Funny that the ECNL has looked at not allowing players to play HS but now that DA does it they are 100% against it. ECNL supporters are against the rule now that DA does it. Love seeing how they flip flop on the issue. Lets not forget not all ECNL clubs allow their players to play HS just check them out for yourself.
https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/hig...-ecnl-and-high-school-walk-tightrope_aid32569
Some key highlights:
"
For now, the ECNL has kept with its original format and allows players to play for both high school and club. Will that change down the line? Maybe not tomorrow, but the league isn’t ruling out the possibility.
“We’ve talked about it. It’s been discussed,”
ECNL commissioner Sarah Kate Noftsinger said. “It’s a hot topic. It’s something that gets people fired up left and right, and if you say the wrong thing you can start a wildfire. We’re in such a luxurious position. Look at the size of the United States. It’s massive. Geographically, it’s a huge country, and we have so many people. Every area of the country is so different, so saying the right thing or the wrong thing could be different in each market.”"
"It’s supremely difficult - if not outright impossible - to be recruited to a high-level college program by only playing high school soccer, and the level of play on offer in the ECNL is unquestionably far above what most players can find on the high school level. In that sense, a split down the middle would likely have the same effect on the girls side that it did for the boys.
Players would choose club over high school in droves."
"
On one hand, having players split their allegiances makes it tougher for ECNL teams to gather cohesiveness for national events and its playoff system. For instance, before Uhler’s LSC U18 side convened for the recent ECNL Texas event in Fort Worth last weekend, they hadn’t played or practiced together since December. They simply showed up in Fort Worth and jumped right into games.
When the players gathered for the first time on Friday before the team's initial game of the event, Uhler said they discussed how much quicker the pace was than high school. But that also meant a learning curve.
“We definitely don’t play as a team,” said
Dallas Sting U16 coach Kioumars Rezaie, “
because they go to different environments where they have different attitudes and personalities outside of club.”
Rezaie, who noted the challenges but said he’d support a split between the two, also cited the increased practice burden for his players that adds more risk for injury. Texas is currently in the midst of its high school season, so three days out of the week his players are coming to his strenuous two-hour practice sessions directly from high school practice.
He said he's missing a not insignificant number of players through injury from their high school seasons."
