ECNL-DA club jumping season is upon us

[Unregistered]

No, I'm pretty clear in what I said and meant.

The reality is there are not enough teams in ECNL to cover the Region effectively. My family being offered a position, and declining, proves that capable players are excluded. There are more.

Instead, some have bought into the myth that to get a game, you have to drive into New Jersey vs. in your backyard. The league must be better...look how far we have to drive to get a game in.

It's a joke. The Region could easily absorb 1-2 more teams without issue. The only ones who suffer would be the oil companies.

No that's not what it proves at all. It just proves that you prefer to do what you deem best for your personal situation...just like every other person does.

The problem is that you cannot understand the difference between being excluded and choosing not to participate by personal preference.

You can have an OPINION that 1 more team is needed, or 2 teams, or 9, or 137. That is just an opinion and you are entitled to it. There is no right or wrong.

But unfortunately you ARE wrong when you say you are being excluded.

[Unregistered]

Sorry, but I disagree. While it may be true to get there in 90 minutes with no traffic for us, the reality is those are 3 hours a day which we just do not have. If we did, I would've gladly accepted the ECNL offer presented to us. That is the case with many of the players, some of which (by no means all) who would fit skill-wise onto an ECNL roster.

So everyone is right here. It is absolutely true that there are players who could positively impact an ECNL team that live in VT, NH, and ME. It is also true that there is little evidence that there are enough of them to field competitive teams solely from each of those areas.

The harsh truth is that if you want to be part of a top team, you need to live in a densely populated area AND be capable/willing to travel for practices and games. Convenient or Elite, pick one

[Unregistered]

Well kids from the western end of the state can routinely beat the densely populated East.Its in the clubs financial interest to keep close to dense populations.Because most of the players wouldn’t travel 3hrs to train.If it were truly better and in most cases it’s not anymore they would.An easy fix would be to centralize the Ecnl and make it a 45 min drive,but even that wouldn’t be close enough for some to “sacrifice “ the travel time.Its about money not soccer and definitely not development.

[Unregistered]

So everyone is right here. It is absolutely true that there are players who could positively impact an ECNL team that live in VT, NH, and ME. It is also true that there is little evidence that there are enough of them to field competitive teams solely from each of those areas.

The harsh truth is that if you want to be part of a top team, you need to live in a densely populated area AND be capable/willing to travel for practices and games. Convenient or Elite, pick one

If there was one top league that was cheaper with less travel and a few more locations rather then less - the quality of play would go up, not down as more talent would be all competing in the same league. Will not happen because that wold mean less money to be made.

[Unregistered]

Well kids from the western end of the state can routinely beat the densely populated East.Its in the clubs financial interest to keep close to dense populations.Because most of the players wouldn’t travel 3hrs to train.If it were truly better and in most cases it’s not anymore they would.An easy fix would be to centralize the Ecnl and make it a 45 min drive,but even that wouldn’t be close enough for some to “sacrifice “ the travel time.Its about money not soccer and definitely not development.

It's not like Lancaster is Waltham. Girls travel 1.5 hr today from VT, NH, North Shore, and even Boston suburbs are 75+ mins between 4 - 6p. Springfield to Lancaster is not much further.

[Unregistered]

If there was one top league that was cheaper with less travel and a few more locations rather then less - the quality of play would go up, not down as more talent would be all competing in the same league. Will not happen because that wold mean less money to be made.

This exactly how it was with MAPLE. Everyone played locally, and each age group had promo-rele. The market spit it out.

Sure, the clubs want to make money, but please don't act like they did this to us. Parents welcome the velvet rope and beg to pay someone that will tell them their kid is on the top team. TS advice is pretty consistent, if you're not on top team, change! It's important that you find a club that recognizes your offspring's genius.

[Unregistered]

NT says you are being watched, parents pay DA
Coach says you can go D1, parents pay ECNL (or DA)
Player gets cut from top team, parents pay another club

[Unregistered]

This exactly how it was with MAPLE. Everyone played locally, and each age group had promo-rele. The market spit it out.

Sure, the clubs want to make money, but please don't act like they did this to us. Parents welcome the velvet rope and beg to pay someone that will tell them their kid is on the top team. TS advice is pretty consistent, if you're not on top team, change! It's important that you find a club that recognizes your offspring's genius.

OK. lesson learned. Now can we all go back to the good old days?

[Unregistered]

OK. lesson learned. Now can we all go back to the good old days?

Make Soccer Great Again

[Unregistered]

No that's not what it proves at all. It just proves that you prefer to do what you deem best for your personal situation...just like every other person does.

The problem is that you cannot understand the difference between being excluded and choosing not to participate by personal preference.

You can have an OPINION that 1 more team is needed, or 2 teams, or 9, or 137. That is just an opinion and you are entitled to it. There is no right or wrong.

But unfortunately you ARE wrong when you say you are being excluded.

yes, and your statements are just an opinion on what being excluded is. You advocate for more travel, not less, and deem it necessary to find competition. Why bother having more than two teams in New England? Why not have only one, base it Hartford, and make everyone travel there?

The market can support the expansion and by positioning it in such a manner, the requirements to make it to the sporadic placement of teams is, thereby, excluding many players.

[Unregistered]

If there was one top league that was cheaper with less travel and a few more locations rather then less - the quality of play would go up, not down as more talent would be all competing in the same league. Will not happen because that wold mean less money to be made.

Your last statement is exactly my point.

It's positioned as being "Elite", and to find other "Elite" competition they say you must travel 5 hours to find it. It's comical. And, idiotic parents buy into it.

[Unregistered]

Your last statement is exactly my point.

It's positioned as being "Elite", and to find other "Elite" competition they say you must travel 5 hours to find it. It's comical. And, idiotic parents buy into it.

You sound so bitter. I think most parents accept it, and then decide to make the best of it.

None of the parents I know with players in NPL, ECNL, and DA are so idiotic to think we actually need to travel to MD and PA to find reasonable competition. Everyone knows we drive by other List Teams on the way. It is what it is, and you can choose to yell at clouds on TS or enjoy the ride. I choose the latter.

[Unregistered]

You sound so bitter. I think most parents accept it, and then decide to make the best of it.

None of the parents I know with players in NPL, ECNL, and DA are so idiotic to think we actually need to travel to MD and PA to find reasonable competition. Everyone knows we drive by other List Teams on the way. It is what it is, and you can choose to yell at clouds on TS or enjoy the ride. I choose the latter.

Not bitter at all. I'm in the same boat myself.

But, to have it positioned that everyone has an opportunity to play is ridiculous. I've been fortunate (through a lot of hard work) to allow my kid to play in one of these leagues. I'm also not naive enough to think that there is likely a kid with more promise, more potential, who doesn't have that opportunity because the logistics of how the leagues have positioned themselves that don't allow it. It's sad for the game.

And, last, absolutely there are plenty of parents (virtually everyone who is on this board) feels their 4-letter league is best and there is no need to play another "list team" in the area because they are just crap.

I don't understand the feeling of being scared of local competition; if it's not that, then it's the positioning of "Elite" and where to find that competition.

[Unregistered]

Not bitter at all. I'm in the same boat myself.

But, to have it positioned that everyone has an opportunity to play is ridiculous. I've been fortunate (through a lot of hard work) to allow my kid to play in one of these leagues. I'm also not naive enough to think that there is likely a kid with more promise, more potential, who doesn't have that opportunity because the logistics of how the leagues have positioned themselves that don't allow it. It's sad for the game.

And, last, absolutely there are plenty of parents (virtually everyone who is on this board) feels their 4-letter league is best and there is no need to play another "list team" in the area because they are just crap.

I don't understand the feeling of being scared of local competition; if it's not that, then it's the positioning of "Elite" and where to find that competition.

I guess we have different experiences with parents. Clearly there is animosity on TS about leagues, but that's a sign of respect revealing anxiety about one's choice. If they truly thought the other was crap, they wouldn't even bother to think about it.

Scared of competition? I see the exact opposite. TS gets all frothed up when tourneys bring together the local teams.

[Unregistered]

I guess we have different experiences with parents. Clearly there is animosity on TS about leagues, but that's a sign of respect revealing anxiety about one's choice. If they truly thought the other was crap, they wouldn't even bother to think about it.

Scared of competition? I see the exact opposite. TS gets all frothed up when tourneys bring together the local teams.

I absolutely agree with this comment:


"If they truly thought the other was crap, they wouldn't even bother to think about it."

Typically something that is crap, I don't worry about.

Nice chat, agree on some things, not on others, as is typical. Enjoy your day.