So the team your kid was on in the spring will be weaker in the fall. The only teams that don’t suffer this year to year are the teams that are the clubs first team playing in DPL or Impact. For example RI Surf top teams will be dominating DPL because that’s the top team and unless the players jump to a new club that teams stays in tact. Liverpool top teams play impact (no national opportunity) so unless liverpool players jump clubs, those impact teams will always dominate mid level. Aztec as well will dominate the mid level impact or DPL.
SSS, Scorpions, NEFC, and NEFC will always lose their best few players to their clubs top teams. Those players aren’t really replaceable. Less talent after u14 as players mid to low leave soccer clubs for HS sports or other sports.

As an FYI, GA is 3 yes old and replaced a league that lasted 3 years. Not exactly the stability you discussed.

[Guest]

National is National and no matter what the name it will always pull top players from mid level teams in hopes to gain exposure. If you are with SSS, Scorpions, Stars, or NEFC (all excellent clubs) your mid level impact, ECRL, DPL teams will lose best players yearly to National teams no matter what. If you want more stability play for Liverpool, Aztec, Bolts and Surf RI. They will never have a National pathway but families seem set on sticking together in the middle and dominating the mid level, which is totally fine. I guess I’m trying to say if your priorities are being on a team that sticks together and dominates their mid level league stick with one of those clubs.