My younger DS who is an 09 and will be a freshman next year has been doing club tryouts. He has two really good options and both of them are pressuring us to get a contract signed to lock us in. DS is a utility player--he can play anywhere. He had a game a few days ago where he played half of the game as midfielder, a quarter as fullback, and a quarter as winger. He did equally well in all positions. He is also a bit of a late bloomer puberty wise--so while most of the kids in our area that are on the top teams are already pretty far into puberty, he hasn't hit a big growth spurt yet. Option A: ECNL at a good club. The players are all good and practices are very competitive. DS will almost certainly be playing fullback (even though he tried out and made the team as a midfielder) because the coach likes him there. He would be playing an attacking fullback style because that's how he likes to play that position and the coach seems to like that style. He is not a lock for a starting position and therefore, game time might be limited. Option B: ECRL at a club where this is the highest team (so no ECNL at this club). The coach really likes DS and he should be an impact player on this team. He will likely play multiple positions because the coach says he can see him in many different positions and the coach would like to figure out which position he truly excels at. The players aren't as good as the ECNL players but DS gets a ton of touches and action at every practice--dribbling and making plays. DS definitely seems to be a coach favorite. So which one is better for development? I should add that we are in a super competitive area where ECNL offers are not easy to get--there is always a ton of competition for those spots. Even the ECRL team has way more kids trying out than it has spots on the team. DS was offered a spot on each team after his first practice with each, so both coaches immediately liked him. He has gone to several practices with each team now so we have a decent feel for where he is on each team.
"game time might be limited" sounds too ambiguous. If he's only getting a few minutes of game time, that would be bad for development and also for his overall enjoyment. Where would he be happiest? Where does he fit best (skill/talent-wise)? I think to develop, one must be playing. Doesn't have to start, but should play I would say at least 30-40% of gametime on avg. He's still young. Otherwise to go ECRL.
I think if he has a desire to play in college, it's probably the ECNL team barely (particularly if it's hard to get onto). If he is playing more for fun, but wants to improve, then I think it's the ECRL team by a lot. The way it was explained to me was that up until age 14 or so, you developed most by being the best player on the team and getting the touches, but after that, you benefited most (through scouts or whatever, but also playing with good players at practices) by being on the best team. So you probably have a year in it either way (assuming you have some chance to get on the ECNL team next year). Standard caveats for cost, travel time for practices, etc.
I agree with both of your posts, hence why we are so conflicted. DS plays for fun but is also super competitive and interested in college. Soccer is so competitive around here that coaches barely pay attention to any tryout kids that aren't already on an ECNL. All things considered, I think DS would take ECRL because it seems more fun and the coach seems to be truly interested in developing him and DS has never had a coach truly be in his corner and favor him. So it could be a team where he can be creative and make mistakes and still get to play a lot of minutes. But taking into account how hard it is to get on an ECNL, it seems like it could make it harder to get on another ECNL next year if we don't take the ECNL offer. One year ago, I would've thought playing in college wasn't super realistic but his development has really taken off this year. I think a big part of that is that he played a ton of minutes this year in so many different positions. I do wonder if another year like that would make him take off even more.
I'm not sold that being on the best teams before 9th grade is important but at 9th and beyond, if he has post high school aspirations, is important. Perhaps his playing time is a bit lower this next but as puberty kicks in more he might become more of a player. At this point it will be easier going down a level next year than up a level next year.
I lean toward option A. Not being a starter/having to work harder to earn minutes might make him a better player. I think what minutes he does get will be against better competition, as will practices. Getting on an ECNL team earlier could be beneficial in that it's easier to "stay" on a team than it is to move to a team. As far as getting along with coaches, do you know how long these coaches will be with these teams? One year? Two? Three at the outside? A good coach is great. But at some point, they will leave. What happens then? And yes, time and financial commitment play a factor too.
The question above about your son's preference and happiness is a good one to keep in the mix. That said, my 05 defaulted each of the past four years to the more-demanding team because he assumed (correctly, I think), that practicing against the stronger group of players 2-4 times a week would do him more good than anything else. The alternative would have been to initially stay at or later return to his home club, where he'd have been a nailed-on starter with a position that was his but played at a lower level with players whose commitment isn't always there. The downside he's found, and others might, too, is that the player pool has got stronger each year as kids who decided they didn't want to try to play beyond high school fell away. So his role has changed every year. This year, with the addition of 12-14 strong 2004s (a few very strong) who would otherwise have no team, he only starts occasionally. His friends in similar roles have all decided this isn't what they want to do, so they've left the team. This year (his last in club soccer) really is more like a job for him.