I am the parent of an Ecnl player. There is no doubt that many coaches will see an Ecnl player over the heaviest recruiting years. During the u16 and u17 years we saw up to 150 coaches over the course of a showcase. I am not fooling myself, Notre Dame, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Florida State. . . were not there to see my child. They were watching other players. But, my child did get a scholarship at a smaller D1 program. She is excited to go there and it appears to be a good fit academically, and it's a program where she will be able to contribute. So, Ecnl has worked for us. But, there are certainly other options. I think that there is a place for most girls to play even they chose the right level of play for their ability.
Ecnl is expensive, although probably a similar cost to some of the Region Premier teams that play in a significant number of showcases. Athena A is a much more cost effective route. I would go to the check the rosters of the schools your daughter is interested in. See where their players played. Some of the top programs are recruiting primarily Ecnl and RPL players. Other smaller programs have just a few Ecnl players on them and most of their players come from a state league.
In the end academics are just as important as soccer, and probably even more so. Good grades in high school help round out what your daughter will receive. Also, you want to be sure they have the grades and test scores to get into the school where they would like to play.
Your daughter may have to work a bit harder to be seen if playing Athena A. Start identifying a list of colleges as early as freshman year. We were told to have realistic schools and schools that were a reach. Then, have your daughter start contacting the coaches. The higher level D1 programs are identifying and following freshman, and even some 8th graders. A smaller D1 and better D2 program are identifying sophomores. A smaller D2 is probably looking at juniors and even seniors. My daughter went to an ID camp of a highly ranked D2 school, at the end of her sophomore year. She was one of few sophomores. The coach had invited just a few younger players and was really interested in the juniors and seniors. Now when she went to a larger D1 program as a sophomore, there were almost no juniors or seniors there, and the bulk were freshman and sophomores.
It is tricky to navigate. I believe that an ID camp and then going to the summer camp were what go my daughter her offer. She impressed the staff, and they began seriously recruiting her right after that camp. Better yet, it was going and spending time at the school that convinced her that she wanted to go there. Before that, she wasn't sure. So, while summer camps aren't usually the route to an offer because there are so many players, it was for her. I don't recommend going to every ID camp. Go to those programs where your child can actually play and where the academics are a good fit. Don't rule out a smaller D1 program. Some D2 programs are better than a D1 program. At the same time, don't rule out D3. They don't offer athletic money, but can often come up with a pretty good amount of academic money.
A book I have found that gives some good information is Finding the Right Fit by India Trotter. It's an easy read with some really good information. Trotter played for FSU, was on the WNT, played professionally and coached at the college level. She gives a timeline as to when coaches can do what when it comes to contacting a recruit. There have already been some changes, which have actually made it easier to contact recruits earlier ( coaches can now text players on September 1 of junior year) that's slightly out of date.
Go the route you think is best for your child. I am glad we stayed with Ecnl. I think my daughter has improved because of the competition she sees every time they play. But, there are lots of ways to get to there, and it takes hard work no matter what route or what level you decide.
Good luck.
