ECNL ID clinic expectations

It will be a lot like musical chairs. Hopefully your kids gets moved up each field. If he doesn't, he's probably not standing out. Doesn't mean that he's not a good player or doesn't deserve to be moved up, just that the right person didn't notice him. I personally think ID sessions are more important than tryouts so make sure he's ready.

We are on the same boat. never been to an ID clinic. We are planning on attending several ones. UFA, AFU and maybe NTH Milton. Dont know what to expect..

Pretend you are a boy named Billy. You ask a girl to go to prom, but she wants to meet you there for some reason. You buy her flowers, you practice dancing at home, you buy a great outfit, you even show up early. When she finally arrives she dances with everyone but you that night and her parents pick her up. She doesn't even say hi. 

If you can envision how Billy might feel in that scenario, then that is how you should expect to feel at the end of an ID session. 

All of you peanut brains keep asking the same question but you are not listening to the answers.

You will feel like Billy.

If you don't want to feel like Billy there are plenty of other posts outlining the charades and hoops you must go though to have a chance at a good ID session.

WTAF. We are taking soccer too seriously if we are comparing billy not getting to dance with his dream girl that turned him down! Maybe the soccer world is taking themselves too seriously which is the reason why US soccer sucks on the world stage!

The top clubs will attract the top players especially once they hit u13. Been there, done that and got the t-shirt. The coaches usually know the top players by name by this age. The players know as well. To be honest, unless a player just blows it out of the water, they likely won't have a chance. I know it sounds unfair but it is a reality. When our kid tried out at this level, coach pulled him over and offered spot in 5 minutes. It wasnt because of the tryout, it was because he already knew him and wanted him there.

IMO U15 and up need to talk to the coach by themselves at the end of the clinic to get an opinion on team placement. U12 and under the parent should ask. U13 and U14 it is up to you and your kid who asks.
If a player wants ECNL 2 or ECRL I think it is important to make that clear from the start. Coaches want to win but they also are happy to bring new players into the club as being a good recruiter can help them in their status in the DOC’s eyes.

Usually it’s 50+ kids trying to get one or maybe two open spots on a club’s ECNL team. Everyone else pushed to ECRL or SCCL.

The top team will be on the "top field" and will be used as the measuring stick. If your kid can challenge them, he/she has a chance.

If there’s a top field, you’re not making the team unless the coach already knows you and/or the existing players are recruiting you. And at some IDs, you’ll be lucky if the coaches even watch. If the club mixes everyone randomly and those mixed teams are all rotating to play against everyone, good sign. Especially if there’s a group of coaches actually watching. Those are true “IDs” and kids are being evaluated (even if some out there are already locks. Coaches are evaluating against guys they know and trust.)

This is Concorde. ECNL tryouts are purely for show and to find the potential diamond in the rough. I suspect that Concorde only runs the ECNL clinics to identify talent for their SCCL program that wouldn't likely show up to those tryouts. Coaches are generally checked out on day two, so if your kid isn't playing on the top field day-1 stop wasting your time and move on to another ID clinic (if ECNL is your goal).  

Agree. If you are not already practicing with the team then your chances are slim. Attending ID camp might get you an invite to a practice or two but keep your options open. Concorde is all about recruitment at older age groups both on boys and girls side.

Edit: All clubs recruit but Concorde beats others IMHO.

True. It is extremely hard to crack their boys ECNL or Girls GA Gold teams. Kids stay put on their second teams for the most part unless they are replaced, there could be few exceptions. Kids on third or lower teams tryout at other places.

That said, if college recruitment is what you are looking for then you get good exposure through ECNL, MLS and GA. I see talented kids signing with same or similar colleges from any of the ATL clubs. Scholarships are far and few, if any $$ is available.

I digress but back to the topic, anyone who attended Concorde girls ID camp today can shed some light on their experience.

Correct, at this age though you still have a contingent of boys that went to junior academy/academy and have shown a lot of loyalty to the club. For 70% of them, this is probably their first kid going through this experience. Many of them do not yet realize that they should not put all their eggs in one basket, and should be exploring other clubs if they are going to be unhappy not making NL/RL. A bunch of them will fill burned by the club in a couple of months. What they will realize is the club generally doesn't care. Teams are run by coaches not clubs. But it is also not all on the club, many parents are unrealistic about what their goals are and are chasing to be on the top team.

The question is always why? Why do they care so much. There are so very little meaningful scholarships for boys. If you son gets a scholarship they will most likely drop it before they graduate. They will most likely not turn pro. Why, why, why? At most high schools, if your kid plays SCCL they will be a starter. If your worried, throw in some private training and they might make varsity their sophomore year. These are kids, soccer should be fun. 

If anyone is interested, we did both AFU (5/2) and UFA (5/7) ECNL ID camps. 2010 Boys, so U-14 next year.

AFU had about 30 kids, maybe 35. Not sure how many of their ECNL team was there, 8-10 probably. More than half the group was other AFU kids (I think, lots of AFU training jerseys). No small-sided games at all, just some passing drills and then they divided into two huge teams and scrimmaged on 9v9 sized field with what seemed like more than 11 players on each side. It was a cluster.

UFA had closer to 50 kids I'd say. They divided kids into smaller groups and had them rondo against each other, then small-sided games, then split them into two groups to play 9v9 on two separate fields. They had most of their ECNL team it seemed and then a handful of ECNL kids from other clubs on one field. The other field was everyone else. Even good players from that group who showed well were not mixed in at all with the ECNL side. They have a good ECNL team and probably aren't looking to drop or add, I would guess. Don't ask where the other ECNL kids came from, we recognized maybe one my kid thought he saw from AFU. None were from our club.

Would be curious if anyone has similar insights to how Concorde's ID went in the 2010B age group. I would imagine a lot of ECNL players who are worried about staying on their current team are looking at that Premiere team as a soft landing spot.