South Shore Select to ECNL finalllyyyyy

[Unregistered]

Problem for who, you?

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

And, it IS for families coming from VT, NH, ME, and the north shore. How do I know? Because we have a club full of them.

[Unregistered]

And, it IS for families coming from VT, NH, ME, and the north shore. How do I know? Because we have a club full of them.

Your choices are to either A) add more teams in a broader geography and water down the product such that it is NPL or B) keep it exclusive, unfair to people living far away from Lancaster or Taunton, but focused on maintaining the highest possible level of play.

Note: if it works out that "A" happens, there is a greater chance that someone will once again move to create a "higher end" league - beyond regular ECNL - for the more elite teams and players. And the cycle will begin again.

This system cannot be fair to everyone. It is expensive, so many talented players in lower income families cannot afford to participate. It is designed to consolidate talent on a few teams that play other teams of consolidated talent, so that means that talented players living in Maine, Vermont, North Dakota or Upstate NY are going to be a long ways away from where the talent congregates. It requires family commitment and flexibility, so young talented players with 2 working parents might not be able to get to training.

[Unregistered]

Your choices are to either A) add more teams in a broader geography and water down the product such that it is NPL or B) keep it exclusive, unfair to people living far away from Lancaster or Taunton, but focused on maintaining the highest possible level of play.

Note: if it works out that "A" happens, there is a greater chance that someone will once again move to create a "higher end" league - beyond regular ECNL - for the more elite teams and players. And the cycle will begin again.

This system cannot be fair to everyone. It is expensive, so many talented players in lower income families cannot afford to participate. It is designed to consolidate talent on a few teams that play other teams of consolidated talent, so that means that talented players living in Maine, Vermont, North Dakota or Upstate NY are going to be a long ways away from where the talent congregates. It requires family commitment and flexibility, so young talented players with 2 working parents might not be able to get to training.

All of what you just said is a problem, and why we aren't putting out a quality product any longer.

Instead of finding ways to get all the best players, ALL THE BEST PLAYERS, into a single platform, too many are proud to exclude and do it under the guise of elitism.

Sad state youth soccer is in today.

[Unregistered]

All of what you just said is a problem, and why we aren't putting out a quality product any longer.

Instead of finding ways to get all the best players, ALL THE BEST PLAYERS, into a single platform, too many are proud to exclude and do it under the guise of elitism.

Sad state youth soccer is in today.

You can’t have it both ways. If you want “all the best players” in a single platform, that would require even more exclusively. Maybe one team per age for all of the New England states. Across the country that would have to be fully funded residential academies—not happening.

If you want “everyone” to have access, you add 3 or 4 more clubs to ECNL in New England (and even that won’t satisfy everyone geographically) and you go from 60 roster spots per age group to 140. Theres no doubt that will lower the level of play.

[Unregistered]

You can’t have it both ways. If you want “all the best players” in a single platform, that would require even more exclusively. Maybe one team per age for all of the New England states. Across the country that would have to be fully funded residential academies—not happening.

If you want “everyone” to have access, you add 3 or 4 more clubs to ECNL in New England (and even that won’t satisfy everyone geographically) and you go from 60 roster spots per age group to 140. Theres no doubt that will lower the level of play.

By excluding large swaths of geographic areas, you are making an intentional attempt to limit the ability for players, quality players, to play. How is that even debated?

How do YOU know that if you had more geographic spread, that there won't be more players now available? How do you know that some teams currently rostering players who drive 90+ minutes away won't go to a more local club? How do you know that the talent level will spread out more, which will drive up the quality eventually since players maybe will stick with the game that currently locks them out?

[Unregistered]

By excluding large swaths of geographic areas, you are making an intentional attempt to limit the ability for players, quality players, to play. How is that even debated?

How do YOU know that if you had more geographic spread, that there won't be more players now available? How do you know that some teams currently rostering players who drive 90+ minutes away won't go to a more local club? How do you know that the talent level will spread out more, which will drive up the quality eventually since players maybe will stick with the game that currently locks them out?

So, an ECNL team for Northern Maine? Both the Dakotas? Alaska? Place one team everywhere in the US so that no soccer player needs to drive more than 60 minutes to practice.

Do you understand the nature of a competitive pyramid? There are not 5,000 GREAT players in the US. There are 5,000 very good players, maybe 500 a level up from that, and maybe 100 players that have the kind of talent that might be competitive internationally. Within that 100 are the dozen or so at the top of the pyramid. You seem to be arguing that the current system is only capturing a tiny fraction of the top talent in the country. That's crazy.

I would agree with the argument that the current system does not find every one of those top 500 players; there are lots of gaps in the scouting/identification system. But forcing ECNL to close all the coverage gaps in 50 states is ludicrous. ECNL is just one league, and while it might be the most efficient at matching players with colleges, it is NOT the only path to college. If you are looking for a system that covers the whole country, there's one readily available to all - town soccer.

[Unregistered]

All of what you just said is a problem, and why we aren't putting out a quality product any longer.

Instead of finding ways to get all the best players, ALL THE BEST PLAYERS, into a single platform, too many are proud to exclude and do it under the guise of elitism.

Sad state youth soccer is in today.

What a dumb argument. The ECNL clubs are happy to take any elite player that's willing and capable of coming from NH, ME, VT, NY, CT, RI, etc. They are not going to open themselves up to new competitors if those competitors will be able to siphon off talent by offering the same competitive platform. That's simply bad business.

I'm curious as to why you think that having a commutable ECNL club should be a RIGHT for every potentially talented soccer player. How is that a right? One of my kids might be great at luge, sailing, rodeo, beach volleyball, water polo, etc., but we don't live in an area or have the means for her to participate in those sports at an elite level. Am I supposed to whine about not having access, or that they are somehow too "exclusive"? NO, I either choose a different pursuit or we relocate. I don't expect fairness.

[Unregistered]

What a dumb argument. The ECNL clubs are happy to take any elite player that's willing and capable of coming from NH, ME, VT, NY, CT, RI, etc. They are not going to open themselves up to new competitors if those competitors will be able to siphon off talent by offering the same competitive platform. That's simply bad business.

I'm curious as to why you think that having a commutable ECNL club should be a RIGHT for every potentially talented soccer player. How is that a right? One of my kids might be great at luge, sailing, rodeo, beach volleyball, water polo, etc., but we don't live in an area or have the means for her to participate in those sports at an elite level. Am I supposed to whine about not having access, or that they are somehow too "exclusive"? NO, I either choose a different pursuit or we relocate. I don't expect fairness.

They’ll take any talented player because they can’t develop them. Clearly not great at “taking” players either... see those records?

[Unregistered]

Boy you people are so defensive with your little program. I never said it was anyone's "right" to do or have anything.

But, you can't bill yourself as the place for one-stop shopping and getting all the good players, when your model specifically excludes many good players.

Have at it. You an keep your campaign to keep your exclusivity to yourselves. Really, nobody is a threat to you.

[Unregistered]

Boy you people are so defensive with your little program. I never said it was anyone's "right" to do or have anything.

But, you can't bill yourself as the place for one-stop shopping and getting all the good players, when your model specifically excludes many good players.

Have at it. You an keep your campaign to keep your exclusivity to yourselves. Really, nobody is a threat to you.

The model doesn’t exclude anyone. If a good player comes to try out and they are good enough, they will be offered a spot on one of these teams. Whether a family chooses to accept that spot is up to them. Living 90+ minutes away from a club location doesn’t automatically exclude anyone. My kid’s team has 3 players that drive about 90 min to practice. No club or team claims to have “all the good players”. There are kids that have talent that will choose a specific club or coach for whatever reason. There’s nothing wrong with that.

My friend’s kid is a ski racer. There are a few mountains in MA that are reasonably convenient to where they live that have race teams. For his level, they choose to rent a house in VT and spend every weekend there from Nov-March so he can ski on that team. She doesn’t complain that he’s excluded because there isn’t a higher level team closer to their home. Their family considered the options and made a decision.

[Unregistered]

The model doesn’t exclude anyone. If a good player comes to try out and they are good enough, they will be offered a spot on one of these teams. Whether a family chooses to accept that spot is up to them. Living 90+ minutes away from a club location doesn’t automatically exclude anyone. My kid’s team has 3 players that drive about 90 min to practice. No club or team claims to have “all the good players”. There are kids that have talent that will choose a specific club or coach for whatever reason. There’s nothing wrong with that.

My friend’s kid is a ski racer. There are a few mountains in MA that are reasonably convenient to where they live that have race teams. For his level, they choose to rent a house in VT and spend every weekend there from Nov-March so he can ski on that team. She doesn’t complain that he’s excluded because there isn’t a higher level team closer to their home. Their family considered the options and made a decision.

Of course it does, and using examples that low-income people can't access only proves the point. In addition, we are talking soccer, not skiing, sailing, etc. which have climactic dependencies on top of that.

Soccer can be played anywhere. Going to be tough to ski if you life on the Cape, and your solution about renting a house in VT in pure folly. That's a working solution for the ECNL-crowd: rent a house.

Can't make this shlt up...

There are entire swaths of this Region to which a product isn't available to them. So, they choose what they can, and if they do....they are mocked for it.

[Unregistered]

Of course it does, and using examples that low-income people can't access only proves the point. In addition, we are talking soccer, not skiing, sailing, etc. which have climactic dependencies on top of that.

Soccer can be played anywhere. Going to be tough to ski if you life on the Cape, and your solution about renting a house in VT in pure folly. That's a working solution for the ECNL-crowd: rent a house.

Can't make this shlt up...

There are entire swaths of this Region to which a product isn't available to them. So, they choose what they can, and if they do....they are mocked for it.

Show me where I mocked anyone’s choice? And yes, low income families probably aren’t choosing to play in any sports league that requires overnight hotel stays, regardless of where that team is located, right? Clubs do give lots of financial aid and scholarships for fees, but that doesn’t change the travel piece. I’m just really unclear on what YOU want the system to look like. Only town soccer to level the playing field? Putting “the best” players in fully funded residential academies (not sure how you convince all of those families to let their kids move away from home for soccer) that will never exist in this country—especially for girls?

Also—you don’t know what kind of financial sacrifices my friend and her family make in order to make their situation work. Just like you don’t know the financial situation of every ECNL player. You assume that every kid comes from a wealthy family, which is 100% untrue, but you perpetuate that myth to sell the idea that it’s all so “unfair” and “exclusionary”. Families carpool, they offer to have kids from other families travel with them, share hotel rooms, etc. Families make sacrifices to make it work. Parents help each other out.

Like you said, soccer can be played anywhere. No one is forcing kids to quit soccer because they don’t want to commute to Lancaster or Taunton.

The only one making completely BS, broad generalizations about people you don’t even know is you.

[Unregistered]

Of course it does, and using examples that low-income people can't access only proves the point. In addition, we are talking soccer, not skiing, sailing, etc. which have climactic dependencies on top of that.

Soccer can be played anywhere. Going to be tough to ski if you life on the Cape, and your solution about renting a house in VT in pure folly. That's a working solution for the ECNL-crowd: rent a house.

Can't make this shlt up...

There are entire swaths of this Region to which a product isn't available to them. So, they choose what they can, and if they do....they are mocked for it.

This thread started as a discussion of SSS getting into ECNL. Your reference to the financial situation of ECNL crowd is interesting. I have friends with kids at several clubs. My kid’s ECNL tuition is about $1300 less than what SSS charges, and lower than NEFC, the old GPS teams, and Surf (I’m sure there are others as well).

[Unregistered]

Boy you people are so defensive with your little program. I never said it was anyone's "right" to do or have anything.

But, you can't bill yourself as the place for one-stop shopping and getting all the good players, when your model specifically excludes many good players.

Have at it. You an keep your campaign to keep your exclusivity to yourselves. Really, nobody is a threat to you.

The model has not excluded anyone. You have excluded your player by living in an inconvenient location. This is a small state. Take a look out west at the size of those states.

[Unregistered]

Of course it does, and using examples that low-income people can't access only proves the point. In addition, we are talking soccer, not skiing, sailing, etc. which have climactic dependencies on top of that.

Soccer can be played anywhere. Going to be tough to ski if you life on the Cape, and your solution about renting a house in VT in pure folly. That's a working solution for the ECNL-crowd: rent a house.

Can't make this shlt up...

There are entire swaths of this Region to which a product isn't available to them. So, they choose what they can, and if they do....they are mocked for it.

Perhaps if you stay off Talking-Soccer, you won’t feel mocked. You bring it upon yourself.