GA Rising League the same as ECRL?

[Guest]

Can someone explain to me what each of these newer leagues represent exactly? I understand ECRL is not newer, but it expanded greatly this year and now i am seeing GA RL. Are these pathways to becoming ECNL and GA clubs within NJ?

Please refrain if possible the "GA is a joke, ECNL only thing that matters" or vice versa. I am just looking for some guidance as to what they actually are?

[Guest]

GA Rising is to GA as ECRL is to ECNL
Calling it GA RL (for GA Rising League) will confuse people RL is usually ECRL

[Guest]

They are alike in their intent, which is to put the local EDP/NL divisions out of business. The trend everywhere is consolidation of clubs with multiple branches, which limits competition and choice for players/parents. Now these same clubs are consolidating leagues so you'll have no choice but to join one of their teams and/or leagues if you want to play anything above flight 3 EDP in the future. Terrible for the game, terrible for players, terrible for families. No one wins except the club and league owners, and maybe Exxon and chevron since all these leagues will require tons of pointless travel

[Guest]

They are alike in their intent, which is to put the local EDP/NL divisions out of business. The trend everywhere is consolidation of clubs with multiple branches, which limits competition and choice for players/parents. Now these same clubs are consolidating leagues so you'll have no choice but to join one of their teams and/or leagues if you want to play anything above flight 3 EDP in the future. Terrible for the game, terrible for players, terrible for families. No one wins except the club and league owners, and maybe Exxon and chevron since all these leagues will require tons of pointless travel

Agreed - it's not good for the consumer or the clubs. Fewer decent leagues to chose from which pushes them into ECNL or GA umbrellas, levels B - F at this point

And no they're not really "pathways" to ECNL or DA, at least not how either operate currently. Almost no one gets promoted up, nor down. If they were going to do actual promotion/relegation that would be something, but they won't.

[Guest]

How many more leagues just to dilute teams and talent

[Guest]

They are alike in their intent, which is to put the local EDP/NL divisions out of business. The trend everywhere is consolidation of clubs with multiple branches, which limits competition and choice for players/parents. Now these same clubs are consolidating leagues so you'll have no choice but to join one of their teams and/or leagues if you want to play anything above flight 3 EDP in the future. Terrible for the game, terrible for players, terrible for families. No one wins except the club and league owners, and maybe Exxon and chevron since all these leagues will require tons of pointless travel

Agree with the above but will add that ECNL and GA are better managed. Where ECNL and GA are growing, USYS is just flopping around like a fish in a boat trying to figure out how to stay alive. The perception is that ECNL and GA were created to help get players get college commitments (how effective is debatable) but USYS is now like Kmart or Sears (they’re just there until all their customers leave).

[Guest]

ECNL and GA have no interest in running leagues for everyone because if they did, they would be no better than the leagues they claim to be better than

[Guest]

Agreed - it's not good for the consumer or the clubs. Fewer decent leagues to chose from which pushes them into ECNL or GA umbrellas, levels B - F at this point

And no they're not really "pathways" to ECNL or DA, at least not how either operate currently. Almost no one gets promoted up, nor down. If they were going to do actual promotion/relegation that would be something, but they won't.

ECNL has promoted several clubs from RL into ECNL but has never removed one. Just doesn't happen in the NA or NE conferences because of PDA and FCS trying to keep hold of the monopoly they currently enjoy which is why you got the new ECRL2 conference instead of those clubs being added into the existing RL conferences.

[Guest]

GA Rising South Division. Presumably the clubs that are already GA put a second team into this, and the other clubs put their first team.

Chelsea Piers
Downtown United
FC Somers
LI SC - GA
NJ Premier
NY SC - GA
STA - GA
STA Mount Olive

ECNL RL Northeast. Maybe they will divide into north and south in some way. The clubs that already have ECNL and RL will be putting a 3rd or lower team in. They are picking up several Elite64 clubs, those teams will go into this league..

Next Level SA Pennington, NJ
Long Island Slammers Stonybrook, NY
Match Fit Academy Shore Tinton Falls, NJ Elite 64
PSA Monmouth Tinton Falls, NJ Princeton SA Elite 64
FC Copa Academy Hillsborough, NJ Elite 64
SUSA Blue Central Islip, NY
Sporting Club Premier Sparta, NJ
New York Surf Soccer Club Long Island, NY Elite 64
NJ Crush Pompton Lakes, NJ
Manhattan SC Manhattan, NY
Force FC Monroe & Woodbury, NY EDP
Quickstrike FC New Windsor, NY NL
CFC Legacy Stamford, CT
Albany Alleycats Albany, NY USYS NL
CT Rush Select North Branford, CT
CFC North FC Rocky Hill, CT
Bayside FC East Providence, RI Elite 64
Scorpions South SC Auburn, MA
FC Stars Sky Blue Acton, MA
Lehigh Valley United RUSH Allentown, PA

[Guest]

Hopefully less traveling

[Guest]

Hopefully less traveling

Looks like GA RL mirrors the NA conference (northern NJ to Mass) while ECRL takes up both NE and NA (MD to Mass). Why ECRL created a new conference instead of just adding the teams to the existing ones like the rest of ECNL-RL is beyond me and says they aren't being taken seriously for any inclusion into future ECNL promotions.

[Guest]

ECRL NA, ECRL NE, and GA Rising all recruit from the same batch of kids, so they are all basically the same. The clubs that only have 1 team (i.e. ones that do NOT have teams in ECNL NE or GA proper) are ok, but the others are just filled with players that could not make local clubs A teams, the parents got mad, and they took their money, added some more, and moved to somewhere that will "make them feel pretty"

[Guest]

I believe GARL has a club path to GA, ECRL has no club path to ECNL.

[Guest]

I believe GARL has a club path to GA, ECRL has no club path to ECNL.

Not true. A few R clubs have been moved into ECNL, I believe all were newcomers that were quite strong and mostly from GA. They put in a year for appearances and moved up. Some clubs should get demoted but ECNL hasn't dared touch that third rail.

[Guest]

Not true. A few R clubs have been moved into ECNL, I believe all were newcomers that were quite strong and mostly from GA. They put in a year for appearances and moved up. Some clubs should get demoted but ECNL hasn't dared touch that third rail.

None in NJ and likely never to happen since PDA has 3 badges and MFA 1. All badges go through PDA 1st.