Re: ECNL Moving Forward

by timmyh 13/02/19, 08:29 am

Big Ern wrote:No doubt timmy -- I this ^

But where would that leave the uber elite Denver market that are a part of Frontier? Methinks that US Soccer/US Club/USYS tend to think a bit more "big picture" when making decisions like these.

Forget them. Let them join a Cali conference. The Texas Clubs add more value by playing them than vice versa (same with KC and Omaha). Why should I pay to go to Colorado to help them develop their players? Would be a much better use of my travel dollars if we replaced those two trips with an extra showcase or two. If those teams want to come here to play that would be perfectly fine. We will find fields and refs give them all the friendly games they want.
That's why I don't think the above can be accomplished via DA, who will try and make decisions based on what is best for the federation and the country. ECNL is easily influenced by politics and clubs. The teams could go to ECNL with the above plan and ECNL almost certainly would say ok. The same proposition to US Soccer would get laughed at.

by 918soccer 13/02/19, 08:55 am

timmyh wrote:GDA's dominance in Texas/Frontier primarily relies on Solar and FCD's participation in it (and to a lesser extent, Lonestar). If you remove those two (and ignore OK Celtic and Sting Austin, who dont really belong in any "elite" league), ECNL and GDA are pretty equivalent in these parts. If FCD and Solar leave GDA, the league will be on life support.

But why would they leave to go play in a watered down ECNL and travel around to beat up on the two weaker Oklahoma clubs or the two other Houston clubs that don't provide much competition, or the two weaker central Texas clubs? That doesn't make sense. Now that ecnl expanded, it is much less attractive of a league for the truly elite programs.

If I were made the boss of soccer around these parts, I think one way to solve that would be to create a ecnl league with all the teams (3 Houston, 3 Centex, 3 Oklahoma, 7 Dallas... FCD and Solar get two teams). 16 total teams and make two 8 team conferences per age group with promotion and relegation for the top 2 and bottom two teams each year. Play everybody in your 8 team conference twice in the fall and once in the spring. No flights for league games. Everyone else play Lake Highlands, NPL, etc. Maybe you could talk me into a ERCL/FDL for 2nd teams, but I doubt it. 16 elite teams for Texas and Oklahoma (7 in NTX) just about covers all the kids who need to be traveling every weekend to find competitive games.

Take a break for high school. Some players don't want to play high school and would rather stick with club for those months? So set up a mini league for those players during the high school season. Combine those girls who don't want to play HS from the league onto regional teams (combine age groups or combine players from different clubs together, if needed) and run joint sessions for them, play friendlies, and maybe even go play a tourney or two.

Wouldn't that be better than what we have now?

Absolutely brilliant. Solar and FCD could make this happen as the other Frontier Conference clubs would surely follow.

by Big Ern 13/02/19, 09:03 am

timmyh wrote:
Big Ern wrote:No doubt timmy -- I this ^

But where would that leave the uber elite Denver market that are a part of Frontier? Methinks that US Soccer/US Club/USYS tend to think a bit more "big picture" when making decisions like these.

Forget them. Let them join a Cali conference. The Texas Clubs add more value by playing them than vice versa (same with KC and Omaha). Why should I pay to go to Colorado to help them develop their players? Would be a much better use of my travel dollars if we replaced those two trips with an extra showcase or two. If those teams want to come here to play that would be perfectly fine. We will find fields and refs give them all the friendly games they want.
That's why I don't think the above can be accomplished via DA, who will try and make decisions based on what is best for the federation and the country. ECNL is easily influenced by politics and clubs. The teams could go to ECNL with the above plan and ECNL almost certainly would say ok. The same proposition to US Soccer would get laughed at.

Right. Hence, they "tend to think a bit more "big picture" when making decisions like these" --

Personally, as I mentioned, I love your plan but, unfortunately for us, those decisions aren't made based on 'us', 'your travel dollars' or a "forget them" mindset. And realistically, it doesn't make much sense either logistiocally or geographically for those CO kids to travel to an already crowded CA division when the KC and DFW markets are closer and have greater need for elite comp in comparison.

I'd also add that both the CO clubs are at least the equivalent of both Solar and FCD, and playing them twice per year for a couple hours isn't helping them, or us for that matter, "develop" the players.

by 918soccer 13/02/19, 09:27 am

The clubs could vote to include Colorado, which would make 18 clubs total, 9 teams per division. A pro/rel structure like this would be the envy of clubs across the country.

by timmyh 13/02/19, 11:17 am

Big Ern wrote:
timmyh wrote:
Big Ern wrote:No doubt timmy -- I this ^

But where would that leave the uber elite Denver market that are a part of Frontier? Methinks that US Soccer/US Club/USYS tend to think a bit more "big picture" when making decisions like these.

Forget them. Let them join a Cali conference. The Texas Clubs add more value by playing them than vice versa (same with KC and Omaha). Why should I pay to go to Colorado to help them develop their players? Would be a much better use of my travel dollars if we replaced those two trips with an extra showcase or two. If those teams want to come here to play that would be perfectly fine. We will find fields and refs give them all the friendly games they want.
That's why I don't think the above can be accomplished via DA, who will try and make decisions based on what is best for the federation and the country. ECNL is easily influenced by politics and clubs. The teams could go to ECNL with the above plan and ECNL almost certainly would say ok. The same proposition to US Soccer would get laughed at.

Right. Hence, they "tend to think a bit more "big picture" when making decisions like these" --

Personally, as I mentioned, I love your plan but, unfortunately for us, those decisions aren't made based on 'us', 'your travel dollars' or a "forget them" mindset. And realistically, it doesn't make much sense either logistiocally or geographically for those CO kids to travel to an already crowded CA division when the KC and DFW markets are closer and have greater need for elite comp in comparison.

I'd also add that both the CO clubs are at least the equivalent of both Solar and FCD, and playing them twice per year for a couple hours isn't helping them, or us for that matter, "develop" the players.

Fair enough, but you are still assuming US Soccer runs the show and that is just the way it is. True with the boys side of things, but not the girls as there is a viable alternative.

However why should any club care about the "big picture" of what is best for US Soccer when they should be mostly interested in what is best for themselves and their players? Why should Texas Clubs be required to be concerned about what is best for Colorado or Nebraska kids?

A few clubs (Solar, FCD, Lonestar) swing a big enough stick to be able to f0rce change and mold it into their liking. That can't happen within the DA, obviously, as that organization is most certainly concerned with the "big picture." But they most certainly could with any other gaming circuit, including ECNL who is clearly easily influenced (Sting, Hawks, Slammers, etc) and obviously willing to bend.

by Son_ofa_Pitch 13/02/19, 06:31 pm

Maybe, just maybe.. ECNL allows Texans to return and DA allows girls to play HS sports. I’m just in the wind with these assumptions, just saying.

by AtThePitch 13/02/19, 06:32 pm

Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:Maybe, just maybe.. ECNL allows Texans to return and DA allows girls to play HS sports. I’m just in the wind with these assumptions, just saying.

Now that's funny right there...

by Checkpoint Charlie 21/02/19, 12:14 am

AtThePitch wrote:
Son_ofa_Pitch wrote:Maybe, just maybe.. ECNL allows Texans to return and DA allows girls to play HS sports. I’m just in the wind with these assumptions, just saying.

Now that's funny right there...

#MAGA

by AtThePitch 22/02/19, 10:21 am

Crossfire Premier just dropped GDA... All in on ECNL

by 918soccer 22/02/19, 02:44 pm

Email to Crossfire Premier players...

Crossfire Premier Moving Top Girls Teams Back to ECNL for 2019/20 Season

As you know, we’ve spent the past two seasons with teams participating in both the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and the ECNL, but during this time we’ve increasingly recognized the need for Crossfire to choose a single pathway and commit to one or the other in the best interests of our club and players. After much internal deliberation, a thorough review of the national landscape, including conversations with clubs around the country, and after receiving input from our players and parents, we have decided that the ECNL offers the best possible solution for our club moving forward.

The Development Academy was great for our teams and players in many ways, but we feel the ECNL offers several advantages: namely, a better competition structure with a more consistent and cohesive game schedule and a platform for player development that’s more in line with our club’s philosophies. Additionally, the ECNL does not prohibit our players from participating with their high-school teams and in other competitive events and programs. After two seasons of abiding by this restriction, we recognize how important it is for many of our players to be able to play for their schools and in other selected events and programs throughout the year. We want to provide that opportunity and allow our players the social benefits of playing with their classmates in front of their communities, the exposure of additional showcases, and the value of additional competitive experiences.

At the same time, to address needs and desires of players of all aspiration, players who choose not to play high-school soccer will have several options during that season to continue training at a high level with Crossfire Premier, including training with the boys’ Development Academy teams.

Moreover, regarding the structure of competition, the ECNL offers an ideal environment for the development of all of our players, without restrictive substitution rules that don’t allow reentry. This simple change gives our coaches greater opportunity to ensure adequate playing time for the entire roster and manage every player’s performance load more effectively. Beyond this, the club will no longer be restricted from participating in other outside competition and events, so we have more opportunity to plan a full competitive slate and provide our ECNL teams with appropriate competition all season long.

The ECNL is also an enthusiastic of supporter of Crossfire Premier; they value our membership and have worked with our club since the inception of the league. Christian Lavers, ECNL President, explains, "Crossfire has been one of the very best clubs in the country for more than a decade, with a long history of developing players to be stars at every level of the game – in college, internationally, and in professional leagues across the world. In both men’s and women’s soccer,” he continued, "Crossfire has always worked to provide the best possible environment for their players, and has consistently made decisions to support long-term development of their players and teams.*We look forward to working with Crossfire leadership, supporting the Crossfire club, and providing a fantastic platform for their female players long into the future.”

Lastly, this transition will in no way impact the financial commitment Crossfire has made and will continue to make towards developing our girls’ teams and players. As it stands, Crossfire is the only club in the country who fully-funds two Girls DA teams, funds all travel costs for two ECNL teams and provides scholarships to cover fees and travel for any players in need, while also providing funding for multiple international trips for girls’ teams each season. In selecting the ECNL as our sole developmental destination for our girls’ program, Crossfire is also committing to provide significant financial resources to the program, ensuring there remains no financial barrier to participation, and that the club maintains its status as a national leader in youth development and the number one source of high-level*soccer players in*the Pacific Northwest.

Thank you for your continued support of Crossfire Premier, and for being a member of our club.

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