ECNL and GA club changes - official announcements

[Guest]

Do you know what a B league is ? Analogy; NBA vs G league. No G league team would beat an NBA team in a game ( if they could the owner would replace them). In MA alone ( this is a MA thread right?) between the 6 divisions it is probably split 3 ECNL to 3 GA for top spot and I would bet every game would be close. I am not talking showcase (where every plays)but real game (i know it will never happen so it is just conjecture). But you keep parading that patch because you have 3 ECNL girls at Stanford. Guess what ? It didn’t matter which league they played in . The league didn’t make them, they made the league.

No doubt. My D played Stars Blue (3+ years ago) and at that time NEFC still had GDA players and SSS had multiple P5 commits including AS and LR. The Scorpion Bowl was a battle for MA supremacy (NEFC West brought it too). But as you say, the commitment lists matter and most parents want to put their D in the best position they can. We don’t have to like it, and we don’t have to say it’s right, but Stars Blue is THE talent aggregator in Northern New England, and it’s the first aisle that college coaches from top programs are going to shop.

I fully accept that there are 2-4 players on any GA team in MA that could land a spot on any ECNL team, I also agree that those players will have plenty of college options. I don’t agree that the aggregate depth of GA teams across the league, nor the depth of any individual GA roster is as deep as ECNL. For this reason ECNL has a virtuous cycle of reinforcement. If logistically possible majority of parents will want their Supahstah on the ECNL platform. The FUD is real, I’m not knocking GA, plenty of quality clubs, coaches, players, but one must acknowledge that ECNL has the advantage of a brand halo. That halo attracts better players which attracts college coaches…. cycle repeats to become a real advantage.

Conversely, if the family/player goal is college but not a Tier 1 program, then other leagues are likely a better fit

[Guest]

I would say that sounds like both ECNL and GA. Both reaching down to promote clubs they would have never even considered 8 years ago.

Fair. Analogous to Amherst’s DEI initiatives that now admit students with academic profiles they wouldn’t have considered previously. But like Amherst, ECNL is pulling The Best from the under-represented population leaving UMASS, I mean GA, to pick from the rest.

both provide the same product in the same area, but one comes with a degree of status the other chases

[Guest]

No doubt. My D played Stars Blue (3+ years ago) and at that time NEFC still had GDA players and SSS had multiple P5 commits including AS and LR. The Scorpion Bowl was a battle for MA supremacy (NEFC West brought it too). But as you say, the commitment lists matter and most parents want to put their D in the best position they can. We don’t have to like it, and we don’t have to say it’s right, but Stars Blue is THE talent aggregator in Northern New England, and it’s the first aisle that college coaches from top programs are going to shop.

I fully accept that there are 2-4 players on any GA team in MA that could land a spot on any ECNL team, I also agree that those players will have plenty of college options. I don’t agree that the aggregate depth of GA teams across the league, nor the depth of any individual GA roster is as deep as ECNL. For this reason ECNL has a virtuous cycle of reinforcement. If logistically possible majority of parents will want their Supahstah on the ECNL platform. The FUD is real, I’m not knocking GA, plenty of quality clubs, coaches, players, but one must acknowledge that ECNL has the advantage of a brand halo. That halo attracts better players which attracts college coaches…. cycle repeats to become a real advantage.

Conversely, if the family/player goal is college but not a Tier 1 program, then other leagues are likely a better fit

Most of the same D1 recruiters were at GA events and ECNL events.

But don't let facts get in the way of smelling your own farts.

[Guest]

Most of the same D1 recruiters were at GA events and ECNL events.

But don't let facts get in the way of smelling your own farts.

Yup. And then look at the where their commits came from.
Facts

[Guest]

Yup. And then look at the where their commits came from.
Facts

So you're agreeing that will get looked at in GA or ECNL by D1 scouts. Good to know.

[Guest]

So you're agreeing that will get looked at in GA or ECNL by D1 scouts. Good to know.

I think you meant to say "So you're agreeing that TALENT will get looked at in GA or ECNL by D1 scouts. Good to know."

Yes I agree.

[Guest]

Most of the same D1 recruiters were at GA events and ECNL events.

But don't let facts get in the way of smelling your own farts.

And they sign ECNL kids at a 3 to 1 rate compared to GA kids. Both will get seen and the truly talented kids will get signed. There is simply more talented kids at ECNL.

[Guest]

So you're agreeing that will get looked at in GA or ECNL by D1 scouts. Good to know.

You’re not easy to chat with. I offered a pretty balanced PoV re: GA players and acknowledged that ECNL advantage is halo based. you told me stop smelling my farts.

Now, we discuss the realities of commits from each league, as it is relevant to parent decision process, and you try some amateurish “gotcha” word twisting. Not sure what you are trying to communicate

[Guest]

You’re not easy to chat with. I offered a pretty balanced PoV re: GA players and acknowledged that ECNL advantage is halo based. you told me stop smelling my farts.

Now, we discuss the realities of commits from each league, as it is relevant to parent decision process, and you try some amateurish “gotcha” word twisting. Not sure what you are trying to communicate

Why not just say that D1 recruiters attend both GA and ECNL events?

The reason you're getting the "fart smell" comments is because you feel the need to try and make it seem like only ECNL players go to D1 which is not true.

My kid plays for a top GA team, has good grades, and could likely play for a D1 team if she wants to. Personally, I could care less. I'm so tired of soccer and I have 1 more that's u9 so I get to go through it all again.

[Guest]

Most of the same D1 recruiters were at GA events and ECNL events.

But don't let facts get in the way of smelling your own farts.

That’s fine but go to any top 20 college roster or P4 D1 roster and tell me what percentage are these same coaches choosing ECNL over GA players. The vast majority are ECNL with a few GA falling thru the cracks.

[Guest]

Why not just say that D1 recruiters attend both GA and ECNL events?

The reason you're getting the "fart smell" comments is because you feel the need to try and make it seem like only ECNL players go to D1 which is not true.

My kid plays for a top GA team, has good grades, and could likely play for a D1 team if she wants to. Personally, I could care less. I'm so tired of soccer and I have 1 more that's u9 so I get to go through it all again.

Also the top GA my kid plays for practices 10 minutes from our house. ;-)

Think about that when you're driving 45 minutes to an hour each way to practice on some ECNL team that most likely will get shelled by California and Texas clubs when it actually matters at the end of the season.

[Guest]

Most of the same D1 recruiters were at GA events and ECNL events.

But don't let facts get in the way of smelling your own farts.

No one is saying that college coaches (not recruiters or scouts!) attend both events. There are over 330 D1 colleges with rosters that need to be filled. What is factual is depending where your college team is on the soccer pyramid there will be more ECNL players recruited over GA players. My daughter played for a GA team that was very good. When she emailed coaches they showed only mild interest even after she attended there college clinic. Once she made the move to ECNL then the interest picked up and they attended her matches at ECNL showcases and committed to a program that would not have happened if she remained playing GA. That was our result and it did matter.

[Guest]

Why not just say that D1 recruiters attend both GA and ECNL events?

The reason you're getting the "fart smell" comments is because you feel the need to try and make it seem like only ECNL players go to D1 which is not true.

My kid plays for a top GA team, has good grades, and could likely play for a D1 team if she wants to. Personally, I could care less. I'm so tired of soccer and I have 1 more that's u9 so I get to go through it all again.

I never said only ECNL goes D1. To the contrary i actually named AS and LR from SSS. I didn’t name any ECNL girls. You called me a fart smeller. What am I missing?

[Guest]

I never said only ECNL goes D1. To the contrary i actually named AS and LR from SSS. I didn’t name any ECNL girls. You called me a fart smeller. What am I missing?

Sounds like something a fart sniffer would say ;-)

[Guest]

Conversely, if the family/player goal is college but not a Tier 1 program, then other leagues are likely a better fit

To put things in perspective, you only need the fingers on your hands to count how many kids there are like that in New England for any class year. Everyone knew who they were by U15, or earlier. And their parents probably are not posting at TS.

So much of the discussion here doesn't apply to even the players who will end up playing in college, much less the majority who will not.

Here's Stars' commitment lists if anyone hasn't seen them:
https://www.starsofma.org/class-of-2023