Real cost of ECNL? $$$

Ballhead and Socrocks, great input.

My oldest DD went to college on a soccer scholarship just before ECNL started in N. Texas. Thankfully, she had fantastic grades and graduated in the top 2% of her class of 700. Her academic money is much higher than the athletic money. Soccer scholarships (or any athletic scholarships) are re-negotiated every year. The coach may give your daughter $10K the first year to bring her in and if she doesn't perform, the next year she may get $5k or nothing, just a spot on the team. It's important to note D3 schools don't offer any athletic money.

Make sure when you negotiate with the coach you are NOT talking %. There are four things you have to negotiate for:

1. Tuition (make sure you get in-state if you are looking at an out of state school. It's usually very easy to set up and the coaches will help/guide you).
2. Housing
3. Meal plan
4. Books

The disappointing thing about all of this is only 30 - 35% go back their second year with athletic money. There is very little time for anything outside of classes and soccer in the fall term. Spring is a little easier but there is some travel for friendlies and exhibition games. Out of my daughter's signing class of 10, 6 will not return. Out of the 4 girls that came from Texas, only two are returning. Mine is going back with some with very valuable life lessons she learned.

Good luck to all!

I really don't post much, but this is a topic of interest to me and my family. I've seen the other threads concerning ECNL but it seems no one has quoted a real $$ amount. We've heard that it's about the same as a top tier team but no actual costs are divulged. I've heard quotes from some families who will be leaving the ECNL arena, but would love to hear actual $$ amounts from those who are going to stay involved with the league.

I don't think any of us are going to be shocked with the amounts. I know it's expensive, but maybe it's not as much as we are all thinking??

So c'mon clubs and costs, please

BurntOut98 wrote:Okay, lets get back to the topic...this really is important information to some of us that want to know especially if you don't have a clue what it truly costs for a team that was already playing premier and traveled a lot. Personal experience for me recently, my dd played on a premier team and actually did one out of state tournament and the cost was still less than $3000. Did we cover in fundraising, yes and how much, don't really know or can't remember exactly...but it wasn't that much more. So, it would be helpful for you guys to put some actual numbers out there for us to work with. Thanks.

Costs? Age Group?

D'Feeters $
Solar $
FC Dallas $
Sting $
Dallas Txns $

total all of our expenses we paid for the Texans club last year. Came to a cool $4000. Club tells us that its $2800, we paid an additional 1200 over that.

flippinA wrote:

BurntOut98 wrote:Okay, lets get back to the topic...this really is important information to some of us that want to know especially if you don't have a clue what it truly costs for a team that was already playing premier and traveled a lot. Personal experience for me recently, my dd played on a premier team and actually did one out of state tournament and the cost was still less than $3000. Did we cover in fundraising, yes and how much, don't really know or can't remember exactly...but it wasn't that much more. So, it would be helpful for you guys to put some actual numbers out there for us to work with. Thanks.

Costs? Age Group?

D'Feeters $
Solar $
FC Dallas $
Sting $
Dallas Txns $

total all of our expenses we paid for the Texans club last year. Came to a cool $4000. Club tells us that its $2800, we paid an additional 1200 over that.

Thanks for a reply, it seems like nobody wants to put numbers out there or its some secret...weird.

Anyways, what was the age group because I have heard the older they are it gets more expensive due to showcases costing more and playing in more showcases? How many games/showcase or events did that cover for out of state?

BurntOut98 wrote:

flippinA wrote:

BurntOut98 wrote:Okay, lets get back to the topic...this really is important information to some of us that want to know especially if you don't have a clue what it truly costs for a team that was already playing premier and traveled a lot. Personal experience for me recently, my dd played on a premier team and actually did one out of state tournament and the cost was still less than $3000. Did we cover in fundraising, yes and how much, don't really know or can't remember exactly...but it wasn't that much more. So, it would be helpful for you guys to put some actual numbers out there for us to work with. Thanks.

Costs? Age Group?

D'Feeters $
Solar $
FC Dallas $
Sting $
Dallas Txns $

total all of our expenses we paid for the Texans club last year. Came to a cool $4000. Club tells us that its $2800, we paid an additional 1200 over that.

Thanks for a reply, it seems like nobody wants to put numbers out there or its some secret...weird.

Anyways, what was the age group because I have heard the older they are it gets more expensive due to showcases costing more and playing in more showcases? How many games/showcase or events did that cover for out of state?

A lot depends on whether the parent(s) go. Air fare and food, etc. add up the more people that go. I have sent my dd with other parents and saved considerably. $4000 seems reasonable and my dd is a 95.

BurntOut98 wrote:

flippinA wrote:

BurntOut98 wrote:Okay, lets get back to the topic...this really is important information to some of us that want to know especially if you don't have a clue what it truly costs for a team that was already playing premier and traveled a lot. Personal experience for me recently, my dd played on a premier team and actually did one out of state tournament and the cost was still less than $3000. Did we cover in fundraising, yes and how much, don't really know or can't remember exactly...but it wasn't that much more. So, it would be helpful for you guys to put some actual numbers out there for us to work with. Thanks.

Costs? Age Group?

D'Feeters $
Solar $
FC Dallas $
Sting $
Dallas Txns $

total all of our expenses we paid for the Texans club last year. Came to a cool $4000. Club tells us that its $2800, we paid an additional 1200 over that.

Thanks for a reply, it seems like nobody wants to put numbers out there or its some secret...weird.


Anyways, what was the age group because I have heard the older they are it gets more expensive due to showcases costing more and playing in more showcases? How many games/showcase or events did that cover for out of state?

01 and that price didn't include any travel dates...doh, that is a lot of deneros for local club team.

Best information i have seen on this topic is about every other word..

even as an ECNL DD parent..

I have to say BS>>>>>>>

Parents do your homework! find out what your DD wants to do, talk to the schools and the coaches.. find out thier schedules on what tournaments or showcases they recruit from... if your team doesnt go there... then find one that does..

plain and simple do the home work, you have to help you DD showcase herself to the coach.. what good is it going to be if yup we are at a show case.... now what

let the coaches know you schedules and where you will be at the same time they are.

dont plan on attending a showcase and having JOE blow from "whatsamatta U" walk up and say. hey your in ECNL.. you got a free ride come to my school....."

it wont happen.. without pre planning on your part as a parent.

soccerdad98 wrote:Best information i have seen on this topic is about every other word..

even as an ECNL DD parent..

I have to say BS>>>>>>>

Parents do your homework! find out what your DD wants to do, talk to the schools and the coaches.. find out thier schedules on what tournaments or showcases they recruit from... if your team doesnt go there... then find one that does..

plain and simple do the home work, you have to help you DD showcase herself to the coach.. what good is it going to be if yup we are at a show case.... now what

let the coaches know you schedules and where you will be at the same time they are.

dont plan on attending a showcase and having JOE blow from "whatsamatta U" walk up and say. hey your in ECNL.. you got a free ride come to my school....."

it wont happen.. without pre planning on your part as a parent.

What a well thought out post just chock full of new information. And if your userid is an indicator, your dd is a u14 ECNL player, so you obviously speak from a lot of ECNL experience.

There really isn't anything you said that we haven't all said. "There's lots of homework to be done by the dd and her family". In or out of ECNL has no bearing on it.

What I think most of us have said is that there is the greatest exposure to college coaches at the ECNL tournaments. If the colleges your dd are interested in don't scout ECNL tournaments (most of the better programs do, perhaps not exclusively), then yes, playing in the ECNL would be a waste.

I'm not sure what "BS" you're reacting to.

As far as the expense....

$2,500-$3,000 in dues/uniform etc.

You can't travel anywhere by air for less than $750-$1,000. (child and one parent) You do that minimum 4 times with ECNL. (U15-U18). Some clubs throw some other non ecnl trips in there (Final 4).

Not to mention car rentals/hotels/food, etc. when you are traveling.

What I have above is $7,000ish.

This is not much different than the top few teams in each age group have been used to traveling/handling for years

I posted this in the 98 ECNL thread but it applies here as well....

One VERY important fact that no one is discussing is the substitution rules.

ECNL operates under different substitution rules. And they are stricter as the girls get older. For example U18 (and U17 this fall) is PER GAME substitution. So once you are out - that's it. No re-entry.

You should know where you stand as far as top 11, etc. AND you should know how your coach handles substitutions.

If you are not top 11...or if your coach chooses to not sub very much - doesn't matter how many college coaches are there if your daughter isn't on the field!

As far as costs - a lot of money if you are not on the field very much.

C U L8R wrote:As far as the expense....

$2,500-$3,000 in dues/uniform etc.

You can't travel anywhere by air for less than $750-$1,000. (child and one parent) You do that minimum 4 times with ECNL. (U15-U18). Some clubs throw some other non ecnl trips in there (Final 4).

Not to mention car rentals/hotels/food, etc. when you are traveling.

What I have above is $7,000ish.

This is not much different than the top few teams in each age group have been used to traveling/handling for years

I am just really glad that your numbers verify that I wasn't crazy when someone told me they paid over $7k for ECNL, now I can sleep at night.

soccerdad98 wrote:Best information i have seen on this topic is about every other word..

even as an ECNL DD parent..

I have to say BS>>>>>>>

Just curious, if you're an ECNL parent why were you asking 2 weeks ago:

"Going with ecnl, what are the dues? do you still have regular club dues plus dues for ECNL?? and how is travel figured?

Is there a round about close to number so I can see it in Dollars and cents?"

Or perhaps:


"What is the annual cost of going to ECNL? this would weigh heavy on the choice, as to go or not.

Do any Parents of DD's have a cost of what they paid last year with travel included?"

You seemed to have gained a lot of ECNL experience in the last two weeks.

ballhead wrote:

soccerdad98 wrote:Best information i have seen on this topic is about every other word..

even as an ECNL DD parent..

I have to say BS>>>>>>>

Just curious, if you're an ECNL parent why were you asking 2 weeks ago:

"Going with ecnl, what are the dues? do you still have regular club dues plus dues for ECNL?? and how is travel figured?

Is there a round about close to number so I can see it in Dollars and cents?"

Or perhaps:


"What is the annual cost of going to ECNL? this would weigh heavy on the choice, as to go or not.

Do any Parents of DD's have a cost of what they paid last year with travel included?"

You seemed to have gained a lot of ECNL experience in the last two weeks.

soccerdad98
Search in: 98 Girls
Topic: ECNL vs (?) LHGCL
Replies: 235
Views: 13071
ECNL vs (?) LHGCL - Tue May 17, 2011 1:56 pm
justbecause wrote:
soccerdad98 wrote:

What is the annual cost of going to ECNL? this would weigh heavy on the choice, as to go or not.

Do any Parents of DD's have a cost of what they paid last year with travel included?


I think for most of us that played ECNL last year we can expect to pay less. We played LH, Premier, ECNL, and did tournaments for both ECNL and LH. This caused the cost to be elevated last year.

This year, the cost should be about the same as being a premier team. The tournaments cost a little more, but showcase tournaments are expensive as well.


Going with ecnl, what are the dues? do you still have regular club dues plus dues for ECNL?? and how is travel figured?

Is there a round about close to number so I can see it in Dollars and cents?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Looks like he asked all those questions in May 2011 in order to help him make the decision to go with ECNL and from his comments, decided to take his DD to an ECNL team. Either way, I am glad to finally be getting more detailed information, very helpful to those that are asking for an actual amount. Definitely looks like Dallas Texans has a more affordable ECNL cost. Thanks for all those offereing input.

BurntOut98 wrote:

ballhead wrote:

soccerdad98 wrote:Best information i have seen on this topic is about every other word..

even as an ECNL DD parent..

I have to say BS>>>>>>>

Just curious, if you're an ECNL parent why were you asking 2 weeks ago:

"Going with ecnl, what are the dues? do you still have regular club dues plus dues for ECNL?? and how is travel figured?

Is there a round about close to number so I can see it in Dollars and cents?"

Or perhaps:


"What is the annual cost of going to ECNL? this would weigh heavy on the choice, as to go or not.

Do any Parents of DD's have a cost of what they paid last year with travel included?"

You seemed to have gained a lot of ECNL experience in the last two weeks.

soccerdad98
Search in: 98 Girls
Topic: ECNL vs (?) LHGCL
Replies: 235
Views: 13071
ECNL vs (?) LHGCL - Tue May 17, 2011 1:56 pm
justbecause wrote:
soccerdad98 wrote:

What is the annual cost of going to ECNL? this would weigh heavy on the choice, as to go or not.

Do any Parents of DD's have a cost of what they paid last year with travel included?


I think for most of us that played ECNL last year we can expect to pay less. We played LH, Premier, ECNL, and did tournaments for both ECNL and LH. This caused the cost to be elevated last year.

This year, the cost should be about the same as being a premier team. The tournaments cost a little more, but showcase tournaments are expensive as well.


Going with ecnl, what are the dues? do you still have regular club dues plus dues for ECNL?? and how is travel figured?

Is there a round about close to number so I can see it in Dollars and cents?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Looks like he asked all those questions in May 2011 in order to help him make the decision to go with ECNL and from his comments, decided to take his DD to an ECNL team. Either way, I am glad to finally be getting more detailed information, very helpful to those that are asking for an actual amount. Definitely looks like Dallas Texans has a more affordable ECNL cost. Thanks for all those offereing input.

I didn't notice the change in years. My mistake! I just searched his posts and didn't pick it up. My bad.

So if he is a U14 ECNL parent, I wouldn't consider 1 year at U14 to be a particularly great experience to be able to trash the whole value the ECNL might bring.

Ballhead, I see your point and that is why I wanted to know amounts for each club and specify which age group in order to get a better idea. However, maybe one year was enough for him to make his decision, I am sure that doesn't work for everyone.

BurntOut98 wrote:Ballhead, I see your point and that is why I wanted to know amounts for each club and specify which age group in order to get a better idea. However, maybe one year was enough for him to make his decision, I am sure that doesn't work for everyone.

I don't think there's any issue with making a decision about your own dd with however little or however much information you choose. If one U14 year of ECNL showed it wasn't for your dd, nothing else matters. But there are a whole lot of others, like me, that have had a great experience with it, and when considered carefully, its a great opportunity for most.

It was the overall characterization of ECNL comments here as "hey your in ECNL.. you got a free ride come to my school....." I've never seen anyone say that here.

Then if you look at other posts from today his remarks regarding "drinking the Kool-Aid" and "ECNL is a Cult" just smacked of a bitter parent that was more interested in spouting discontent than useful information.

ballhead wrote:

BurntOut98 wrote:Ballhead, I see your point and that is why I wanted to know amounts for each club and specify which age group in order to get a better idea. However, maybe one year was enough for him to make his decision, I am sure that doesn't work for everyone.

I don't think there's any issue with making a decision about your own dd with however little or however much information you choose. If one U14 year of ECNL showed it wasn't for your dd, nothing else matters. But there are a whole lot of others, like me, that have had a great experience with it, and when considered carefully, its a great opportunity for most.

It was the overall characterization of ECNL comments here as "hey your in ECNL.. you got a free ride come to my school....." I've never seen anyone say that here.

Then if you look at other posts from today his remarks regarding "drinking the Kool-Aid" and "ECNL is a Cult" just smacked of a bitter parent that was more interested in spouting discontent than useful information.

ECNL in its current configuration has only been around one year. Wouldn't ECNL costs associated with any prior years be considerably different than last year's ECNL costs? Considering last year's configuration will likely represent the structure of ECNL going forward, wouldn't the parent who participated in ECNL last year have sufficient information?

I fail to see why you seem so focused on discrediting this guy's opinions. If there is room for the cheerleaders, there should be room for the naysayers, and people can find the balance somewhere in between.

fourfourtwo wrote:

ECNL in its current configuration has only been around one year. Wouldn't ECNL costs associated with any prior years be considerably different than last year's ECNL costs? Considering last year's configuration will likely represent the structure of ECNL going forward, wouldn't the parent who participated in ECNL last year have sufficient information?

I fail to see why you seem so focused on discrediting this guy's opinions. If there is room for the cheerleaders, there should be room for the naysayers, and people can find the balance somewhere in between.

Here are the current batch of rumors* regarding this:

- Structure will change next year in order to be even more regionally based.
- No random two game travel weekends.
- Only top 16 and relegation/promotion teams attend year end event.
- Good chance year end event will be in Dallas next year.

No random travel weekend and not being forced to go to year end event is a significant decrease in the cost (roughly $1k-$2k per player). It's still to be decided, but I think the structure for "Top 16" will change in order to accommodate the more regionally based structure (ie top 1-3 per region and wildcards, rather than the A/B national ranking tiers like they have now).

* While these are things I've heard, it's still all to be decided at the annual meeting in July, therefore they could prove to be completely inaccurate.