ECRL vs GA

[Unregistered]

No one can dispute that ECNL is the top league. With 70-80% D1 players coming from ECNL what else is there to say. That number will only increase as GA defections continue both as entire clubs and top players make the move to ECNL.

Can you imagine when the overall %’s to play D1 are 1-2%, and one league dominates with 70-80% of that minuscule % to begin with??? That leaves everyone else with crumbs.

[Unregistered]

Exactly. Hence the reason why the league doesn't matter as much as the keyboardists on here lead you to believe.

They'd have to be pretty desperate to ask a club for their 80th ranked player though.

Of course that doesn't happen They just attend events with a higher proportion of players that would be appropriate for their programs - eg a lower level D1 or D3 will hit maybe a Jeff Cup first over ECNL national playoffs.

[Unregistered]

No one can dispute that ECNL is the top league. With 70-80% D1 players coming from ECNL what else is there to say. That number will only increase as GA defections continue both as entire clubs and top players make the move to ECNL.

The ECNL league will draw the most college coaches but parents are the ones who are unrealistic about their daughters talent thinking that college will look at her because she plays in that league. The numbers don’t lie and it the furthest from the truth. Sometimes, unfortunately parents “want it” more than their daughters. I know first hand of my daughters friends who have confided with her that they either do not want to play in college or play in a demanding D1 program. That happens more than you think. It has to come from the player not the parent. The numbers will not change regardless what league a player comes from to play ECNL. The top 1% of ECNL will benefit the most then everyone else is in the same position of proving their talent individually.

[Unregistered]

The ECNL league will draw the most college coaches but parents are the ones who are unrealistic about their daughters talent thinking that college will look at her because she plays in that league. The numbers don’t lie and it the furthest from the truth. Sometimes, unfortunately parents “want it” more than their daughters. I know first hand of my daughters friends who have confided with her that they either do not want to play in college or play in a demanding D1 program. That happens more than you think. It has to come from the player not the parent. The numbers will not change regardless what league a player comes from to play ECNL. The top 1% of ECNL will benefit the most then everyone else is in the same position of proving their talent individually.

That is the space my kid is in. She will have mid-lower level D1 opportunities, and likely pick of her choice of D3 (she isn't considering any D2 right now). I told her straight up "listen after college your playing days are over no matter what you decide. You need to think about what you want your college experience to be. I don't care either way, I had my time, and this is now yours. What school fits your vision of the college experience, and is soccer a part of that vision?"

She then wrote it all down, pros and cons, and is gravatating away from D1 since the schools she is targeting may not target her. But, she would still like to keep playing.

Is that considered a failure? Not in my mind; it's a mature decision. Not sure yet where she will ultimately end up. It's possible she may end up not playing at all. Everyone quits at some point, whether they are 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, whatever...

[Unregistered]

The ECNL league will draw the most college coaches but parents are the ones who are unrealistic about their daughters talent thinking that college will look at her because she plays in that league. The numbers don’t lie and it the furthest from the truth. Sometimes, unfortunately parents “want it” more than their daughters. I know first hand of my daughters friends who have confided with her that they either do not want to play in college or play in a demanding D1 program. That happens more than you think. It has to come from the player not the parent. The numbers will not change regardless what league a player comes from to play ECNL. The top 1% of ECNL will benefit the most then everyone else is in the same position of proving their talent individually.

There's a reason D3 programs have no trouble filling spots - not all players are skilled enough to play decent D1 soccer and/or want the D1 commitment. Even D3 is still a big commitment so your heart still needs to be in it. It's just not as much of a practically full year job.

[Unregistered]

Can you imagine when the overall %’s to play D1 are 1-2%, and one league dominates with 70-80% of that minuscule % to begin with??? That leaves everyone else with crumbs.

What is that %s then, 0.3%??? That’s crazy low chances for D1 if you re not playing ECNL.

[Unregistered]

That is the space my kid is in. She will have mid-lower level D1 opportunities, and likely pick of her choice of D3 (she isn't considering any D2 right now). I told her straight up "listen after college your playing days are over no matter what you decide. You need to think about what you want your college experience to be. I don't care either way, I had my time, and this is now yours. What school fits your vision of the college experience, and is soccer a part of that vision?"

She then wrote it all down, pros and cons, and is gravatating away from D1 since the schools she is targeting may not target her. But, she would still like to keep playing.

Is that considered a failure? Not in my mind; it's a mature decision. Not sure yet where she will ultimately end up. It's possible she may end up not playing at all. Everyone quits at some point, whether they are 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, whatever...

Smart. It's way better to figure this out ahead of time. Some don't until they're stuck in a situation they realize they don't like. One of mine switched gears once they had some discussions with D1 coaches about what schedules and hours looked like. They realized there would be little time to socialize outside the team and very tough to do study abroad or internships

In the end it's about the education and experiences - unless you're a unicorn NT player looking to be on the full NT or go pro. That won't apply to 99.999%

[Unregistered]

What is that %s then, 0.3%??? That’s crazy low chances for D1 if you re not playing ECNL.

There's plenty of non ECNL players that are one D1 rosters. It comes down to 1) what level they're in (tends to be lower level) and 2) if they're playing. Getting on a roster is much easier than playing four meaningful years.

[Unregistered]

What is that %s then, 0.3%??? That’s crazy low chances for D1 if you re not playing ECNL.

That percentage is for the population of high school soccer players, so it's exaggeratedly low.

[Unregistered]

What is that %s then, 0.3%??? That’s crazy low chances for D1 if you re not playing ECNL.

Wholly moly that’s very low. That’s the reality of youth sports I guess. Focus on academics first and foremost!

[Unregistered]

Wholly moly that’s very low. That’s the reality of youth sports I guess. Focus on academics first and foremost!

The %'s that get tossed around actually do not work the way they tend to be presented.

That 2% figure applies to all female HS soccer players. This includes the overwhelming majority who only play for their schools by HS age and who may do things like basketball, lacrosse, field hockey or track in winter/spring.

If you look at the girl players who continue to focus on club soccer throughout HS, the number jumps and if you then focus only on the top tier leagues then that % goes higher because all of the players are concentrated within the small group that play first team ECNL/GA club soccer.

If the chances were 1-2% of ECNL or Girls Academy players making it to college, the leagues would fall apart.

[Unregistered]

There's a reason D3 programs have no trouble filling spots - not all players are skilled enough to play decent D1 soccer and/or want the D1 commitment. Even D3 is still a big commitment so your heart still needs to be in it. It's just not as much of a practically full year job.

You have a misconception of D3 programs. Like D1 go look at the rosters of the top 20 D3 programs in the country. They are filled mostly with ECNL playe who chose academics over a D1 commitment. Like D1, D3 programs also have the top tier, middle tier and lower tier. There is no given that your daughter will either meet the requirements academically or athletically.

[Unregistered]

These arguments are disingenuous. Look back say 4 years and tell me how many players you think really qualify as the best of the best ? First, what defines best of the best as a player at the time? Club success individually?YNT success? Club success on a team? Second, what validates that over time? Scholarship anywhere? Scholarship at top College? Getting drafted? being a successful pro? Making All-WYZ teams?

People define all these things very differently. Remember, College soccer up til Covid, needs a continual supply of players from somewhere. If you listen to the FSU HC, he says openly that the US is not producing players he can consistently win with. He is getting better players from elsewhere and none of them are coming from so called Elite leagues here.

The business of youth sports creates all these arguments and is allowed to exist unchecked in girls soccer, because the College is not about soccer excellence. Just the illusion of it.

[Unregistered]

You have a misconception of D3 programs. Like D1 go look at the rosters of the top 20 D3 programs in the country. They are filled mostly with ECNL playe who chose academics over a D1 commitment. Like D1, D3 programs also have the top tier, middle tier and lower tier. There is no given that your daughter will either meet the requirements academically or athletically.

Another narrative based statement. They chose D3 based on their alternatives, some of which included D1 schools. The factors that lead to any choice are distilled down to soccer vs academics by people who want to cloud reality. The choice is rarely that simple. Because its so personal, we have no clue what the real motivations of any choice actually were.

[Unregistered]

You have a misconception of D3 programs. Like D1 go look at the rosters of the top 20 D3 programs in the country. They are filled mostly with ECNL playe who chose academics over a D1 commitment. Like D1, D3 programs also have the top tier, middle tier and lower tier. There is no given that your daughter will either meet the requirements academically or athletically.

Difference being there's a steep drop off once you get out of the top D3 programs. Rosters don't tend to have the same depth either. For academics you're far less likely to get in if your grades aren't up to snuff with D3 but most D1s have more bend in admissions (but not always there either). Targeting is key - both soccer wise and academics. It's ok to have a few reaches but the process will be a lot less fraught if you're both an on-target prospect for the team and the school.