|
|
Post by pizzafoot1981 on Mar 6, 2023 13:16:00 GMT -5
Hey yall - my son currently plays for P1 SCCL team for smaller club, however he has expressed interest in moving to ECNL club next season. He currently is one of the top players on the team, but he wants to play in a more competitive league and with more kids at a higher skill level that will push him. He currently is on the first team in his ODP group as well. Just looking for any advice/experience on how we would go about that before the tryouts in May. His coach (prior to departure in fall) was nice enough to leave some contacts at some of the ECNL clubs, but I'm struggling on what to write - so any help would be greatly appreciated! Would they let him attend any practices, guest play etc? Kind of a newbie at this and this board has been helpful in previous posts. Thanks!
|
|
|
|
Post by DunwoodySoccerDad on Mar 6, 2023 15:34:03 GMT -5
Reach out to the ECNL clubs you’re interested in. Usually these teams are inviting new players to practice in May, prior to the official tryouts. I’ve observed that most ECNL teams are formed prior to tryouts. They’re taking a mix of returning players and new players they identified in early/mid May. Definitely some cases of players being added during tryouts so it’s not impossible. Just saying that if you wait until tryouts to be seen by an ECNL club, the chances of making the team are very small.
|
|
|
|
Post by DunwoodySoccerDad on Mar 6, 2023 15:36:35 GMT -5
One more thing- P1 to ECNL can be a big jump in skill depending on the team you’re coming from and going to. So temper your expectations. May be a situation where the new club slots him on an ECRL team or even an SCCL Champions League team for a year.
|
|
|
|
Post by pizzafoot1981 on Mar 6, 2023 19:29:43 GMT -5
Thanks for that ! I sent you Dm with just an additional question! Thanks
|
|
|
|
Post by soulsurvivin on Mar 6, 2023 21:35:57 GMT -5
You mentioned that your son is playing with the ODP first team. I would imagine that some members of this team are in the pre-ECNL pipeline. You could network with them to get a feel for what teams are looking to add players. I agree that reaching out to coaches well in advance of tryouts is a good thing.
If playing ODP and competing against other quality players, transition should be pretty smooth.
|
|
|
|
Post by soccerdad76 on Mar 8, 2023 18:26:03 GMT -5
Don’t be discouraged if not offered a top ECNL spot. I know you said moving to an ECNL club, so that may not be your goal for season 1. But my friendly advise over the years is to not expect that to happen.
Very few can move onto the top team when joining a new club, especially if not a lateral move within a league, so think of the bigger picture as it may take a year to get properly placed.
|
|
|
|
Post by Brinker on Mar 18, 2023 17:12:45 GMT -5
In general, my opinion is to get to ECNL or MLSNEXT as soon as possible and work hard to stay there!
|
|
|
|
Post by footyconsumer on Mar 18, 2023 22:54:48 GMT -5
Been following this forum for nearly 2yrs now.
It’s been an excellent resource for a parent like me, who knew little about the differences between P2, P1, SCCL, ECNL, etc.
And with this forum, and its contributors, it brought me right up to speed.
Having now been involved w/my player at a club/league where commitment on & off field is high, I think it’s great your player has the confidence & courage to test their boundaries with a club that’s a level up.
At the very least, it’ll give ‘em a way to see what it takes to compete & become more self-aware of how they stack up vs others.
At most, your player may fit right in & excel, even raise his own level b/c of the like-minded competitors around him, who make him feel like he belongs, who conduct themselves as he wants to, etc.
Either way, they will reap some benefit of the experience in learning about themself in the context of their ability. Never a bad thing.
|
|
