ECNL Regional path to playing ECNL teams.

[Unregistered]

Well I can tell you about my own personal experience about the ECRL team at a major ecnl club. I Will keep it anonymous to protect the innocent


We contacted the coach last year and my daughter was invited to practice with the team. I took advantage of this for a few weeks until it was apparent that the girls were weak. My daughter is a good player but certainly no superstar. I politely declined their invitation for my daughter to join their team.We decided to stay with a local club that played in the top platform of the USYS. Fast forward, i see that team is in second place in their division. Now they may have gotten better over the course of the few months but I doubt it. The ECRL league seems to be very weak at present. I cannot see any player who can make a team at any other elite option seriously consider this for their daughter. It may get better and attract those players that are very serious about their game but I am not holding my breath.

You are obviously talking about a pre-high school. No doubt there are weaker and stronger teams in ECRL but you should preface your information sharing with age. Many of the higher leagues get stronger with age.

[Unregistered]

You are obviously talking about a pre-high school. No doubt there are weaker and stronger teams in ECRL but you should preface your information sharing with age. Many of the higher leagues get stronger with age.

Enough of the PC bull - I’ll say it ECRL - is a complete and total waste - you are a fool to pay money and have your kid play on an RL team. The RL teams are not good. PERIOD!

[Unregistered]

Yes needed to be said. It’s for the best.

Enough of the PC bull - I’ll say it ECRL - is a complete and total waste - you are a fool to pay money and have your kid play on an RL team. The RL teams are not good. PERIOD!

[Unregistered]

Enough of the PC bull - I’ll say it ECRL - is a complete and total waste - you are a fool to pay money and have your kid play on an RL team. The RL teams are not good. PERIOD!

Truth! How do you think a PDA Shore gets into ECRL?? A league that is subpar...and clearly looked down by ECNL. It’s used to fund the clubs A teams....

[Unregistered]

Truth! How do you think a PDA Shore gets into ECRL?? A league that is subpar...and clearly looked down by ECNL. It’s used to fund the clubs A teams....

Agreed and the sooner people realize that the better it will be!


Unless and until ECNL institutes a promo/relegation between the two leagues there is ZERO reason for any kid to play RL - you are far better off at EDP or GAL. RL exists to pad the coffers of the clubs. RL SUCKS!

[Unregistered]

You are obviously talking about a pre-high school. No doubt there are weaker and stronger teams in ECRL but you should preface your information sharing with age. Many of the higher leagues get stronger with age.

8th grade last year

[Unregistered]

Truth! How do you think a PDA Shore gets into ECRL?? A league that is subpar...and clearly looked down by ECNL. It’s used to fund the clubs A teams....

Shore is the lololol branch for PDA, they would have been better off playing in NPL or USYS.....RL is embarrassing.

[Unregistered]

Shore is the lololol branch for PDA, they would have been better off playing in NPL or USYS.....RL is embarrassing.

RL is beyond embarrassing nothing but a money grab - parents are fools to have their kids play in that weak league, way better and less expensive options out there! Buyer beware.

[Unregistered]

RL is beyond embarrassing nothing but a money grab - parents are fools to have their kids play in that weak league, way better and less expensive options out there! Buyer beware.

Agree check out GAL if you want to play in a top league; competitive, balanced, built from the ground up, by soccer people for soccer people. Great local choices in CSA and SJEB.

[Unregistered]

Agree check out GAL if you want to play in a top league; competitive, balanced, built from the ground up, by soccer people for soccer people. Great local choices in CSA and SJEB.

It’s not a top league.

Maybe both clubs have one good coach.

[Unregistered]

RL is beyond embarrassing nothing but a money grab - parents are fools to have their kids play in that weak league, way better and less expensive options out there! Buyer beware.

My D plays in ECRL at WC, and it is cheaper than pretty much every other serious club within reasonable driving distance (eg. CSA Bergen, NJ Stallions, STA, PSA, NYSC, Manhattan SC, etc.

[Unregistered]

It’s not a top league.

Maybe both clubs have one good coach.

The truth is if your daughter can make an ECNL team and be a starter with significant minutes, so be it. That is probably the best path (maybe) but even when they increase the rosters, like PDA, to 24, there are still not enough positional spots to go around for some talented players that exist in NJ. What do you tell that 4th striker that is good enough to get invited to the national training centers every year but get a " we are all filled here" comment by PDA ?
Should that kid be playing on the ECRL or their inferior white team? Of course not. That kid is going to pick up and play somewhere else. Any player who is a serious soccer player is going to seek out the best platform and team. And right now there are a lot of kids who are serious soccer players in NJ, who are good players, that get a "hey she's a good player but we already have 3 just like her playing in her position" Clubs like PDA know this they are trying to create a second league so that they can keep those pool of players in the club. ( by the way they have gone so far as trying to create a white ECNL team for every age group to see if that will work in keeping some of those players) The problem is - it's not working. Kids who are good enough to battle 1st team ECNL players but do not get chosen for the 1st team will never settle for the second team on any club. And it is for these kids that NJ must have another alternative. I do not know if the GAL is the answer as a league but I do know that there are some really talented kids on some of these teams that are not part of the ECNL Kids that could make an ECNL team but may not be in the top 8 players on that ECNL team. And because they are young, it would be an absolute crime to have them to be part of a pool of 24 and get limited playing time. Or have them play on some ECRL team. Except for a very few, there is no way, one can tell the future of a 12 year old's progression path. The National camps can't even predict this, which is why kids cycle in and out of their program. You must have an alternative for these kids that is outside the ECNL platform. What is apparent and has always been TRUE is that clubs care a lot less about their second teams and to relegate a worthy player to any second team is an absolute crime.

[Unregistered]

The truth is if your daughter can make an ECNL team and be a starter with significant minutes, so be it. That is probably the best path (maybe) but even when they increase the rosters, like PDA, to 24, there are still not enough positional spots to go around for some talented players that exist in NJ. What do you tell that 4th striker that is good enough to get invited to the national training centers every year but get a " we are all filled here" comment by PDA ?
Should that kid be playing on the ECRL or their inferior white team? Of course not. That kid is going to pick up and play somewhere else. Any player who is a serious soccer player is going to seek out the best platform and team. And right now there are a lot of kids who are serious soccer players in NJ, who are good players, that get a "hey she's a good player but we already have 3 just like her playing in her position" Clubs like PDA know this they are trying to create a second league so that they can keep those pool of players in the club. ( by the way they have gone so far as trying to create a white ECNL team for every age group to see if that will work in keeping some of those players) The problem is - it's not working. Kids who are good enough to battle 1st team ECNL players but do not get chosen for the 1st team will never settle for the second team on any club. And it is for these kids that NJ must have another alternative. I do not know if the GAL is the answer as a league but I do know that there are some really talented kids on some of these teams that are not part of the ECNL Kids that could make an ECNL team but may not be in the top 8 players on that ECNL team. And because they are young, it would be an absolute crime to have them to be part of a pool of 24 and get limited playing time. Or have them play on some ECRL team. Except for a very few, there is no way, one can tell the future of a 12 year old's progression path. The National camps can't even predict this, which is why kids cycle in and out of their program. You must have an alternative for these kids that is outside the ECNL platform. What is apparent and has always been TRUE is that clubs care a lot less about their second teams and to relegate a worthy player to any second team is an absolute crime.

Um, I don't believe the "4th striker that is good enough to get invited to the national training centers every year but get a " we are all filled here" comment by PDA" really exists.

[Unregistered]

Um, I don't believe the "4th striker that is good enough to get invited to the national training centers every year but get a " we are all filled here" comment by PDA" really exists.

You are being too literal. It was just an example. (If you are familiar with the training centers then you know clubs get a chance to send some of their better prospects at different ages to these training centers. Training centers actually reach out to clubs for some of their players.And of course vice versa You will have players at training centers at different calibers simply because they are the better player at that particular club . That same player may not be invited if they were at a different club. But I digress, and this is not particularly relevant to the Youth soccer landscape in NJ)

[Unregistered]

The truth is if your daughter can make an ECNL team and be a starter with significant minutes, so be it. That is probably the best path (maybe) but even when they increase the rosters, like PDA, to 24, there are still not enough positional spots to go around for some talented players that exist in NJ. What do you tell that 4th striker that is good enough to get invited to the national training centers every year but get a " we are all filled here" comment by PDA ?
Should that kid be playing on the ECRL or their inferior white team? Of course not. That kid is going to pick up and play somewhere else. Any player who is a serious soccer player is going to seek out the best platform and team. And right now there are a lot of kids who are serious soccer players in NJ, who are good players, that get a "hey she's a good player but we already have 3 just like her playing in her position" Clubs like PDA know this they are trying to create a second league so that they can keep those pool of players in the club. ( by the way they have gone so far as trying to create a white ECNL team for every age group to see if that will work in keeping some of those players) The problem is - it's not working. Kids who are good enough to battle 1st team ECNL players but do not get chosen for the 1st team will never settle for the second team on any club. And it is for these kids that NJ must have another alternative. I do not know if the GAL is the answer as a league but I do know that there are some really talented kids on some of these teams that are not part of the ECNL Kids that could make an ECNL team but may not be in the top 8 players on that ECNL team. And because they are young, it would be an absolute crime to have them to be part of a pool of 24 and get limited playing time. Or have them play on some ECRL team. Except for a very few, there is no way, one can tell the future of a 12 year old's progression path. The National camps can't even predict this, which is why kids cycle in and out of their program. You must have an alternative for these kids that is outside the ECNL platform. What is apparent and has always been TRUE is that clubs care a lot less about their second teams and to relegate a worthy player to any second team is an absolute crime.

I agree with this post (except for the 4th player getting invited to NTC) The problem becomes college coaches have there own biases about clubs/teams/trainers and have preferences where they want to either recruit players or where they want there committed players to continue to play. PDA & PF are both on the top of the food chain by many college coaches. Yes, the platform of ECNL is a priority and then it is the situation of the club/team/coach. Colleges want continued growth and competitiveness so all these things really matter. They will continue to monitor there progress so if the player is not playing in a viable competitive league or team they will strongly suggest you leave to a better situation.