I heard on the radio news that IL is going to open up indoor dining again starting Friday AND allow indoor, non contact, sports. So training indoors again in groups, yes. Games or even scrimmages, NO. Not sure if Pritzker made a public announcement yet.
We are training in pods starting next week, more than 10... I'm wondering if whatever is allowing schools to go back is allowing numbers greater than 10. Maybe clubs are calling it gym class!
ODP restarting next weekend. no spectators. Some clubs have trained regardless of restrictions indoors with limited numbers and masks. Much like indoor dining restrictions, some have made their own decisions to stay open. Tournaments starting up next in 6 weeks or so. Hopefully we can play in Illinois in the spring even with masks on. We need to understand that playing games in Indiana is ridiculous. Learn to play with a mask outdoors
Just another parent - not a coach or DOC. I am not really in the loop. Too be honest - I had a hard time even looking up Illinois Tier status. Despite the lift in regulations, some clubs are only offering private training at an additional fee and not going back this week. I guess if your parents are foolish enough to pay even more for less then why not? Sketchy IMO. Sort of shocked to hear FCU, Libertyville have been playing outdoors 2-3 days a week - some practice running as late as 930PM. That's gotta be pretty cold!
So it looks like Sportscore is in Tier 1. My guess is that they are in for some early mornings and very late nights. I think that SS2 is the only location in that Region (1) with a full sized indoor field. I am really wondering if the Illinois 1st Division will even get a chance to play with everything else going on in terms of games and Raptors training.
Oh you got to be kidding me! Do you have a link? According to the State it's still moderate. https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/sports-safety-guidance
It looks like clubs that did not make Girls Academy or are not part of ECNL...more like Premier 1 or Premier 2 clubs in Midwest Conference?? I wonder if they can still play in Midwest Conference AND this SCNL club....for more games? Just wondering what the motive it behind it.
First off, it's great to be back and training! SCNL - hmmmmm. I am not sold on it personally. By first glance it feels like the league is being created to guarantee these showcases more clubs or a solid base of clubs attending the events thus potentially more revenue. I guess maybe only time will tell. On other Illinois soccer fronts. How are things going with ODP this year? I believe it started up this past weekend?
Problem is there is no defined path forward for indivdual teams to move into these leagues for exposure. That means players will have to leave clubs they may have been with for years for clubs that are part of these leagues. This was always the case with ECNL but then expanded with the DA - now GA and now this. It destroyes the traditional leagues at the top end completely and promotes exclusivity. Real shame. I don't know if this is a trend in other youth sports but if I had a young one - I would for sure not look at soccer as a worthy sport to play with any seriousness.
Went back and forth with some bigger clubs for my kid over the last couple weeks. My thoughts- Eclipse was all about past exploits and pros and D1 and ECNL but no real substance as far as what they offer day to day. FCU had a ton of options almost like an ala carte plan. Even tho I got lost in it they sounded very professional and organized. Sockers was like opposite of Eclipse only talked about the training and what they could do for "the needs of the player". Didn't really talk about leagues. Different approaches across the board. Tried polling some people I know who's kids spent time at one of them. Easy to taste the salt from those who didn't make it, but also know the ones who's kids are ballers and anywhere they go it'll be great. I have no idea what to do now. Honestly driving distance might be the deciding factor lol.
I agree, closed leagues like this, ECNL, GAL/DA are major issues. It would be great if their was one organization with a pyramid that led all the way to the top in which everyone was under one umbrella... never going to happen though... too much money/ego in youth soccer.
I agree on all counts. The training at Sockers is fantastic and on the boys side the leagues are good. With Sockers moving their 2nd girls teams into the MRL just last year - that was a good start as the NPL was garbage on the girls side. That said The MRL is just about garbage now as well with Club v Club and this new SCNL league - so if you have a daughter - just go for the best coach/team and the one which plays in meaningful competition. FCU is a well oiled machine - very professional and they have always placed their teams in good leagues. Parents I spoke to who have left from Sockers have never said that the training was any better or worse but that the communication and organization is light years better. I would definately get more on FCU (non-commit) based exposure on FCU if the drive is not to harsh. On the girls side, they have much better depth then Sockers or Eclipse. If you have a good boy - Sockers is it.
My kids current team plays(ed) in the Midwest Conference and NPL, so it sounds like any of these clubs would be comparable on that front. Played against FCU and Sockers at some point over the last 2 years, both of them had good sides and seemed to have good coaching although that's only a snapshot and pretty subjective. We never played Eclipse. As far as costs go sounded like Sockers was the cheapest with all included but still more than what we pay now. FCU could be around the same if we don't do all the add-ons. Eclipse seemed the most expensive by quite a bit. Trying to read between the lines of what my kid said to me about wanting to "do more". In my mind we played a lot of games. Something like 7 or 8 in the Midwest Conference and 7 or 8 in the NPL. Plus two tournaments a year. But train 2 days a week. Hard to get a read on Eclipse because really all we talked about was ECNL. Both FCU and Sockers said they play pretty much the same amount of games but train at least 3 sometimes 4 days a week. I'm inclined to think "doing more" would mean training.
Lurker jumping in because I know this is a tough decision. We jumped to one of these clubs this past fall from a community club, and a friend jumped to another at the same time. I'll keep the identifiers out to protect the innocent. This is only speaking from the fall season, which we can all probably agree is not the best barometer for a normal season and certainly in a few years we might have a different view altogether. Similarities: - Large pools of players, with similar quality/ commitment levels particularly at the upper end. Based on numbers I think over time you could flex down or up based on ability/ interest at either club. - Both expensive relative to a community club, but the basic fee structure seemed similar for equivalent level of play - Training about the same at 3x week at least this past fall, though winter has been hit or miss for everyone until the facilities have opened - We have each enjoyed our respective coaching staff. That said, we have also seen other coaches in action and they of course all have their own style. I'd say this would be one of your more important factors based on your kids personality type, particularly coming in new to the club so make sure you get a sense of fit. - Both are big places with lots going on. You could find a way to do something soccer related every day if you wanted. That said both my friend and I miss the access we had to coaches and such at the smaller clubs. You will probably feel less "special" as a parent and player and you will probably have questions that are not answered in a timely fashion or to your satisfaction. Differences: - FCU feels more about the team as a social unit (i.e. 2007 A team), Eclipse is a bit more about the club and a broader and more flexible roster construct based on performance (i.e. the 2007s). - FCU "feels" more corporate while Eclipse is less structured. - FCU seems to be trying to provide a lot of extra value via seminars and SAQ sessions whereas Eclipse is doing some extra stuff, but doesn't seem to be at the same level at this point. That said, Eclipse did a survey about what extra stuff people wanted, so i assume what is provided reflects that. - FCU extra "stuff" (camps, PT, etc.) seems to be pushed a little harder on members, and comes at very premium price. - Direct player feedback is a bit lacking at Eclipse, or must be more proactively sought out. FCU did a lengthy player evaluation at the break. - Eclipse has a bit of a "cool factor" on the girls side given the ties to the Red Stars and longevity/ profile of the girls ECNL league Honestly we have both had pretty positive experiences and have no regrets for our respective moves. If "do more" means training, sounds like either would work for that. If "do more" means games, I dont think anyone can tell you what that looks like for sure just yet for spring, though there are some hopeful signs. So then it comes down to all the other stuff above, as well as many other considerations like how far is the drive, how much travel, etc. I'm not sure that any of us are really in our right minds after the last 12 months, so it could either be a great time for change or a lousy time for change. It might be that you'd just be better investing in a private trainer and staying with the current team until things normalize a bit more, or maybe the switch is the breath of fresh air they are looking for. It has worked out well for my friend and I. Best of luck in the decision, I know it isn't always easy. PM me if you have any specific questions and I will try and help as best I can.
I would agree to this post from what I have heard from parents at both clubs that we are close with. Nice post Kroad!
[QUOTE=" SCNL - hmmmmm. I am not sold on it personally. By first glance it feels like the league is being created to guarantee these showcases more clubs or a solid base of clubs attending the events thus potentially more revenue. I guess maybe only time will tell.?[/QUOTE] But it will include a national championship that will be much easier to win than at least 3 of the 5 current national championships so expect to see teams jump on just for that.
Soccer1310 - Both are girls in the "pre" ECNL/ GAL age/ performance level. Though honestly I think that many of the above factors represent more of a cultural thing generally than specific to boys or girls. Additionally there are probably other considerations that come into play in the high school ages but those are thankfully are still a few years off for us. And one other thought that occurred to me after my original post is to think about "how much more" you and your child are prepared to commit to and what your goals are. By that I mean moving from 2x training to 3x training might seem like a whole bunch more training, and it is certainly 50% more! Any and every player will certainly show improvement with that extra time. That said if your goals are "A-team" long term (and possibly even the B-team given the massive numbers), the reality at both of those clubs is that your player will need to be doing even more than that extra day, and it will probably on their own guidance and involve some extra expense by you. That might be private training, that might be futsal, that might be doing Techne in the basement for an hour on off days. Most of the players on our respective teams are single sport athletes at this point, and do something soccer related almost every day. I place no judgements on what people want to do or are prepared to spend on this kind of stuff. We all have different ability and priority in this regard. I'd just hate for anyone to uproot your player without making sure your expectations are aligned.