How will LHGCL 00 Div I look after ECNL next year?

Let's talk next year.

Now that the last ECNL spot has been taking for the 00's, how do you think LHGCL Div I will look?

We have five teams leaving:
- Texans
- Sting
- Defeeters
- FC Dallas
- Solar

Remaining teams will be: (These will also be your Premier League teams)
- Liverpool Pulp
- Sting G
- Sting West
- Sting Harr


Teams with a possibility of taking the Club Byes:

- Solar > Solar (Canevari) Currently 1st Div II
- Texans > Texans Red (Platts) Currently 10th Div II
- Defeeters > Feet (Patulea) Currenlty 1st in Div III
- FC Dallas > FC Dallas Blue Currently 3rd in Div II
- Sting > Sting West (West)Currently 3rd in Div III

I totally understand clubs incentives of wanting to keep the byes but will they really help the league by moving up if they're unable to compete? We saw the same thing happening in boys league. Where teams in the middle of Arlington or Div III being moved to Div I in Classic leagues. This only makes for a LONG season. And how does that help the teams/DD that are moving up if they're losing games 9-0. I think they need to make the rule that if your club/team is not in Div II then they're not able to just move than one division. Knowing this means you should start getting those teams together as a Pre-LHGCL just as they have with Pre-ECNL teams.

Another thing to consider. Do you join one of the ECNL teams if your DD is going to be sitting the bench as a 14th-22nd spot on the team? Or would it be better to be on one of the competivitive LHGCL?

Just a thought for the week

The ECNL clubs lose the byes. So, the top 5 teams from DII are promoted to DI.

Wow! Didn't know that. In boys Academy the club hold the byes.
That makes everything more competitive if everyone just moved up.

Thanks.

Hi It's Me, good thoughts.

Looking at how hard it has been so far for some teams that have been moved up in divisions, I would say that moving teams up to Division 1 from lower levels to fill the byes would do a diservice both to the teams and to the league. It would definitely give the current (and staying) Division 1 teams a lot of wins (not meaning disrespect to any potential movement teams) and would (IMO) negate any standings the division would have.

I think that the bye system shouldn't be invoked at this stage in order to allow for better competition. We all know that teams eventually play at the level of their competition. This can make a top team get lazy and a lower level team get frustrated. I think natural progression is the best answer. Allow the top teams in each division to move up so that everyone continues to grow. This way the top teams don't get totally bored and lower level teams don't get crushed all year. This type of situation can cause team players to lose heart, and team parents to look elsewhere.

Personally, I would prefer my DD to stay in an LHGCL team rather than ride the bench as a player who is never called up to play for an ECNL team. It would be no different than joining a top Division 1 team only to ride the bench all year as a backup. Yes, you can say you were on a Division 1 top team, but what does that give your DD other than that?

Cheers,

It is early, but in the 99 group, the teams moving up are doing fine. In D 1, the new teams are in places 1,2,6, and 8. In D 2, they are in places 1,3,5,7 and 8. In D 3, the new teams are in places 2,3,4,6,8, and 10. If you consider that Texans Red really is a new team taking a club bye, they are in 1st in D 3.

Not all teams have played the same number of games, but it is clear the new teams in each division are competitive.

I don't know if it will be the same for the '00 group.

Might as well tie a knot with two kangaroos and spread peanut butter on bubble wrap...if you know what I mean.

Yah, I quoted iCarly...so what!?

So what happens to the two teams that are relegated to D2? Do they stay in D2 or are they promoted back into D1 once the five teams leave?

U13 moving into U14 – (i) relegate 2 DI teams to DII; promote 2 DII teams to DI and (ii) relegate 2
DII team to DIII; promote 2 DIII teams to DII, (iii) 3 DIII teams may re-enter through the
Qualification Tournament.

skulker wrote:So what happens to the two teams that are relegated to D2? Do they stay in D2 or are they promoted back into D1 once the five teams leave?

U13 moving into U14 – (i) relegate 2 DI teams to DII; promote 2 DII teams to DI and (ii) relegate 2
DII team to DIII; promote 2 DIII teams to DII, (iii) 3 DIII teams may re-enter through the
Qualification Tournament.

The teams that were to be relegated don't get relegated. Then the vacant spots for teams leaving are filled from the division below. With teams not making, the QT usually doesn't involve too many (if any returning teams) in D-III.

From LHGCL rules Part III page 1-2

(2.)a. If a club registers a team for a non-North Texas league, without that team
also playing in a regularly scheduled Division of Lake Highlands Girls Classic
League they will lose the bye most closely associated with the group of girls leaving
the league. For example, if the majority of the girls are leaving from Division I, a
Division I Bye will be forfeited by that club in each applicable age group. The
Lake Highlands Girls Classic League will make available participation in a
separate division with an abbreviated schedule and reduced league fee if a
sufficient number of teams agrees to participate with sufficient notice for the
coordination and scheduling of that division. The final decision as to whether or
not a separate division would be viable will rest with the Lake Highlands Girls
Classic League Board of Directors.

Open spots that are created by the above outlined situation, will be filled as
follows:

Any Division II team that was being promoted will still be promoted.

Division I teams that would have normally been relegated will be kept in division I
in order of their full year standings from the prior year, as needed to fill the
Division I spots.

If more teams are needed, the teams that earned Division II byes will be promoted
based on their full year standings from the prior year, as needed to fill the Division
I spots.

Division II spots will be filled in the same order.

In Division III, additional byes will be granted to returning Lake Highlands teams,
up to the number of byes forfeited, with remaining spots being filled in the
Qualifying Tournament.

I thought for some reason that there were actual tryouts for each ECNL team. From all the stuff I've been reading here, it sounds like teams moved to position their team to be the that clubs ECNL team. Then tryout other players to add onto their ECNL team. Is that how it works?

I'm sure all of the teams will still have tryouts to add to their current player pool. Coaches are getting a good look at the current girls to see how they'll fit into next years scheme.

It's important to remember that although there are five club teams leaving (Texans, Feet, Sting, FC Dallas, Solar) what is really happening is that he top 90 players are leaving. You will see significant shuffling among every team in DI and DII and girls leave those five teams and girls from other teams jump up. Also alot of girls will either opt to not play ECNL or not play soccer altogether.

JDawg wrote:It's important to remember that although there are five club teams leaving (Texans, Feet, Sting, FC Dallas, Solar) what is really happening is that he top 90 players are leaving. You will see significant shuffling among every team in DI and DII and girls leave those five teams and girls from other teams jump up. Also alot of girls will either opt to not play ECNL or not play soccer altogether.

It will not be the "Top 90"... More like 95 or so of the "top 120-130" will be leaving..

You are correct. I didn't mean to imply that it is only the "top 95". I just wanted to make sure they understand that those five teams are in no way set and that there will be significant movement on every DI and DII team. The 98's were the first one to go through this and I think the first year alot of parents were under the assumption that it was just those five teams leaving. The second year parents and the clubs realized that it should be and was more of an open tryout and there was significant movement.

I think now the clubs are pretty open about it being an open tryout situation. There will be lots of players leaving those five teams for a variety of reasons be it financial, time committment or being cut. Alot of players from the non ECNL teams will tryout for and move to the ECNL teams.

JDawg wrote:You are correct. I didn't mean to imply that it is only the "top 95". I just wanted to make sure they understand that those five teams are in no way set and that there will be significant movement on every DI and DII team. The 98's were the first one to go through this and I think the first year alot of parents were under the assumption that it was just those five teams leaving. The second year parents and the clubs realized that it should be and was more of an open tryout and there was significant movement.

I think now the clubs are pretty open about it being an open tryout situation. There will be lots of players leaving those five teams for a variety of reasons be it financial, time committment or being cut. Alot of players from the non ECNL teams will tryout for and move to the ECNL teams.

You are on top of it.

I did not intend to correct you, just clarifying a little bit...