South Shore Select to ECNL finalllyyyyy

[Unregistered]

Your problem appears to be that you are viewing the issue strictly from a competitive balance and customer convenience point of view. As a parent living in MA, that makes lots of sense.

From a business standpoint, it makes ZERO sense. Why should Stars and Scorpions give up their distinct competitive advantage (ECNL membership) and allow their business rivals to steal their players and weaken their business? Why would they willingly set up a situation whereby any unhappy player who has lost a starting position or playing time can simply jump to another ECNL club?

As it stands now, the top players generally migrate toward the ECNL clubs as they get into HS and the recruiting ages, because ECNL generally offers better competition and the easiest path to college recruitment. Why would the 2 clubs in the driver's seat want to stop that trend? Smart businesses do not take the thing that makes them unique in their marketplace and simply give it away to someone who wants to steal market share --- just doesn't happen.

100% true (coming from a non-ECNL perspective).

ECNL is a business, and their model is successful. If one is looking at it from a $$$ perspective, and as a private entity they should be, the plan works.

Doesn't help the game, the parents, or lifting the competition regionally. But, the mission is to make money, and they needs to stick with it for that reason.

[Unregistered]

The OP is ignoring the effect that 60+ additional ECNL players would have on the quality of play in the league. Stars needs to strengthen their teams by adding the top players from other teams in the region during the HS years. It happens every cycle. The OP is proposing that there should be net 3 new teams. I would love his/her explanation of how that many new players will make for better development when the 3 current teams in ECNL struggle to get enough talent to compete in the NE Division.

We'll never know, but it's a worthy discussion.

60+ Players might be tough. But, with a better spread of teams around the region, there will be "some" ECNL-quality players who are not on rosters today, and won't be tomorrow unless something like the OP mentioned happens. There will, likely, be "some" existing ECNL players who could move to other teams that better serve them geographically (I personally know of a handful).

The end result would be 160 players spread out more evenly, so the competition would also be more even. Would that affect them nationally? Should anyone care?

The goal of the ECNL parent won't change. The reputation of ECNL I don't see changing, either. With less competitive teams outside their umbrella, there will be less of a concern for the college community to look elsewhere.

[Unregistered]

We'll never know, but it's a worthy discussion.

60+ Players might be tough. But, with a better spread of teams around the region, there will be "some" ECNL-quality players who are not on rosters today, and won't be tomorrow unless something like the OP mentioned happens. There will, likely, be "some" existing ECNL players who could move to other teams that better serve them geographically (I personally know of a handful).

The end result would be 160 players spread out more evenly, so the competition would also be more even. Would that affect them nationally? Should anyone care?

The goal of the ECNL parent won't change. The reputation of ECNL I don't see changing, either. With less competitive teams outside their umbrella, there will be less of a concern for the college community to look elsewhere.

Before the GDA debacle, just a few short years ago, there were ~40 ECNL players in any one age group. There were other talented players spread around other rosters and a bunch of excellent players at NEFC as well. Even then, the back end of the 2 ECNL rosters were solid players but certainly replaceable. Now, somehow there's enough talent for 4x that many roster spots? No way. You've essentially just lowered the overall level to NPL range - nothing more. If flattening out the competition and dispersing the talent more broadly is your goal, why not add 2 more teams and create a whole league with even less travel?

[Unregistered]

100% true (coming from a non-ECNL perspective).

ECNL is a business, and their model is successful. If one is looking at it from a $$$ perspective, and as a private entity they should be, the plan works.

Doesn't help the game, the parents, or lifting the competition regionally. But, the mission is to make money, and they needs to stick with it for that reason.

Right. The product and the brand promise is based on scarcity and perception of selectivity.
Commoditizing access to ECNL "for the good of the game" is exactly what they should not do.

[Unregistered]

Right. The product and the brand promise is based on scarcity and perception of selectivity.
Commoditizing access to ECNL "for the good of the game" is exactly what they should not do.

Bang on, which of the wealthy soccer club owners would ever consider "the good of the game" or even "the good of the players involved in the game" over profits.

[Unregistered]

Bang on, which of the wealthy soccer club owners would ever consider "the good of the game" or even "the good of the players involved in the game" over profits.

Every time that you "agree" with the position taken by the club owners, you cloak it in a nasty reference to "...the good of the players," or something similarly snarky.

If you don't believe that they are running a business, JUST SAY IT. If you run a business and intentionally undermine or destroy that business, please tell us all about it. If you want them to put their business on the path to insolvency or bankruptcy by weakening their product and strengthening the very organizations that want to destroy them, JUST SAY IT. Enough of the passive aggressiveness, already.

[Unregistered]

People get way too caught up in which clubs are in ECNL vs which clubs are not. The reality is, there are 60ish ECNL roster spots in MA per age group. If you feel the league will be beneficial to your kid and she is good enough to make one of those rosters, she’ll get a spot. The argument of access to the 2 club locations is basically BS. If you’re at SSS, Scorpions is not that much further. If you’re driving to Mendon for practice, Lancaster isn’t much further. If you aren’t able or willing to travel to practices for ECNL (or GA), would you really be interested in traveling to league games in NY/NJ anyway?


Anyone who thinks is the level of play in ECNL would remain the same if MA went from 60 total roster spots to 100 or 120, is not being realistic. Now assume that every other state with an ECNL team/teams did the same. Go from 113 clubs to 220+?

There are plenty of options for players and families that don’t want any travel.

[Unregistered]

People get way too caught up in which clubs are in ECNL vs which clubs are not. The reality is, there are 60ish ECNL roster spots in MA per age group. If you feel the league will be beneficial to your kid and she is good enough to make one of those rosters, she’ll get a spot. The argument of access to the 2 club locations is basically BS. If you’re at SSS, Scorpions is not that much further. If you’re driving to Mendon for practice, Lancaster isn’t much further. If you aren’t able or willing to travel to practices for ECNL (or GA), would you really be interested in traveling to league games in NY/NJ anyway?


Anyone who thinks is the level of play in ECNL would remain the same if MA went from 60 total roster spots to 100 or 120, is not being realistic. Now assume that every other state with an ECNL team/teams did the same. Go from 113 clubs to 220+?

There are plenty of options for players and families that don’t want any travel.

Traveling 90 minutes mid-week when you have a job is a little different than traveling over the weekend.

Actually...it's a LOT different.

[Unregistered]

Traveling 90 minutes mid-week when you have a job is a little different than traveling over the weekend.

Actually...it's a LOT different.

True. And that’s unfortunate. But there are plenty of families that make 1 hour+ travel to practice work (my kid has 3 players on her team that travel 75-90 minutes. I k ow there are people on this board that want an ECNL team within a 30 min drive of every player in MA, but that’s just not realistic.

[Unregistered]

True. And that’s unfortunate. But there are plenty of families that make 1 hour+ travel to practice work (my kid has 3 players on her team that travel 75-90 minutes. I k ow there are people on this board that want an ECNL team within a 30 min drive of every player in MA, but that’s just not realistic.

Look at a map of the New England region. Then layer on where the GA/ECNL teams are.

That's a problem.

[Unregistered]

Look at a map of the New England region. Then layer on where the GA/ECNL teams are.

That's a problem.

So, where do you want them to be? Specifically.

[Unregistered]

Look at a map of the New England region. Then layer on where the GA/ECNL teams are.

That's a problem.

Problem for who, you?

Not a problem for me, or the the families coming from VT, NH, RI, and all corners of MA.

[Unregistered]

Problem for who, you?

Not a problem for me, or the the families coming from VT, NH, RI, and all corners of MA.

Besides the fact that south shore select isn't liked by the directors in ECNL it doesn't make sense to have a 4th Massachusetts team in ECNL whether it be a direct competitor like NEFC or a smaller club like south shore select. It's quite simple if your daughter wants to play ECNL then she has 3 choices-that's plenty of choices in a very small state.

[Unregistered]

Besides the fact that south shore select isn't liked by the directors in ECNL it doesn't make sense to have a 4th Massachusetts team in ECNL whether it be a direct competitor like NEFC or a smaller club like south shore select. It's quite simple if your daughter wants to play ECNL then she has 3 choices-that's plenty of choices in a very small state.

South shore select is never ever getting into ECNL. Period. Explanation point

[Unregistered]

South shore select is never ever getting into ECNL. Period. Explanation point

GA better than ECNL