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UFA ECNL
Mar 23, 2020 10:28:28 GMT -5
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Post by greenmonkey on Mar 23, 2020 10:28:28 GMT -5
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE AND UNITED FUTBOL ACADEMY (GA) JOIN ECNL GIRLS FOR 2020-21 SEASON
RICHMOND, VA (March 23, 2020) – The Elite Clubs National League Girls is excited to announce that the North Carolina Courage and United Futbol Academy (UFA) will be joining the ECNL in 2020-2021. Both clubs will make the league the top of their competitive pyramid.
The North Carolina Courage is the youth development program of the reigning two-time NWSL champion Carolina Courage, and have been one of the top youth clubs in the country in development of youth national team talent over the past several years. UFA is one of the largest youth programs in the Southeast, with over 8,000 players at multiple locations in Georgia, and a history of state, regional and national success.
“We are tremendously excited to welcome the North Carolina Courage and UFA as new member clubs to the league,” said ECNL President Christian Lavers. “Both clubs have tremendous history and leadership, will continue to raise the standard of play and competition in the ECNL, and they will finalize a fantastic conference structure in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic for the 2020-2021 season.”
“Since our inception, our NC Courage Academy has worked to establish a high level of training and standards for our female players and their development both on and off the field,” said North Carolina Courage Academy Director Sean Nahas. “As a program we look forward and are happy to continue that journey in the ECNL and the platform they provide for the female player across the country.”
“United Futbol Academy is extremely excited to be making our initial foray into the ECNL,” said UFA Director of Soccer Iggy Moleka. “We feel that the ECNL's high level of competition, showcases and recruiting opportunities, and travel schedule offers our membership the most comprehensive opportunity to maximize their development and dreams. UFA has been consistently working toward competing at the highest levels against the best talent and we are honored to be selected for this league and are looking forward to an exciting season.”
The Girls ECNL is the nation’s top development and competition platform for female soccer players, with conference competition in six age groups (U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, and U18/19), unmatched collegiate exposure through the largest collegiate showcases in the country, and unique player identification and development opportunities. The league and its clubs will continue to help develop the next generation of collegiate stars and national team players, and support the success of US Soccer’s national teams at all ages.
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About Elite Clubs National League Girls: The Elite Clubs National League Girls (ECNL Girls) was founded in 2009 to enhance the developmental experience of female youth soccer players in the United States through: (i) improving the competitive environment through creation of a true national competitive league; (ii) improving the process for identifying elite female soccer players through a systematic scouting and identification program based on national competitions; and (iii) improving the daily training environment at top female youth soccer clubs through developing best practices and training and organizational guidelines for its member clubs. The ECNL Girls is sanctioned by US Club Soccer and is sponsored by Nike Soccer.
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Post by Soccerhouse on Mar 23, 2020 10:31:52 GMT -5
The Elite Clubs National League Girls is excited to announce that the North Carolina Courage and United Futbol Academy (UFA) will be joining the ECNL in 2020-2021. Both clubs will make the league the top of their competitive pyramid.
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Post by soccerlegacy on Mar 23, 2020 10:40:55 GMT -5
I said it on the other post, so...
Wow! UFA gets ECNL... good for them! I think they will be happy with that decision. Now, what are they to do about that NPL group?
Also, Tophat is now really isolated. The only DA and DPL club in Atlanta...
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Post by Soccerhouse on Mar 23, 2020 10:48:48 GMT -5
NC courage pulling out is a huge huge blow to the credibility of Girls DA.
I'd say the war is over, ecnl won -- US girls DA is a failure.
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Post by nole95 on Mar 23, 2020 10:49:53 GMT -5
So does this mean that UFA is dropping DA?
I see that it says they are making ECNL the top of their competitive pyramid, so I would think this is the case.
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UFA ECNL
Mar 23, 2020 10:52:30 GMT -5
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Post by oraclesfriend on Mar 23, 2020 10:52:30 GMT -5
I said it on the other post, so... Wow! UFA gets ECNL... good for them! I think they will be happy with that decision. Now, what are they to do about that NPL group? Also, Tophat is now really isolated. The only DA and DPL club in Atlanta... Not only is Tophat the only DA club in Atlanta (if they stay DA) there will only be 5 clubs in all of the southeast if no other clubs get added. Either DA will have to combine the south east with a different conference or they need to add some more clubs. I am sure there will be some UFA people not happy with the decision. The club higher ups might be happy. I guess it somewhat depends on what trickle down effect there is...will they have ECRL now too? What about that whole thread about DPL for UFA including comments that they have paid for it already. The NPL team plans? I expect further announcements about the plans going forward. |
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Post by Soccerhouse on Mar 23, 2020 11:05:45 GMT -5
The sub rules alone are reason enough to pull out of girls DA --- foolish by the federation to try to continue down the road of no-reentry at half.
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Post by messindreams on Mar 23, 2020 11:11:24 GMT -5
This is a surprise but I like it. If I am not wrong then UFA will retain Girls DA for 2020-2021. Yes, I am reading between the lines, this announcement doesn't look similar to Real.
UFA Girls pecking order for 2020 - 2021:
ECNL
DA
DPL
SCCL
SCCL-P
I think they are done with NPL. They will try DA + ECNL experiment coming year and decide to go ALL IN or NOT.
Let the recruitment games begin.
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Post by Soccerhouse on Mar 23, 2020 11:13:14 GMT -5
NO way they are continuing girls DA - The Elite Clubs National League Girls is excited to announce that the North Carolina Courage and United Futbol Academy (UFA) will be joining the ECNL in 2020-2021. Both clubs will make the league the top of their competitive pyramid.
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Post by soccerlegacy on Mar 23, 2020 11:14:10 GMT -5
I said it on the other post, so... Wow! UFA gets ECNL... good for them! I think they will be happy with that decision. Now, what are they to do about that NPL group? Also, Tophat is now really isolated. The only DA and DPL club in Atlanta... Not only is Tophat the only DA club in Atlanta (if they stay DA) there will only be 5 clubs in all of the southeast if no other clubs get added. Either DA will have to combine the south east with a different conference or they need to add some more clubs. I am sure there will be some UFA people not happy with the decision. The club higher ups might be happy. I guess it somewhat depends on what trickle down effect there is...will they have ECRL now too? What about that whole thread about DPL for UFA including comments that they have paid for it already. The NPL team plans? I expect further announcements about the plans going forward. Well, the SCCL is basically what ECRL is, so there is that... I know it doesn't have the 'name cred', but it could if people weren't so worried about the name of league more than the actual talent and competition in it. |
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Post by messindreams on Mar 23, 2020 11:22:09 GMT -5
NO way they are continuing girls DA - The Elite Clubs National League Girls is excited to announce that the North Carolina Courage and United Futbol Academy (UFA) will be joining the ECNL in 2020-2021. Both clubs will make the league the top of their competitive pyramid. You might be right but I have a hunch that they will keep both for one year and negotiate Boys ECNL. Looks like Concorde was ahead of the curve with all these changes. |
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Post by fridge on Mar 23, 2020 11:34:02 GMT -5
WOW. So, DA is clearly and specifically in GA given TH will now have local games in GA strictly when they play at home. What a crazy travel schedule! And, their second teams are in an uncompetitive league with huge travel requirements. Meanwhile, of the top 6 clubs in GA, 4 are committed to ECNL, SSA is affiliated to ECNL through CF, and only TH remains in DA.
DA needs to immediately find a way to recruit one of those clubs--which I cannot believe AFU or GSA would succumb (CF has rejected it and UFA just rejected it). Perhaps DA has a prayer with SSA--and SSA certainly may have some leverage related to both DA and ECNL.
CRAZY that DA got out maneuvered by ECNL.
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Post by Strikeorkeep on Mar 23, 2020 11:37:08 GMT -5
This is a surprise but I like it. If I am not wrong then UFA will retain Girls DA for 2020-2021. Yes, I am reading between the lines, this announcement doesn't look similar to Real. UFA Girls pecking order for 2020 - 2021: ECNL DA DPL SCCL SCCL-P I think they are done with NPL. They will try DA + ECNL experiment coming year and decide to go ALL IN or NOT. Let the recruitment games begin. They are dropping DA all together on the girls side. Havent heard anything on the boys per current UFA DA parents |
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Post by fridge on Mar 23, 2020 11:42:03 GMT -5
NO way they are continuing girls DA - The Elite Clubs National League Girls is excited to announce that the North Carolina Courage and United Futbol Academy (UFA) will be joining the ECNL in 2020-2021. Both clubs will make the league the top of their competitive pyramid. You might be right but I have a hunch that they will keep both for one year and negotiate Boys ECNL. Looks like Concorde was ahead of the curve with all these changes. Yep. GB w/ CF was ahead of the curve on this. I posted back then arguing that GB was doing the right thing bc the DA model with combined teams was not sustainable in girl's soccer because there is no place to put your younger kids in the odd year. (and there was the ECNL option so DA was not the only game in town like it was for DA at the beginning.) DA moved slowly to fix it but not completely. Then, throw in the stupid substitution rules as a well as no high school play, and DA created a tsunami of issues for itself. To be fair to DA, if it is trying to cultivate the 1%, arguably its model may make sense--but not with ECNL in the mix. DA needs to create a 1% league or season (say January through March) where it can combine age groups, etc. and pay for it. Kind of like... ODP. |
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Post by soccerlegacy on Mar 23, 2020 11:42:07 GMT -5
This is a surprise but I like it. If I am not wrong then UFA will retain Girls DA for 2020-2021. Yes, I am reading between the lines, this announcement doesn't look similar to Real. UFA Girls pecking order for 2020 - 2021: ECNL DA DPL SCCL SCCL-P I think they are done with NPL. They will try DA + ECNL experiment coming year and decide to go ALL IN or NOT. Let the recruitment games begin. They are dropping DA all together on the girls side. Havent heard anything on the boys per current UFA DA parents I would have to assume they would drop DPL as well, right?? I mean, DPL was sold as the stepping stone to DA... which is no longer there. It wouldn't make sense to have one and not the other... |
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Post by mistergrinch on Mar 23, 2020 11:58:19 GMT -5
This is going to get very interesting.
I do think it was the stupid details that have been killing DA. Sub rules, and combined years. As for the year-round thing, some loved it and some hated it. Personally, I would prefer it.. as I think HS soccer around here is kinda meh. While it may be 'fun' for some, it is a poor quality game.
For kids who really want to try to improve themselves year round (either trying to get scouted, or trying to jump up teams).. losing spring isn't always a good thing
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Post by messindreams on Mar 23, 2020 12:04:04 GMT -5
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UFA ECNL
Mar 23, 2020 12:18:12 GMT -5
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Post by oraclesfriend on Mar 23, 2020 12:18:12 GMT -5
I don't think that ECNL would accept a club that is new to ECNL that is still in DA on the girls side. It would be different if UFA had been ECNL to start. Why would ECNL accept a new club that still had girls DA? |
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DOOM
Jr. Academy
Posts: 72 
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Post by DOOM on Mar 23, 2020 12:21:18 GMT -5
UFA is all in with ECNL...ECNL would not allow them to be both.
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UFA ECNL
Mar 23, 2020 14:00:19 GMT -5
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Post by soccermaxx72 on Mar 23, 2020 14:00:19 GMT -5
Wow, Tophat DA is a real challenge now regarding travel and no local Georgia partner.
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Post by interestedspectator on Mar 23, 2020 14:03:39 GMT -5
UFA chose to leave before they were pushed out
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UFA ECNL
Mar 23, 2020 14:07:11 GMT -5
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Post by oraclesfriend on Mar 23, 2020 14:07:11 GMT -5
UFA chose to leave before they were pushed out Really? Can you back that up with some facts? |
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UFA ECNL
Mar 23, 2020 14:08:09 GMT -5
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Post by justwatching on Mar 23, 2020 14:08:09 GMT -5
UFA chose to leave before they were pushed out Why were they being pushed out, for not being competitive in the league? Anyone else heard that UFA was being dropped? |
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UFA ECNL
Mar 23, 2020 14:12:50 GMT -5
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Post by atlfutboldad on Mar 23, 2020 14:12:50 GMT -5
I suspect this will only help UFA (no negatives), in terms of recruiting. Good for the club and the families!
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Post by Soccerhouse on Mar 23, 2020 14:16:35 GMT -5
Agree - will help UFA for sure. ECNL is what most girls have always wanted -- many many many girls have left the UFA umbrella over the years to go play ECNL at rival clubs.
I see this as a major win for UFA and major win for the girls.
and it is not often in youth soccer that its a win/win for all parties involved.
With Courage pulling out, makes ya wonder now if Tophat wants to change their mind. I expect a ripple effect even more --- Courage is the gold standard NWSL club right now.
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Post by justwatching on Mar 23, 2020 14:47:44 GMT -5
I am Curious why do some people see this as a win for UFA? Why do you feel like UFA being in ECNL is more appealing than GDA?
I know some prefer one league over the other so I'm interested in hearing the rationale as it pertains to UFA. I know my daughter is of the opinion she wants to play DA because she sees that as the top league (exposure and competition) overall around the the country. I have also heard coaches tell the really high level players they should play DA as the first choice and then ECNL as a second choice. Not to say my daughter or the coaches are right but even on this forum (knowing most opinions on here are far from soccer experts) GDA is generally talked of being the higher league. So why is UFA going to ECNL a better situation for them?
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Post by soccergirlz on Mar 23, 2020 15:03:40 GMT -5
I am Curious why do some people see this as a win for UFA? Why do you feel like UFA being in ECNL is more appealing than GDA? I know some prefer one league over the other so I'm interested in hearing the rationale as it pertains to UFA. I know my daughter is of the opinion she wants to play DA because she sees that as the top league (exposure and competition) overall around the the country. I have also heard coaches tell the really high level players they should play DA as the first choice and then ECNL as a second choice. Not to say my daughter or the coaches are right but even on this forum (knowing most opinions on here are far from soccer experts) GDA is generally talked of being the higher league. So why is UFA going to ECNL a better situation for them? In terms of exposure, the same college coaches go to both ECNL and DA showcases, so I would say exposure is fairly equal, although ECNL has more showcases. In terms of the argument that DA is the top league I believe that tune is quickly changing across the country. Real Colorado and NC Courage were two top tier womens clubs in the country. Every year they put girls on the national teams. In fact, Sean Nahas, the Director for NC Courage, recently coached the u15 GYNT. Bottom line, there are top teams across the country in both ECNL and DA. It will be interesting to watch what TH decides. If they want to face strong competition they will likely now need to travel a bit more. |
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UFA ECNL
Mar 23, 2020 15:09:20 GMT -5
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Post by atlfutboldad on Mar 23, 2020 15:09:20 GMT -5
Sounds like some college coaches have bought into the USSF GDA mantra. The same USSF that says boys are more skilled than girls.
Also...would ECNL even allow TH in after they picked the other side when given a choice? I don't think they would right away. Let's see if GDA eventually folds and they let NTH twist in the wind for a year or two.
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Post by soccerlegacy on Mar 23, 2020 15:20:25 GMT -5
I am Curious why do some people see this as a win for UFA? Why do you feel like UFA being in ECNL is more appealing than GDA? I know some prefer one league over the other so I'm interested in hearing the rationale as it pertains to UFA. I know my daughter is of the opinion she wants to play DA because she sees that as the top league (exposure and competition) overall around the the country. I have also heard coaches tell the really high level players they should play DA as the first choice and then ECNL as a second choice. Not to say my daughter or the coaches are right but even on this forum (knowing most opinions on here are far from soccer experts) GDA is generally talked of being the higher league. So why is UFA going to ECNL a better situation for them? Speaking for myself, I never saw GDA as being superior to ECNL. I saw GDA come in and steal ECNL teams to create a new league. Same girls, different patch on the arm was the only difference. Now they are changing the patches back... same girls though. I think GDA was "sold" as better by the clubs that are in it... and I'm guessing that UFA will now sell ECNL as being better... not that it actually is. UFA isn't worse in terms of talent and ability, but now they have more teams to compete against in the region, with less travel... minus the showcases, which were already top level as it is. This might be why some say this is a 'win' for UFA. I know some girls that play DA and they like the 10 month season and all the practices, which I get, and it may be great for them. I also think some of the restrictions GDA placed on players made some leave for ECNL clubs to begin with and some that are on GDA will be glad to be going back to ECNL rules. |
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Post by fridge on Mar 23, 2020 15:36:24 GMT -5
I am Curious why do some people see this as a win for UFA? Why do you feel like UFA being in ECNL is more appealing than GDA? I know some prefer one league over the other so I'm interested in hearing the rationale as it pertains to UFA. I know my daughter is of the opinion she wants to play DA because she sees that as the top league (exposure and competition) overall around the the country. I have also heard coaches tell the really high level players they should play DA as the first choice and then ECNL as a second choice. Not to say my daughter or the coaches are right but even on this forum (knowing most opinions on here are far from soccer experts) GDA is generally talked of being the higher league. So why is UFA going to ECNL a better situation for them? I don't think that one can argue that either is better especially in the past couple of years. Both leagues have great clubs and crappy clubs. Both have great teams and crappy teams. The two leagues have been at war and, while DA had the advantage, it has clearly given it up. When DA started 3 or 4 years ago, many of the top national clubs jumped to it and made their ECNL teams the "second team." And so, DA clearly was perceived then as the top league especially with the federation's backing. This perception has changed given over the past 3 years, we are now up to about 10 of the top 20 clubs in the nation have now gone "all-in" ECNL (Eclipse, PDA, Michigan Hawks, Concorde Fire, Mass Stars, NC Courage, Real Colo, Dallas Texans, etc). I am in tune with the college game and most college coaches feedback, and would not agree with what you heard. I hear colleges coaches saying three things--"We like the ECNL showcases way better as they are more organized; We deem the leagues equal; We wish DA was not created as ECNL was doing great and the creation of DA has just made it harder on us as now we need to go to BOTH leagues showcases." I will defer to UFA but my thoughts on why DA is eroding has been posted many times.... |
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