It’s time for an update on my 2017 So Cal Club Soccer Leagues for Girls post from last year. Although the youngers are well into the new season, for older girls, National Cup is almost over and the ECNL and DA seasons are drawing to a close. Confused yet about the alphabet soup of all the leagues? Me too, but I compiled everything I could find all together in one place. Grab a cup of coffee (or wine!) and settle in for a loooong post.
I also recently updated this post here… 2018 Late Summer USSDA update for Girls
USSDA | United States Soccer Development Academy
“The Academy Program’s philosophy is based on increased training, less total games, and more meaningful games using international rules of competition. The Academy has 197 total clubs, comprised of teams across six age groups in the boys program: U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16/17, and U-18/19 and four age groups in the girls program: U-14, U-15, U-16/17, and U-18/19. The Academy Program focuses on positively impacting everyday club environments to assist in maximizing youth player development across the country. The Academy values individual development of elite players over winning trophies and titles. The Academy sets the standard for elite environments for youth soccer clubs nationwide and is a part of U.S. Soccer’s global leadership position in youth soccer that will impact thousands of players.”
The “DA” is finishing its inaugural year and is currently considered the top program for Southern California girls soccer and is sponsored by US Soccer. Girls are required to practice 4 times a week and are not allowed to play high school soccer or in any outside competition (ODP, guesting, tournaments etc..). Substitution rules are very restrictive and do not allow any re-entry during a game. This can lead to limited playtime for some girls although all full-time players are required to start at least 25% of games… there’s no requirement about how long they must play in those games.
DA teams participate in a 10 month season with a winter showcase, a spring showcase, and a summer playoffs/showcase. All games are videotaped and available on Hudl and a trainer is on site. There are currently two DA clubs that are fully funded (including fees and travel)- Pateadores and LA Galaxy. LAFC Slammers was partially funded this year, but will reportedly be fully funded next year.
There are a few changes for DA this year including 7 substitutes allowed during a game instead of 5 (allowing for 18 players to possibly have an opportunity to play in a game) and another rule that I can’t find that states that clubs have “open weekends” to schedule appropriate competition. I’ll update this when I find more information.
Link to the Development Academy FAQs
ECNL | Elite Clubs National League
“The ECNL was founded in 2009 by forward-thinking Directors of Coaching across the country who saw a need for change in and special commitment to improving the daily environment for American elite female youth soccer players. These Directors came together and collaborated to build what would become the top female youth development platform in the world. The grassroots leadership and cooperation was unprecedented in American youth soccer, and the ECNL continues to be the most progressive and innovative development platform in the country.”
Until this year, ECNL was the top National program for girls. ECNL has a big focus on empowerment and was originally created just for girls. Girls are required to practice at least twice weekly, but many teams practice more. There is a fall and spring season with a high school break in the middle. Girls are allowed to play high school and also guest in other competitions if available. ECNL has exceptional national showcases with six to choose from in addition to the Playoffs/Showcase.
Recently, several clubs across the country have withdrawn from the DA and have proclaimed that they are “ALL IN” for ECNL. There are varying reasons, but the main themes are high school play and substitution rules. Read my last post “It’s War- ECNL vs DA” for more information and opinions.
Here in So Cal it definitely seems to be DA rule with only a few of the strongest clubs (SD Surf, Blues, Slammers) maintaining their ECNL status. Will enough girls want to play high school so that the ENCL teams keep the competition level high? Seems like there are still many girls who want to play high school, but most elite girls (except for some notable exceptions at Blues and Slammers) are playing in the DA. There is also currently a rumor that SD Surf is dropping ECNL, but I have no idea if that is true.
I recently read this thought-provoking article “Confusion or healthy competition? US soccer’s girls’ player development pathways remain complicated.”
DPL | Developmental Player League
The DPL was formed last year by the members of the Southwest DA conference who did not have ECNL status. In their words…
“The Development Player League (DPL) is designed to expand the Girls Development Academy (DA) player pool for participating clubs. The league creates a highly professional training environment and competitive model for aspiring DA players, bridging the gap between club soccer and Development Academy soccer. The DPL provides a clear pathway for players who show the potential to make the jump to the DA level of play. The DPL teams will offer players who excel to have the opportunity to be called up as a Development Player for their respective DA teams. This structure provides an expanded pool of aspiring DA players with more exposure to the DA training model and level of play while allowing them the time they need to develop as well as offering the flexibility to play high school soccer. Founded on the ideology of the full DA program, the DPL provides a development structure that focuses on playing more meaningful games with highly professional game day environment, more training, high-level coaching, development before winning attitude, and great exposure in major college showcases events.”
Last year the DPL definitely had some mixed reviews. Teams only played 9 league games and the competition was varied. Teams also participated in tournaments including National Cup as well as CRL. This year, there have been some major changes with a rumored fall and spring schedule and the addition of new clubs. However, the biggest addition is the creation of the 2003 DPL pilot teams.
“By continuing the programming for our current pool of players in the 2003 Age Group, many of whom are currently playing in the Development Academy, and continuing to mirror the minimum standards and best practices of the DA structure into next season we are excited to announce the opportunity for our players to perform at these fantastic events. From an individual player development and college recruitment perspective, this is a win-win for our players.” – Barry Ritson, LA Premier FC.
DPL Pilot teams are only in the 2003 age group and were formed because the Southwest Conference teams asked the DA to create a single U16 age band for the 2018-19 season, but were denied. The compromise seems to be these Pilot teams which will be in the Southwest and Frontier (Texas) conferences only. Pilot players may not be official DA players (?) but will follow all the DA structure and rules including no high school, no outside competition and the no re-entry sub-rules. The teams will also play on the DA day in between the 2004 and the 2002/03 age groups. The strongest 2003 players will play on the dual-band 02/03 official DA teams, but the Pilot teams give 2003 players who have already been playing DA (or hope to play in the future) a chance to continue to develop. At the moment it seems like all the DA clubs will run an 03 Pilot team except Slammers/LAFC. All of the pilot teams will be “guest teams” at the DA Winter and Summer Showcases and will play the Frontier (Texas) conference teams which is a big deal for recruiting exposure. Although they are technically second teams, college coaches can’t seem to resist a CA/TX match up.
There are still many questions about the DPL Pilot teams and I’m not sure that even clubs have all the answers because people are being told different things. Will the Pilot players be official DA players? More importantly, do Pilot players have DA patches?? Um,no. I’m sure that Pilot players can be listed as DP players and play up to six games, but can the DA players play with the Pilot team if they aren’t getting enough DA minutes? Only time will tell.
DPL “press release” about the 2003 Pilot Teams
The DPL promises to be very strong for this year for some age groups, but it will be interesting to see if promises will be fulfilled.
SCDSL | Southern California Developmental Soccer League (Fall)
The SCDSL is in its 7th year of existence and seems to be coming to a bit of a crossroads with the creation of the DPL and the existence of the DA. Teams that would have played SCDSL in the 2006-2000 age groups in the top brackets are now playing in the DPL. SCDSL has introduced several new things over the last few years including a “champions” bracket and this year will have a discovery league. It’s interesting to see them add things similar to what CSL has had all along and SCDSL originally claimed to be against. It is still the most competitive fall league for girls outside of (potentially) DPL, ECNL, and DA.
Click here to read an article about SCDSL and the upcoming Discovery League
CSL | Coast Soccer League (Fall)
CSL is the “OG” league and used to be considered the top league in the country. Things have changed quite a bit for CSL since the introduction of ECNL in 2009, SCDSL in 2011 and the DA in 2017. There are still hundreds of clubs in CSL, but the level of play has definitely changed. FRAM, one of the biggest clubs in CSL, recently decided to switch back to SCDSL.
Unlike the other leagues, CSL has a promotion and relegation structure with teams moving up (and down!) the ranks from Bronze through Premier. Rather than DOCs selecting where teams go (like SCDSL) or certain clubs assigned to certain leagues (ECNL and DA), the power lies with the individual team to achieve in order to advance.
CRL | California Regional League
“The California Regional League is a division of the US Youth Soccer Far West Regional League, which consists of the fourteen (14) western state associations. The US Youth Soccer Region IV Council recently voted to restructure the league into localized divisions to reduce costs, eliminate excessive travel and foster better competition. The California Division will receive two placements in the US Youth Soccer Far West Regional Championships.”
CRL is not a fall league but takes place during the breaks of the season (winter, spring, and summer). Teams must qualify through a play in system or can get an automatic bid through winning State Cup or placing in a certain position from a previous season. Teams from all different fall leagues play in CRL, including the DPL teams. ECNL and DA teams do not play in CRL.
OTHER LE Presidio League | SDDA (Fall)
The Presidio League is based in San Diego and is a Fall Gaming league for a multitude of local teams. San Diego Surf has recently returned some of their teams to Presidio after playing in the SCDSL for a number of years. Presidio also encompasses SDDA- the San Diego Developmental Academy.
“The San Diego Developmental Academy (SDDA) concept was founded on the dedication and hard work of some of San Diego’s leading coaching directors. Recognizing that while the success of San Diego’s competitive soccer programs were of excellent quality, there were still some missing components that would help develop and advance the serious player to compete amongst the best that Southern California had to offer.”
SYL | Super Y League
The Super Y League is new to So Cal but has existed nationally for 18 years. I don’t know much about it, but it looks like FRAM, BYSC, Rebels, Fullerton Rangers, and Oceanside Breakers are the inaugural members. Sounds interesting from the blurb on their website…
“At the Super Y League, the goal is to provide your club with an experience that is unparalleled in youth soccer. The Super Y League shares your passion for player development and realizes that in order to be an elite club, you must play in an elite league. With the new Regional Scouting Series, partnerships with some of the leaders in youth soccer, experienced and professional staff, advanced player tracking, and offering the chance to compete for a North American Championship, the Super Y League is the best operated youth league in North America, allowing it to stand above the competition.”
EGSL | Elite Girls Soccer League (Spring?)
This league was originally created for the ECNL sister teams to get exposure but became a Spring league for the youngers and the affiliate clubs. I’m not really sure what the future holds for this one. Here’s a blurb from their website… spelling errors are all theirs 🙂
“The EGSL was born from collaboration between Elite Clubs National League (“ECNL”) Directors of Coaching in order to address the college recruiting needs for the sister team players in their clubs. The ECNL evolved into the premier destination for college coaches seeking to recruit players for their teams and, the excellent, and deserving players on the sister teams not receiving regular exposure on the ECNL teams, were limited in their opportunities to be scouted. The EGSL was formed as a league for the ECNL sister teams designed to attract coaches from colleges of all sizes and all levels which will result in an increased number of scholarship offers for the sister team players. The EGSL was formed with the approval of the ECNL and will include ECNL sister teams as well as the Jr. ECNL first teams (U12 and U13). The EGSL also served as a highly competitive Spring League for Younger Teams. The EGSL had to evlove with the founding of the Girls Development Academy (DA) by US Soccer. The EGSL has now expanded to accept all ECNL and DA Acadmey Teams within these Clubs and the Affiliates of DA/ ECNL Clubs.”
1- Who is the coach? This is the most important factor.
2- What league will you play in? This can be very important for college exposure for older girls. This can also be very important for cost/travel/commitment.
3- How many girls will be on the roster? Will there be a bunch of girls sitting on the bench? Will your daughter be one of them? It might not matter if she is at the top, but it can matter a lot if she is at the bottom.
4- What is the club reputation? Ask around… talk to the parents of current players and ask how their experience has been.
5- What are the expectations for the team? (Number of practices, cost, travel etc…) If your daughter isn’t interested in playing in college it may not make sense to spend a ton of money on soccer travel or time on practices that could be used for studying.. or having fun! If it’s a team that travels (ECNL or DA) find out how the girls travel. Do they go together as a group? Do parents go? Are parents allowed to interact with the girls during away showcases?
6- Who are the other people on the team? Do you know anyone? You must know a friend of a friend somewhere! Find out if the other girls and parents are nice if that’s something that matters to you.
7- What color are the jerseys and do they have to wear white shorts? Haha that’s one my daughter always asks!!
As usual, things seem to be changing daily and I’m definitely not an expert, so please make sure you do your own research about teams/leagues/clubs and coaches!!! Anyone have any more helpful information??
If your head isn’t spinning yet, and you really want to read more, here are some links. Please pay attention to the post dates as everything changes so quickly!
2017 So Cal Club Soccer Leagues for Girls
2017 USSDA Timing is Everything
2015 ECNL and EGSL Big, Bigger, Biggest
2014 ECNL and EGSL- What’s the Deal?
2012 So Cal Smackdown- CSL, SCDSL, ECNL, NPL
2012 Pacific Developmental NPL