DA, DA2 & ECNL

What's your take..

SOLAR: DA, DA2 & ECNL - Will struggle to do all three
FCD: DA, DA2 - Will drop ECNL
TEXANS: DA, ECNL
STING: DA, ECNL

IF TEXANS & STING add DA2, it will be only to help subsidize DA... IF TEXANS & STING do not add DA2, who will DA2 teams play? From what I see, DA2 is being added to clubs who don't have ECNL but were granted DA. There isn't enough Coaches in these clubs to do all three (DA, DA2 & ECNL)

eh, DA2?

I must have missed a memo. Please elaborate.

In other words, "The second team".  Example that was posted by 04GRankings...

Google says:

From a thread that Beach has announced their coaches for the DA. What does this do to ECNL? Which other 9 clubs will have DA2?

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/...EMENT.html?soid=1104906689478&aid=QpfcIg5BZzE

"What is the Development Academy 2 LEAGUE? (DA2)

US Soccer is supporting the creation of the DA2 league, and while we expect the competition for the DA spots to be fierce with many qualified candidates and therefore our club will also participate in the DA2 league as a founding member club.

The league will consist of up to "Nine" other "Developmental Academy Teams 2" from the Southwest Region.

The DA 2 teams will follow a similar schedule to that of the DA teams, often-times playing at the same venues, on the same days.

In order to maximize exposure for our DA 2 players, all announced DA2 coaches will be working hand-in-hand with the corresponding aged DA teams.

We believe the DA2 will help provide a direct link and pathway to the DA for our DA 2 players.

The DA2 players will also be able to continue to participate in high school soccer and will have Silverlakes and the Las Vegas Showcase built in to their annual schedule.

DA2 players also have the potential to be reassigned to the DA team on a part-time and full-time basis based upon performance and circumstance.

The DA2 platform will give Beach Futbol Club players every opportunity to continue to develop as high level performers on and off the field and the continued exposure that players of this level are typically looking for ."

BWGophers Prediction Sure to Go Wrong...

"DA2 will not gain a foothold in NTX, UNLESS non-DA clubs are allowed to participate in DA2."

For DA2 to work, you will need to get the majority of the Frontier Conference DA clubs to agree to particpate.  I'm doubting that will happen because it's one thing to take on the additional $1k-$2k per year in travel cost over ECNL to play league games in Colo and KC if you are on the DA team...  a whole different thing to take on that cost if you are DA2 and can save that by playing ECNL teams where those league trips are driving to Austin/SA & Tulsa instead of flying to Colo & KC.

DA2 will work for the SoCal DA clubs because of geographic proximity.  In NTX, ECNL will still be the most viable option for the #2 teams, UNLESS DA2 allows for non-DA NTX clubs to enter teams in order to keep travel costs down.

Also, highly doubt even FCD will be offering reduced fees for DA2 players.

NTX boys teams in the Frontier division do not travel to play Colorado teams until U16/17.

So maybe DA2 will do something similar. i.e. 6 DA2 teams in NTX only play each other.

Sounds to me like there's still a lot to hash out from a National perspective when it comes to DA/DA2/ECNL and the rest of the area leagues. I tend to think there are still some finalization tweaks going on as we chat...

There's a lot that needs to be hashed out.  

My point is as follows...  DA & DA2 don't change the overall demographic of girls' soccer players in NTX.  There are still only so many girls from NTX that are good enough to compete for spots in the YNT pools and/or spots playing in Power 5 conference schools.  Today, those girls are mostly found on the top half of the NTX ECNL rosters.

The girls on the bottom half of most of the ECNL rosters, and the girls on the Composite/Champions League teams are mostly going to lower tier D1, D2, and D3 schools, and most of them are staying within driving distance of home to go to college.  

The only thing that will change with DA, is that the YNT/Power 5 girls will likely migrate to the DA squads.  They are the ones who truly need and benefit from the National Level competition, and are the ones that need to be seen by the larger audiences.

The "2nd Tier" girls, whether they play ECNL, DA2, or something else, are still going to be best served playing a more "regional" schedule.  If those kids aren't likely to be considered for YNT or Power5 schools, and most likey are going to go to college within driving distance of DFW, there is no reason to spend and extra $1k-2k per year to fly them to league games, when they can get all the competition and exposure that they need within driving distance of DFW.  These girls on these teams are already likely flying to at least 2 National Showcases each year.  

Now, I could be wrong, but I'm thinking a lot of the parents of the "2nd Tier" girls, are going to see things the same way that I do, and ultimately, that will dictate which direction the clubs go on this, even at U16/Y17.

Wonder if the "2nd Tier" girls have figured out who they are?

Will they still be lured by the "we are a DA club" sales pitch without reading the fine print: but you will be on DA2 or ECNL or Composite and just be a subsidizer to the top team

Time will tell......

[quote="bwgophers"]

kegsmen wrote:Wonder if the "2nd Tier" girls have figured out who they are?

Will they still be lured by the "we are a DA club" sales pitch without reading the fine print: but you will be on DA2 or ECNL or Composite and just be a subsidizer to the top team

Time will tell......

Some do.
Some don't, but will learn.
Some don't and will never learn.

Often, the kids have figured it out long before their parents have...

bwgophers wrote:There's a lot that needs to be hashed out.  

My point is as follows...  DA & DA2 don't change the overall demographic of girls' soccer players in NTX.  There are still only so many girls from NTX that are good enough to compete for spots in the YNT pools and/or spots playing in Power 5 conference schools.  Today, those girls are mostly found on the top half of the NTX ECNL rosters.

The girls on the bottom half of most of the ECNL rosters, and the girls on the Composite/Champions League teams are mostly going to lower tier D1, D2, and D3 schools, and most of them are staying within driving distance of home to go to college.  

The only thing that will change with DA, is that the YNT/Power 5 girls will likely migrate to the DA squads.  They are the ones who truly need and benefit from the National Level competition, and are the ones that need to be seen by the larger audiences.

The "2nd Tier" girls, whether they play ECNL, DA2, or something else, are still going to be best served playing a more "regional" schedule.  If those kids aren't likely to be considered for YNT or Power5 schools, and most likey are going to go to college within driving distance of DFW, there is no reason to spend and extra $1k-2k per year to fly them to league games, when they can get all the competition and exposure that they need within driving distance of DFW.  These girls on these teams are already likely flying to at least 2 National Showcases each year.  

Now, I could be wrong, but I'm thinking a lot of the parents of the "2nd Tier" girls, are going to see things the same way that I do, and ultimately, that will dictate which direction the clubs go on this, even at U16/Y17.

OK enough of the boring realistic view.

You are ruining a lot of coaches recruiting /sales pitches and parent dreams.

No club will do DA2 in NTX unless ECNL stumbles significantly which I doubt will happen anytime soon

[quote="bwgophers"]BWGophers Prediction Sure to Go Wrong...

"DA2 will not gain a foothold in NTX, UNLESS non-DA clubs are allowed to participate in DA2."

For DA2 to work, you will need to get the majority of the Frontier Conference DA clubs to agree to particpate.  I'm doubting that will happen because it's one thing to take on the additional $1k-$2k per year in travel cost over ECNL to play league games in Colo and KC if you are on the DA team...  a whole different thing to take on that cost if you are DA2 and can save that by playing ECNL teams where those league trips are driving to Austin/SA & Tulsa instead of flying to Colo & KC.

DA2 will work for the SoCal DA clubs because of geographic proximity.  In NTX, ECNL will still be the most viable option for the #2 teams, UNLESS DA2 allows for non-DA NTX clubs to enter teams in order to keep travel costs down.

quote]

This framework already exists with the Texas Champions League (TCL). I think STX teams plan on putting their top teams in DA (or ECNL) and then their 2nd teams in the TCL. For some NTX teams, they'd put their top team in DA, 2nd team in ECNL, and 3rd team in the TCL.
It seems the league that we're hoping gets created already exists without the need to create DA2 (or any other new regional league).

timmyh wrote:

This framework already exists with the Texas Champions League (TCL).  I think STX teams plan on putting their top teams in DA (or ECNL) and then their 2nd teams in the TCL.  For some NTX teams, they'd put their top team in DA, 2nd team in ECNL, and 3rd team in the TCL.
It seems the league that we're hoping gets created already exists without the need to create DA2 (or any other new regional league).

This is how I see it...

Ideally, the clubs (and I think the parents as well), want a logical hierarchy for their teams, with those teams aligned with leagues/sponsoring organizations such that moving players back and forth between rosters is relatively easy. Frankly, that type of situation is also what would truly suit "development" the best. HOWEVER, that structure also has to make sense from a cost/logistics standpoint.

That is why Composite/Champions League formed in NTX, aligned with US Club/ECNL. It allows the ECNL clubs to better align their #2 teams with their #1 teams and move players back and forth (at least that is what is happening at my DD's club). The regional play in Composite/TCL also aligns reasonably well with the college recruiting goals of most of the girls playing on those teams. So it's a pretty logical fit.

As I see it, DA2 is ostensibly the USSF/DA equivalent of Composite/TCL. Align the #2 team with the #1 team in the club. In SoCal, where you have 13 DA clubs within driving distance of one another, this kind of alignment makes sense for the #2 teams. If you had a similar distribution of DA clubs in TX/OK/LA, then a DA2 would make sense. However, for the geographic and college recruiting reasons I gave previously in this thread, I just don't see where a DA2 that would require the #2 teams in the clubs to travel to Colo & KC for league games, makes any sense.

Of course, everything I just said, is said in the absence of any pre-existing political/philosophical context related to ECNL vs DA. Add that in, and it becomes an even murkier mess.