ECNL ~ for Girls

The ECNL is a national youth soccer league founded in 2009 for U15, U16 and U17 girls for the purpose of providing the highest level of competition and the best developmental environment for American female youth soccer players, as well as an identification program for identifying players for US Soccer Youth National Teams. The 2009-2010 season was the ECNL’s inaugural season. Today the ECNL has expanded to U14 - U18 ages.

The ECNL was founded by many of the best female youth soccer clubs throughout the country based on the belief that elite female player development in the United States needed a structure that would reduce the total number of games on the schedule and increase the number of meaningful, quality games. The ECNL sets forth a vision that provides a clear path to that goal: a national competition schedule and a national identification program linked to that competition, and an organization in which best practices in player development can be shared throughout the country.

In 2009-2010, the ECNL will consisted of 40 of the best female youth soccer clubs from across the country. Today that count stands at 76 of the top female clubs in the country. For a complete list of member clubs, please go to www.usclubsoccer.org or www.eliteclubsnationalleague.com.

The ECNL was formed with one driving purpose: to improve the developmental environment for elite female soccer players. In order to accomplish this, the ECNL has several specific objectives: (i) increase the frequency with which the top players in the country have the opportunity to compete against each other; (ii) decrease the number of uncompetitive games for the top players in the country so that these players can train more frequently; (iii) increase the collegiate recruiting exposure for top players; and (iv) provide an alternative identification program for these players to be identified for US Soccer Youth National Teams.

Every member club of the ECNL is dedicated to accomplishing these objectives. By coming together into the ECNL, ECNL member clubs can help to make the changes necessary to accomplish these objectives far more quickly, efficiently, and effectively.

Competition: First, the ECNL provides the opportunity for the best female youth soccer players in the country to compete against each other – one of the requirements for maximizing player development. Because the ECNL only includes the best clubs in the country, every ECNL game is exceptionally competitive and played at a significantly higher speed with more physical, psychological, technical and tactical demands on the players than the “average” game. The consistency of this competition and the demands it imposes creates more skillful, intelligent, and focused players. Second, in order to maximize the competitive level of each ECNL game, the ECNL only schedules 1 ECNL game per day per team, and no more than 3 days of ECNL games in succession. This aids in reducing burn-out and fatigue from game-to-game.

Substitution: The ECNL limits the number of substitutions in each ECNL game by prohibiting reentry of players in each half. In other words, once a player is subbed out of an ECNL game, the player may not re-enter the game in that half of play. This forces players to maintain their concentration and work-rate for far longer periods of time than in most other competitions, and helps to prepare them for competition at the national and international level. In other words, without the massive substitution common in other youth soccer events, players in ECNL games are forced to adapt to the physical and psychological demands of playing for 90 minutes without break and without the “cushion” of temporary substitution to re-energize or re-focus.

Roster Rules: The ECNL allows a flexible roster of up to 26 players per team, and allows players to be rostered on multiple teams within their ECNL club. In addition, the ECNL allows players to move from one team roster to another from day-to-day, allowing players to play in different age groups in the same event. (A player may only play in 1 ECNL game per day.) This allows talented players to “play-up” against older players when a club determines it is in the best interests of the player to do so in order to maximize challenge and learning.

Relief of Calendar Congestion: By guaranteeing member clubs with the opportunity to play the best clubs in the country on a regular basis, and by providing an additional identification program within these games, the ECNL schedule allows member clubs to reduce the total number of games played by their teams and players each year. This provides each member club with more time for training to develop each player, and provides players more time for recovery and rejuvenation over the course of the year.

Standards and Recommendations: The ECNL provides a recommended set of minimum standards and expectations for players and staff of ECNL member clubs to create a more professional soccer environment. In addition, the ECNL provides member clubs with the opportunity to share best practices in player development and club organization and administration to improve the daily experience of the players.

Yes. Any team participating in the ECNL may still participate in their local, state and regional leagues, and in the USYS state cup, regional, and national championships. The ECNL is not prohibiting teams from its member clubs from participating in these competitions.

Yes. The ECNL schedules are created to insure that all players that participate in the ECNL also have the opportunity to play high school soccer. The ECNL is not prohibiting players from its member clubs from participating in high school soccer.

The ECNL has created a unique identification program in conjunction with US Club Soccer’s id2 identification program to provide another alternative for players to be identified for US Soccer National Teams. The ECNL player identification program identifies the best players in the ECNL through a combination of independent scouting and coaching recommendations. Players identified in this program will be invited into a special ECNL / id2 National Camp, where they will be evaluated and trained by US Soccer National Team coaching staff.

The ECNL player identification program comes at no cost to ECNL players. ECNL players will be scouted and identified in their regular team environment, without the added time and expense of multiple try-outs or mini-camps. Additionally, the cost of participation in the ECNL / id2 National Camp for those players selected will be covered by the ECNL, US Club Soccer, and Nike; the only cost for selected players will be travel to and from the camp itself.

The ECNL identification program is different and has several unique components compared to than other identification programs. First, there is no charge to the player to be identified; there is no tryout fee. Second, the player is identified in their natural team environment; there is no try-out or tryout camp. Third, the ECNL identification program does not add additional events to the calendar for identification; the players are identified in their natural environment while competing in ECNL events. Fourth, the only cost for the player for participation in the ECNL / id2 National Camp is the cost of travel to and from camp. All other costs (hotel, food, ground transportation, facility usage, coaching, etc.) is subsidized by the ECNL, US Club Soccer, and Nike.

Yes. The ECNL player identification program is one of several different identification programs provided by different organizations for the elite youth soccer player to be identified for US Soccer Youth National Teams. The ECNL is not imposing restrictions on players to prevent them from participating in any other identification program. Many players that participate in the ECNL will participate in USYS ODP or other identification programs, and some players that participate in the ECNL will not participate in USYS ODP or other identification programs. These choices will be made by individual players according to their own interests and desires.

The ECNL brings together the best female soccer clubs in the country to compete against each other. However, for the first time ever, the competitive schedule for these games for the entire year is determined at the beginning of the year. As such, college coaches can more easily plan their recruiting calendar to ensure that they see all players in which they are interested – and see them competing against the best players in the country.

NCAA Division I, II and III college soccer programs recruit nationally, and opportunities to play in NCAA Division I tend to go to players from nationally competitive teams. Elite players maximize their opportunities to be recruited for college and to be identified for the national team by playing against the top talent from around the country at the best college showcases. The ECNL guarantees you with the opportunity to play the best players, at the biggest showcase events, every year.

The ECNL is a non-profit member-based organization. The ECNL member clubs elect the Board of Directors of the ECNL to govern and administrate the ECNL. Member clubs also approve the annual budget, the competition format, and the admission of new members. By operating in this manner, the ECNL provides an avenue for sharing and implementing the best thoughts and practices of many of the best female youth soccer clubs throughout the country in order to improve the developmental experience of all participating players.

There is an annual membership fee for participating in the ECNL. This fee covers the cost of operating the ECNL, the costs of the ECNL National Championship, and the cost of the ECNL player identification program. The annual fee will change each year, based on the budget approved by the member clubs. In addition, member clubs must also pay the entry fees for participating in the regular-season ECNL events to the event host (collegiate showcases and independently hosted events).

No. Many players that participate in the ECNL will participate in USYS ODP and the USYS State, Regional, and National Championships.