DA releases first 25 clubs accepted into the new Girls DA... Not surprised about Sockers - sort of surprised about Eclipse and FCU. I am guessing they could not meet the stringent license regulation. Sort of surprised about SLSG as well - again I have to wonder if it boiled down to the license factor because they have just about everything else. There is going to be some big travel ahead for some clubs as well - interesting to see how that works out! http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/201...-first-25-clubs-for-girls-development-academy
I'm so very far removed from DA that I never really pay attention, but something struck me as curious in the press release. What's the deal with playing combined age groups? U14/U15, U16/U17, U18/U19?? We pushed through a change to birth year age groupings, but the DA program is still working under the old system? Am I missing something?
Some more clubs added. Surprised the eclipse joined since they have been so involved with the ECNL. http://www.socceramerica.com/article/69506/girls-development-academy-adds-28-clubs.html
I have heard of the top hat club it's been around for a long time. I am not into the women's game. But we had a poster on the coaches mail list mentioned them as an opponent Bruce Brownlee was his name. It seems he could not make a living just doing football so he is doing something else. Too bad I remember as being a very smart coach. I did not read it all. Any clubs from Long Island on the list?
Yes, East Meadow is included. Also I think World Class might get a bit of a draw from LI, though more in competition with PDA for north jersey. World class has former youth national coach, Kazbeck Tambi. East Meadow just put a couple kids in the u14 GNT national camp, and maybe I am just not that familiar with them, but the geography might have made a difference. Big news your way is Surf moving in. Do you think Surf will greatly affect the youth landscape?
53 clubs? Maybe I am naive, but I don't see enough girls willing to give up HS soccer, track, softball, etc to fill that amount of teams without watering it down. I foresee half the players going DA and half the players staying ECNL resulting in 2 middling leagues...
Exactly my concern since the DA announced this - and the fact that they were not working with the ECNL at all on the matter.
They plan on granfathering in the kids who have had a taste of high school soccer by not banning it until 2020. That said, they will offer 10 month programming immediately so some will choose DA over high school before that. Some kids will say good riddance to the boom ball/ gym teacher coaches; others love the schoolball culture. I believe that the top players will give it up- possibly some reluctantly. The ECNL power players are in. No war with ECNL at all. My prediction: the DA will be the top league with a bettter consolidation of talent that there currently exists in the ECNL.
Not sure how they pulled it off. They do have some staff with higher licenses so maybe those will be listed as the coaches for the DA league
That just means they have coaches who had the time and money to go to the courses. Doesn't guarantee quality.
The drop out rate at the D License level alone is almost 50%. I'd say you have to know what you're doing to get an A. Furthermore you have to run with that on an annual basis which means you're constantly learning. The only time we played Lyons though was at the high school level - out u15 vs their u17-u19 and they were all kick and run with some brutal physical play. There was no soccer on that team at all. Not an indictment on the club - just my only experience. To be honest I would like to see more integration/mergers of clubs in order to induce uniformity, continuity and coaching eductaion. Team Chicago, Galaxy, NSA, Campton - they are all good clubs for female players but they are not all in the right leagues - nor do they have access to them. Furthermore many of them just lose players to Eclipse & Sockers - likely CFJ these days as well, at the older ages. This generally means that there is a lot of travel time involved from home to the fields for both games and practices - which can be 3-4 a week at that point.
Not sure anyone would think LTSC should be in the DA. It is a community based club. FC United, Libertyville or the Fire would all be good additions for the girls DA.
I am pretty sure FCU will get in soon - maybe next year. They have been hiring coaches with high level credentials and I think they are just going to absorb the Magic girls program. FC1 is amemic and Glenview I think ends at u11 or u12. So that area is ripe for consolodation and FCU is the best candidate for managing a large player pool IMO. Libertyville is a comm club as well and they bleed top players at the upper ages all day long. Fire I would think has to get in. They have more teams then any other club on the girls side and likely more teams in top divisions then any other club now.
Libertyville won the state cup for u15 girls this year. Also for u15&u16 boys. Since eclipse has left the area, they have become much stronger at the older ages. If hard to compare the quality of Chicago area teams to the other DAs from across the country. All 3 boys teams seem to make the playoffs almost every year which makes me think there is enough to talent in the area to have a competitive 4th club.
I think they have a good pool but I would not put them in the same category as Team Chicago, Galaxy or Campton. I would really like to see the former 2 along with FCU get in. But I think the key would be to have some sort of continuity when it comes to training and coaches education. No idea how that would happen. What I don't like however - is the massive pools CFJ has created to pull players. Eclipse is doing that as well - first through expansion and this season in particular, by taking teams. I know of 5 teams from 3 different clubs that they nabbed at the lower ages and 2 coaches from 2 teams that are now part of the Eclipse stable.
http://www.socceramerica.com/article/69981/us-soccer-names-22-clubs-to-girls-development-ac.html FC United added to the girls DA
Wow... I guess this may just be the end of the Magic name and the beginning of a league which may never make its place above ECNL. Who is next? Campton? Frankly with FCU buying up so many high level coaches, I sort of figured this was the direction the were headed.
I really don't understand this. Why couldn't they just leave ECNL the top tier for girls and US Soccer DA for boys. Why did they have to go and trying to compete now and breaking all of this up?
Quoting myself (LOL). Heard FCU has spent a bundle on property in Gurnee and will be building outdoor turf and an indoor facility. Big bucks! Will that equate to donors who expect favors in the form opf playtime in the DA for their kids? They already messed up things with the Magic/CF DA teams late last year.
I doubt they have that drama based on this development. FCU has been searching for a place to do this for a few years and there has been a commitment in place for a corporate sponsor to pay for a decent chunk of it