Is Pre-GA worth it for U12?

[Guest]

why would it be rare? You would think loyalty combined with development by lower teams coaches it would be the complete opposite

I feel like the biggest thing is just the speed of play. It’s tough to replicate that in a lower team setting.

That said, the lower team kids at NEFC do get their shot. They host a big ID clinic early in the spring with the current GA players, and there’s a steady drumbeat of guest players from other NEFC teams showing up at GA practices throughout the spring. The 2011 GA are a very strong team but it looks like they’ll be adding a couple of DPL players for next year.

[Guest]

why would it be rare? You would think loyalty combined with development by lower teams coaches it would be the complete opposite

It's for obvious reasons - it's exactly like how it's much easier to job hop moving companies Vs working hard for the same company for years.

Grabbing somebody from a rival club is much sexier to a club then promoting somebody they already have paying to be on a lower team assuming the kids are roughly equal.

From what I've seen the only folks that get promoted internally are 1. folks brought in at wrong level initially 2. parents are pain in the @sses and are constantly working the coaches etc. 3. fam has X other kids at various levels of the club (see #2)

My guess is all teams work that way. NEFC for sure does from our child's experiences.

[Guest]

why would it be rare? You would think loyalty combined with development by lower teams coaches it would be the complete opposite

Along with what others have already said, keep in mind that the top team players are also developing over time. To be promoted, the lower team player has to win one of those slots against the existing and any incoming top players.

[Guest]

I feel like the biggest thing is just the speed of play. It’s tough to replicate that in a lower team setting.

That said, the lower team kids at NEFC do get their shot. They host a big ID clinic early in the spring with the current GA players, and there’s a steady drumbeat of guest players from other NEFC teams showing up at GA practices throughout the spring. The 2011 GA are a very strong team but it looks like they’ll be adding a couple of DPL players for next year.

Is this true? The 2011 nefc dpl team is very weak. I'd be shocked if the red GA team was pulling up players, especially after making cuts.

[Guest]

NEFC just take entire teams by the looks of it, great grassroots development

[Guest]

NEFC just take entire teams by the looks of it, great grassroots development

Come on, NEFC clearly have good values and integrity. They are peoples club, good people all around! *Cough* pr*cks!

[Guest]

So take my response for what it's worth. My daughter was offered a pre-ECNL position in 5th grade and we turned it down. She played multiple sports and we felt like this was the first step towards specializing way too young. We've watched her peers who started that young burn out since then, but we've also seen a few who are now being recruited by D1 schools. My daughter stayed on Impact teams until last year when she started high school and we moved to an ECRL team. She's hoping to play high academic D3 and next year will be on an ECRL team again; she's getting the exposure she needs on this team, is talking to college coaches, etc. It is absolutely possible to not go that route at an early age, save yourself the money, travel, weekends apart as a family and still get to that level once your child gets to the HS level if they keep competing in between.

This is the path we are taking also. Going into 7th next year and we are staying impact/RAL until high school. Coaches say she’s good and could play on any platform (his wrids
not mine). However, they are developing her slowly and consistently. I don’t see any need to rush the process.

[Guest]

If you have a choice between Stars and another club, you should NOT pick Stars.
This is because when Stars picks their top players for their flagship team, preference is given to external players.
They prefer NEFC players in particular over their own. Stars has zero loyalty to their own players.

NEFC has better coaching than Stars. That's also why NEFC players are easily able to displace Stars players.

Stars will lure you with the promise of ECNL and then drop you like a hot potato.

[Guest]

If you have a choice between Stars and another club, you should NOT pick Stars.
This is because when Stars picks their top players for their flagship team, preference is given to external players.
They prefer NEFC players in particular over their own. Stars has zero loyalty to their own players.

NEFC has better coaching than Stars. That's also why NEFC players are easily able to displace Stars players.

Stars will lure you with the promise of ECNL and then drop you like a hot potato.

This is utterly opposite from reality.