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ECNL vs DA – Which is the best fit for your daughter?

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    ECNL vs DA – Which is the best fit for your daughter?

    http://pitchbytes.com/ecnl-vs-da/

    ECNL vs DA – Which is the best fit for your daughter? *Recently on a Pennsylvania youth soccer forum I*was reading a thread where parents were earnestly asking which was better for their daughters – ECNL (Elite Clubs National League by US Club Soccer) or the new Girls DA rolling out in 2017-18 (Girls Development Academy by U.S. Soccer Federation). *They were trying to figure out which direction to guide their daughters’ soccer experiences. *That is a great question; however, it was the answers they were getting that didn’t tell the whole story.

    The answers being offered were just about the differences between the programs. *Absolutely, understanding the differences between the programs is important to know.

    From experience, though, I find that the true differences are*in the clubs offering those programs. *Consequently, those club differences will make or break the experience and development for your daughters. *There are good ECNL clubs and bad ECNL clubs. *There will be good Girls DA clubs and bad Girls DA clubs. *After learning about both programs, my suggestion is to also research each of the clubs in question.

    Evaluating Questions About the Clubs*Offering These Programs

    Who are the coaches? *For the clubs awarded a Girls DA program (that doesn’t roll out until the 2017-18 season), they had to list the coaches for each age group. *Ask who those coaches are and ask for a copy of their bio. *Then go online to see what else you can find about them.

    Find the rosters for that club’s older girls teams in Got Soccer (see directions below). *Do you know any of the names? *If so, contact those parents and ask about their real experiences with that club. *See list of Questions you can ask listed below.

    Go to the clubs’ websites to view coach lists and names of staff members, board members and volunteers. *Do you know any of them? *If so, contact those parents and ask the same questions.

    Of the clubs that have been awarded a Girls DA program for the 2017-18 inaugural season, do those clubs already have the Boys DA program? *If so, go through the two prior steps for those clubs to get feedback on what type of a DA Club they are.

    And here could be the most important question of all. *Of the girls on your local ECNL teams now as well as the higher ranked girls teams of the Girls DA clubs, which clubs have those players been with? *Have they been at that same club or did they become good enough to be chosen for these higher level team from the development they received at another club? *And then I’d, go through the previous questions for those clubs.

    Got Soccer Club/Team Lookup Directions

    Got Soccer is not the only ranking site. *In this case, it is a good tool to look up clubs anywhere in the US. *You can see a list of their teams and drill down into each team to see their coach, roster, playing experience, stats, etc. *This is good launching step to look for people you can contact for more nitty-gritty*info about the clubs, teams, coaches and player development philosophies.

    Go to www.GotSoccer.com

    On the gray menu bar click “Clubs”

    Choose your state from the drop-down menu, input a club name & click “Search”

    Click on the club of interest from the names that come up in that search

    Scroll down to the list of girls teams. *In this view, you will see all their teams that have been active in the last 18 months (both competitive & recreational).

    Click on a team you are interested in learning more about. *From here, for most teams, you can see their coach’s name, events & stats, which league they play in, their roster, their rankings (although rankings can be*deceiving especially with the age group changes for the 2016-17 season), etc.

    this is where you would look for people you know enough to reach out to.

    Questions to Ask

    From the steps above, once you have determined who you can contact, here are some of the questions you can consider asking:

    Do they feel their daughter’s skill set (including all 4 pillare – the technical, tactical, physical & psychological*areas) has improved with that club & program? *Here is a great article that talks about the importance of the 4 pillars of player development. *“The 4 Pillars of Youth Coaching. *A well-rounded approach to developing a well-rounded player” by Ken Sweda (Soccer Newsday, August 2012)

    How many girls are on the team?

    Do they feel the coach has the ability to provide proper development opportunities to each player?

    How many coaches & training staff work with their team?

    What coach license levels do they have?

    Do they feel their daughter gets enough play time? *Remember, it is not in the player’s best interest to make a higher level team if they do not get much play time to truly development.

    Has their daughter had any hiccups in life (school, family challenges, etc.) that has affected soccer and how did the coach handle it with that player?

    all players held to the same expectations?

    Do they get regular player & performance feedback?

    Does the coach push players to improve, but also work toward reinforcing the player’s self-confidence?

    Were they always with their current club or were they with other clubs? *And if they were with another club, what do they think of that other club experience? *Did that club prepare their daughter for this higher playing level?

    Long story short, to answer the question, “ECNL vs DA – Which is the best fit for your daughter?” it is the coach & coaching philosophy of the club that truly makes the difference. *There are kids that are natural soccer players, but even those kids need professionals and the right philosophy to develop*them in all 4 pillars of *youth coaching to provide a meaningful experience. *Hopefully, learning how your area clubs have done this (especially those who offer ECNL & the Girls DA), will help you guide your daughter to what will work best for them.

    Let us know how your research goes!! *Would love to hear what you have learned!!

    #2
    Here's a great companion read.

    IDENTIFYING & WATCHING A DEVELOPMENTAL SABOTEUR

    http://goalnation.com/identifying-wa....oFOPWsKG.gbpl

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      Here's a great companion read.

      IDENTIFYING & WATCHING A DEVELOPMENTAL SABOTEUR

      http://goalnation.com/identifying-wa....oFOPWsKG.gbpl
      http://goalnation.com/identifying-wa...ntal-saboteur/

      Comment


        #4
        A whole bunch of page hits. Wonder what people have learned

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
          A whole bunch of page hits. Wonder what people have learned
          That you really, really love to see yourself post and are in love with yourself as the self-appointed editor/contributor of TS.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            That you really, really love to see yourself post and are in love with yourself as the self-appointed editor/contributor of TS.
            Too funny. Where's the mirror?

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              A whole bunch of page hits. Wonder what people have learned
              Ah, so sad. All that work you did and you've generated nothing. Maybe re-post another 10 old threads of yours and see if anyone bites.

              Comment

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