ECNL wants to switch back to school year from birth year

[Guest]

This is a pretty elaborate fake. But fake it all is.

Its one lived experience. Happy to elaborate, what is it you find fake?

I just noticed you bolded the coach forwards emails. Not sure what your club does, but ours forwarded emails all the time. The footer of those emails from college coaches all contained disclaimers like “NCAA rules prohibit Forwarding”. Thing is, club coaches aren’t subject to NCAA rules.

players know who is interested and initiate contact from that point forward: express interested, fill out recruit questionnaire, and shre schedule

[Guest]

Appreciate coach PoV added to thread. All I can say is the comments perfectly captured my Ds process. She was a younger member of her BY team. At no point did I feel she was “trapped”. She had a head start and was showcased among “older” players perceived as better. When 6/15 came around she had been seen for 18 months, and coaches made it clear they were more confident that this HS sophomore could play at higher level.

During her freshman spring the coaches on the sidelines were there for the sophomores. Her team was good and therefore played other strong teams at showcases and the sidelines were stuffed with coaches, especially for marquee matchups like Socal Blues. NONE were there to see her, but while there It’s their job to assess every player on the field, and the player profile sheets have grad year on them. After the game the college coaches send emails to the club coach re: the specific players they were there to see, and then they add on the other players that caught their eye. These emails ranged from a distinct email or a specific paragraph detailing their interest to simply listing her among those encouraged to reach out if interested. Club coach forwards those emails, and you do what’s right for you.

No player falls behind during 8th grade fall, and recruiting for D1 scholarships is pretty much done by fall of Junior year. Spring of Jr year doesn’t really matter so the FUD about no showcases in your Jr spring is nonsense. More importantly, college coaches are coming to the regular season games her Junior spring because the seniors on that team are their inbound freshman. If Junior remains unclaimed by spring s good club coach:DOC can get her noticed.

Lastly, the u19 concerns are also unfounded. 90%+ of these girls are playing college next fall. They are motivated.

if your preference for strong academics at an elite D3 then that pathway is about #1 Grades and #2 ID Camps. Coaches are looking for good players that can get-in, and want come.

so all of this to say, the system has adapted. It would be nice to go back to Grade Year, but Birth Year is not the only reason a player was overlooked

So again, if you agree that it would be nice to go back to Grade year and improve the circumstance for the trapped players at no expense/detriment to the rest of the players, why not make the switch back?

[Guest]

Its one lived experience. Happy to elaborate, what is it you find fake?

I just noticed you bolded the coach forwards emails. Not sure what your club does, but ours forwarded emails all the time. The footer of those emails from college coaches all contained disclaimers like “NCAA rules prohibit Forwarding”. Thing is, club coaches aren’t subject to NCAA rules.

players know who is interested and initiate contact from that point forward: express interested, fill out recruit questionnaire, and shre schedule

Exactly. It is ONE lived experience, and it is less representative of what many trapped players experience. Why not make the change back to grade year as it improves the circumstance for some players at no detriment to others?

[Guest]

So again, if you agree that it would be nice to go back to Grade year and improve the circumstance for the trapped players at no expense/detriment to the rest of the players, why not make the switch back?

I have written multiple times that we should switch back for all the reasons given. I have also posted that BY is not the boogey monster you are making it out to be, and it’s definitely not the reason a player was “missed” in recruiting. They

You either have a D1-bound player who can use the BY head-start to her advantage or a D3 bound player who doesn’t need National Showcases to get on the coaches’ radar. For D3 Go to ID camp, express sincere interest, share local schedule and get good grades.

[Guest]

I have written multiple times that we should switch back for all the reasons given. I have also posted that BY is not the boogey monster you are making it out to be, and it’s definitely not the reason a player was “missed” in recruiting. They

You either have a D1-bound player who can use the BY head-start to her advantage or a D3 bound player who doesn’t need National Showcases to get on the coaches’ radar. For D3 Go to ID camp, express sincere interest, share local schedule and get good grades.

Appreciate that perspective. My daughter is the only Q4 birthday/lower grade on her U12 Pre-ECNL (the actual league not just the label) so I've been following these threads with interest. We have no clue what the future holds, but it's nice to be prepared for all the different scenarios.

[Guest]

Exactly. It is ONE lived experience, and it is less representative of what many trapped players experience. Why not make the change back to grade year as it improves the circumstance for some players at no detriment to others?

my original post clearly stated that the coach’s comments mirrored my D’s experience. She has always been and continues to be one. Your all caps and “Exactly” above make it appear like you think this is a Gotcha moment. <shrug>

As for representative, i think we need to identify representative of who? I think it is representative of a player’s experience on an ECNL team that typically commits near 100% of its players to D1.

Agreed, this is NOT the majority of club players. By definition this is the Top X%, but the reality is that the majority of club players are NOT D1 recruits, and therefore their recruiting experience will be that of a D3 player. If you have a specific experience to share, and you think there was a negative outcome due to the Trapped scenario, then please share. I’m sure TS readers would love to learn from it.

I shared my Ds experience with that same intent. Trapped can have some advantages. Play the hand your dealt and stop acting like Trapped players are victimized

[Guest]

Appreciate that perspective. My daughter is the only Q4 birthday/lower grade on her U12 Pre-ECNL (the actual league not just the label) so I've been following these threads with interest. We have no clue what the future holds, but it's nice to be prepared for all the different scenarios.

Congrats on her success to-date. The best 5 years of your life are in front of you. There will be stress, some tears, and the faces on the team will change every year. Repeat the phrase “I love watching you play” before every game, especially the big ones, which in hindsight are really not. My D now plays in college, and while watching her stand on the field during the national anthem gives me goosebumps, i most appreciate those moments of club travel rating Acai bowls, finding Paneras and letting her choose the rental car. Take lots of pictures together. The wayback machine on your phone will surface those moments and provide happiness

[Guest]

Can I just summarize BY impacts up to 30% of players and can seriously impact recruiting chances when a junior is playing on a team of 80% seniors who are already committed and no longer compete in showcases. OA the off chance they actually show up to play in a showcase the coaches aren’t there they are across the complex watching the younger kids. Meanwhile graduation year hurts NO ONE and helps everyone. Kids play with kids in their grade and are probably better aligned both physically and socially. More importantly coaches get to actually watch players from same recruiting year compete against each other and no one is overlooked. Why then do we have 1,000,000 posts on this thread. What are the arguments AGAINST graduation year? Literally check a box identifying your graduation year and that’s your team. It’s not difficult. And again redshirting will be so rare it doesn’t warrant the concern displayed on this thread. Statistically girls almost never regrade. And if they do it is what it is and really no different than a December 31st kid having to play with January 1st kids. Please make it make sense.

[Guest]

Can I just summarize BY impacts up to 30% of players and can seriously impact recruiting chances when a junior is playing on a team of 80% seniors who are already committed and no longer compete in showcases. OA the off chance they actually show up to play in a showcase the coaches aren’t there they are across the complex watching the younger kids. Meanwhile graduation year hurts NO ONE and helps everyone. Kids play with kids in their grade and are probably better aligned both physically and socially. More importantly coaches get to actually watch players from same recruiting year compete against each other and no one is overlooked. Why then do we have 1,000,000 posts on this thread. What are the arguments AGAINST graduation year? Literally check a box identifying your graduation year and that’s your team. It’s not difficult. And again redshirting will be so rare it doesn’t warrant the concern displayed on this thread. Statistically girls almost never regrade. And if they do it is what it is and really no different than a December 31st kid having to play with January 1st kids. Please make it make sense.

it is what it is. Experiences have been shared.
The sky really isnt falling.
keep yelling at clouds or play the cards you have

[Guest]

I have written multiple times that we should switch back for all the reasons given. I have also posted that BY is not the boogey monster you are making it out to be, and it’s definitely not the reason a player was “missed” in recruiting. They

You either have a D1-bound player who can use the BY head-start to her advantage or a D3 bound player who doesn’t need National Showcases to get on the coaches’ radar. For D3 Go to ID camp, express sincere interest, share local schedule and get good grades.

How have I made it out to be a boogey monster? All I’ve ever said is that the BY system has some problems that would easily be solved by moving back to the old Aug 1 cutoff system, and that the BY system has no actual benefit that makes it compelling to keep.

[Guest]

So if there is to be an announcement, who would it come from and when? ECNL or USSF? When the change happened in 2017, how far in advance was it officially announced? I'm wondering if the announcement doesn't happen this summer, is it safe to assume it isn't happening for Fall 2025 because the timeline would be too short? When you google this, every year rumors seem to be circulating online about an imminent change. With the podcast it makes me think maybe it's more likely than in the past, but I'm wondering at what point would it be safe to assume this is just another rumor.

[Guest]

So if there is to be an announcement, who would it come from and when? ECNL or USSF? When the change happened in 2017, how far in advance was it officially announced? I'm wondering if the announcement doesn't happen this summer, is it safe to assume it isn't happening for Fall 2025 because the timeline would be too short? When you google this, every year rumors seem to be circulating online about an imminent change. With the podcast it makes me think maybe it's more likely than in the past, but I'm wondering at what point would it be safe to assume this is just another rumor.

Now would be good to assume it’s a rumor. USSF would make the announcement. But it’s not happening, ignore the posts. Its not an issue that needs solving.

[Guest]

How have I made it out to be a boogey monster? All I’ve ever said is that the BY system has some problems that would easily be solved by moving back to the old Aug 1 cutoff system, and that the BY system has no actual benefit that makes it compelling to keep.

Many agree it would be better to go back. Lavers, you, and me.
The difference is that others aren't bemoaning the trapped player situation nor portraying our daughters as being victimized by it. You are.

[Guest]

Many agree it would be better to go back. Lavers, you, and me.
The difference is that others aren't bemoaning the trapped player situation nor portraying our daughters as being victimized by it. You are.

I am? How so? By pointing out an issue that could be easily solved?

[Guest]

Now would be good to assume it’s a rumor. USSF would make the announcement. But it’s not happening, ignore the posts. Its not an issue that needs solving.

If no announcement by end of August, then it's fake news