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Post by oraclesfriend on Jan 9, 2020 12:24:43 GMT -5
Agree but this is not a bad thing because I personally believe the bottom third of the ECNL rosters are no better than some of the girls on the top NL, NPL and SCCL teams yet those girls have survived because of personal connections, political reasons or simply because of how long they have been at the club. Giving another 15-20 girls an opportunity would be a good thing. No doubt that there are many NL/NPL/SCCL players who could make ECNL/DA rosters. AFC is generally lighting it up in NPL (and I heard a rumor their 06's bested UFA DA in a friendly). I think the south side is under-represented in the elite league mix and there's likely enough players in the triangle of Roswell/Impact/Ambush to fill an elite team at every age group. So IMO, there's probably room for about 8 "elite" girls club teams in the ATL area without watering things down much. AFC Lightning 06 NPL beat their 05 and 04 NPL teams in a tournament in the preseason. I believe that team is pretty strong. There are plenty of strong players that either don't want to drive or don't have opportunities to play ECNL or DA financially. A scholarship program could fix one of those issues. |
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Post by Soccerhouse on Jan 9, 2020 12:52:33 GMT -5
I've always been impressed with the pockets of talent coming from the southside -- inconsistent from year to year, but there are some ballers down south.
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Post by b0gan on Jan 9, 2020 21:30:28 GMT -5
No doubt that there are many NL/NPL/SCCL players who could make ECNL/DA rosters. AFC is generally lighting it up in NPL (and I heard a rumor their 06's bested UFA DA in a friendly). I think the south side is under-represented in the elite league mix and there's likely enough players in the triangle of Roswell/Impact/Ambush to fill an elite team at every age group. So IMO, there's probably room for about 8 "elite" girls club teams in the ATL area without watering things down much. AFC Lightning 06 NPL beat their 05 and 04 NPL teams in a tournament in the preseason. I believe that team is pretty strong. There are plenty of strong players that either don't want to drive or don't have opportunities to play ECNL or DA financially. A scholarship program could fix one of those issues. |
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Post by b0gan on Jan 9, 2020 21:31:22 GMT -5
No doubt that there are many NL/NPL/SCCL players who could make ECNL/DA rosters. AFC is generally lighting it up in NPL (and I heard a rumor their 06's bested UFA DA in a friendly). I think the south side is under-represented in the elite league mix and there's likely enough players in the triangle of Roswell/Impact/Ambush to fill an elite team at every age group. So IMO, there's probably room for about 8 "elite" girls club teams in the ATL area without watering things down much. AFC Lightning 06 NPL beat their 05 and 04 NPL teams in a tournament in the preseason. I believe that team is pretty strong. There are plenty of strong players that either don't want to drive or don't have opportunities to play ECNL or DA financially. A scholarship program could fix one of those issues. 9 Jan, 2020 Kelley O'Hara Scholarship After the 2019 Women’s World Cup (WWC), FIFA awarded club benefits to youth soccer clubs where members of the USA’s WWC team played their youth soccer. Because Kelley O’Hara played at AFC Lightning, our club was awarded $8000 as part of the WWC club benefits program. AFC Lightning are reinvesting this money and are proud to announce a new, annual scholarship aimed at supporting two graduating AFC Lightning girls players each year. "I am very excited for the creation of this scholarship and the opportunity to give back to the club that shaped me as a player," said current USWNT and former AFC Lightning player, Kelley O'Hara. "Soccer has always been a big priority for me, but education was always of equal importance. I’m thrilled to be able to support fellow AFC Lightning players in their college careers, both on and off the field." Each May, Kelley O’Hara and AFC Lightning will award two $4,000 scholarships to the winning applicants. Our goal is to help AFC Lightning players continue their participation in our great game while furthering their academic endeavors. “Kelley O’Hara is not only a soccer champion, but a fantastic role model who wants to give back to the community where she grew up” said Steve Muccillo, AFC Lightning Executive Director. “This money was given to AFC Lightning because of Kelley’s accomplishments on the field, and this is a great way to 'pay it forward' for perhaps another future AFC Lightning world cup champion. We will continue to search for means and methods to motivate, inspire, and assist our players to be the best they can be." |
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