New Division added to LHGCL?

We're all wackadoodles, otherwise we wouldn't be here.

Done deal. Back breaker for non encl world

Homeboy wrote:Heard that LHGCL was adding  a division to their leagues exclusively for the ECNL Clubs. There will be no promotion or relegation! If this is true it's a landscape change for NTX. No more have to win mentality so player development can be the main priority. If this is true LHGCL just made the best change they ever have to enhance the game of soccer here in NTX. Congrats and thank you LHGCL!!

SD69 wrote:We're all wackadoodles, otherwise we wouldn't be here.

Says the guy getting a discount. which I have no problem with btw.

bwgophers wrote:

RunningWithScissors wrote:I can't believe LH is working with US Club and NTX approved it. Maybe LH is looking to take the entire league to US Club in the near future.

This is either going to be great or a disaster.

Who said NTX approved it?

I'm assuming you mean NTSSA, and they have no control over any of it, other than to pull their sanctioning of LHGCL.  I would assume that if NTSSA pulled their sanctioning of LHGCL, LH would probably just go get US Club to sanction LHGCL.

The US Soccer Federation explicitly prohibits any sanctioning body, NTSSA included, from excluding any club/league/home association based on its membership in another sanctioning body approved by US Soccer.
Policy 212-1—Participation in Affiliated Organizations - http://www.ussoccer.com/about/governance/bylaws (see the policy manual download link).

wittymgr wrote:

bwgophers wrote:

RunningWithScissors wrote:I can't believe LH is working with US Club and NTX approved it. Maybe LH is looking to take the entire league to US Club in the near future.

This is either going to be great or a disaster.

Who said NTX approved it?

I'm assuming you mean NTSSA, and they have no control over any of it, other than to pull their sanctioning of LHGCL.  I would assume that if NTSSA pulled their sanctioning of LHGCL, LH would probably just go get US Club to sanction LHGCL.

The US Soccer Federation explicitly prohibits any sanctioning body, NTSSA included, from excluding any club/league/home association based on its membership in another sanctioning body approved by US Soccer.
Policy 212-1—Participation in Affiliated Organizations - http://www.ussoccer.com/about/governance/bylaws (see the policy manual download link).

I'm sure Fifa will get it all straightened out.

What was really wrong with the old days? One LH, one PL, one state cup, one real national championship, and a series of major showcases where the teams that had proven themselves were accepted on merit. Hard to see how 6 different leagues and participation patches for all will produce better players in the long run. Does this look like nightmare for college coaches?

4-3-3 wrote:What was really wrong with the old days?

Somebody's ego was either getting bruised or wasn't getting stroked enough...

bwgophers wrote:

4-3-3 wrote:What was really wrong with the old days?

Somebody's ego was either getting bruised or wasn't getting stroked enough...

Had to be more to it than that...surely.

I thought one of the precepts of ECNL was that there was more practices (development) less games. Wasn't there all these articles about there was too many games for girls soccer versus actual practice? Now with all these leagues, it looks like emphasis is on games (winning) versus development (practice). Big picture it's all a money grab.

Tiki-taka wrote:I thought one of the precepts of ECNL was that there was more practices (development) less games.  Wasn't there all these articles about there was too many games for girls soccer versus actual practice?   Now with all these leagues, it looks like emphasis is on games (winning) versus development (practice).  Big picture it's all a money grab.  

It's up to the ECNL clubs to show whether they buy into that development mantra or if they will bow to the ego's of the NTX parents and the almighty dollars that they control.

Unfortunately, I think it will be the latter. Just like all of the college coaches who lament about recruiting and making verbal commitments to middle schoolers, but turn around and do it anyways because "If I don't, someone else will."

So BW....u mean to say we parents are the ones driving this bus off the cliff? The poor DOCs are being bent over and forced into raking in all our money?

4-3-3 wrote:So BW....u mean to say we parents are the ones driving this bus off the cliff? The poor DOCs are being bent over and forced into raking in all our money?

No... but one group has their hands on the steering wheel while the other is holding the throttle wide open...

Coaches started this whole "pay for play" system, but us parents went along.  As I've said several times before, NTX is producing large #'s of the best softball players in the country, and I can count on 1 hand the number of people out there in NTX who are making their primary income coaching select/travel softball teams.

Pretty sure it wasn't a coach who started ranking academy age teams, or started posting scores and standings for SDL games on TxSoccer.net.

Seem to remember Grubb getting raked over the coals and accused of ducking competition by several parents on here because he had the audacity to play his '01 Girls team in only 1 league during the Spring of U10.

Let's look at this new Jr. Development League.  No scores, No standings.  That tells me at least some of the DoC's/Coaches out there would prefer to take their top players and only play them in that league, with minimal pressure to win so that they could truly work on development in high quality game situations.  However, all it will take is a couple of us Whackadoodle parents with stud DD's to insist that those DD's play in both LHGCL and JDL or they will threaten to take their talented DD, and more importantly, their money, elsewhere, and we'll be back to seeing most of the top players, if not entire teams, dual rostered between LHGCL and JDL, back to playing 2-3 games every weekend just like academy, directly against the recommendations of USSF.  

How long do you think it will take the parents of the JDL players to come on here and start posting scores and unofficial standings??? (Anyone got TallTexxan's number?)

...and oh, by the way, I am obviously VERY far from innocent when it comes to this...  I may not be a protagonist or instigator, but I'm certainly an enabler...

I can't and am not speaking for our organization.
What I'm speculating is that the ECNL composite team will be compromised of non-dressers( players 19-25) and committed players(1-18) of ECNL rosters. It sounds like LH is willing to be a platform for these players to showcase their skills.
Showcasing their skills. That is the priority. Not dumping ten in the box to muster wins or draws.
Honestly who cares about staying alive in Lake Highlands? To heck with club byes . There are some brilliant players in all leagues that are hamstrung by their team's positioning. At this point as parents, your loyalties should be with your player. You know in your heart if your child can play at a D 1 level.
Here's what I know. My daughter is a former Lake Highlands player that joined an ECNL team when her team didn't make. The coaching is comparable to the brilliant coaching she had before. She's worked hard and is the beneficiary of the highest level D1-D2-D3 exposure that D1-D2 Lake Highlands is not privy to.
She has the talent, skill and work ethic to be a D1 scholarship athlete. Our girls are going to be juniors next year. Put your kids in front of the right people. If it's Lake Highlands or ECNL then so be it.
There's only two years left for our age bracket. Anonymity is cool but I look forward to revealing our players once their high school careers are done.'

These so called new leagues is just an attempt by some to remain relevant and to salvage what little they think they left. The big clubs, as I stated years back are taking control and squeezing out the old regime.

I agree.

4-3-3 wrote:

bwgophers wrote:

4-3-3 wrote:What was really wrong with the old days?

Somebody's ego was either getting bruised or wasn't getting stroked enough...

Had to be more to it than that...surely.

More $ to be had.

bwgophers wrote:

4-3-3 wrote:So BW....u mean to say we parents are the ones driving this bus off the cliff? The poor DOCs are being bent over and forced into raking in all our money?

No... but one group has their hands on the steering wheel while the other is holding the throttle wide open...

Coaches started this whole "pay for play" system, but us parents went along.  As I've said several times before, NTX is producing large #'s of the best softball players in the country, and I can count on 1 hand the number of people out there in NTX who are making their primary income coaching select/travel softball teams.

Pretty sure it wasn't a coach who started ranking academy age teams, or started posting scores and standings for SDL games on TxSoccer.net.

Seem to remember Grubb getting raked over the coals and accused of ducking competition by several parents on here because he had the audacity to play his '01 Girls team in only 1 league during the Spring of U10.

Let's look at this new Jr. Development League.  No scores, No standings.  That tells me at least some of the DoC's/Coaches out there would prefer to take their top players and only play them in that league, with minimal pressure to win so that they could truly work on development in high quality game situations.  However, all it will take is a couple of us Whackadoodle parents with stud DD's to insist that those DD's play in both LHGCL and JDL or they will threaten to take their talented DD, and more importantly, their money, elsewhere, and we'll be back to seeing most of the top players, if not entire teams, dual rostered between LHGCL and JDL, back to playing 2-3 games every weekend just like academy, directly against the recommendations of USSF.  

How long do you think it will take the parents of the JDL players to come on here and start posting scores and unofficial standings??? (Anyone got TallTexxan's number?)

...and oh, by the way, I am obviously VERY far from innocent when it comes to this...  I may not be a protagonist or instigator, but I'm certainly an enabler...

Can we get an FBR for the DLs?

Lefty wrote:

4-3-3 wrote:

bwgophers wrote:

4-3-3 wrote:What was really wrong with the old days?

Somebody's ego was either getting bruised or wasn't getting stroked enough...

Had to be more to it than that...surely.

More $ to be had.

No, somebody, or a small group of somebodies, felt that they could "do it better", and weren't getting enough credit or recognition under the current system, so they went out and started an alternate league. Those type of decisions are almost always driven first and foremost by ego, even moreso if there is money and livelihood involved.

adufresne wrote:Can we get an FBR for the DLs?

I'd put money on it that myself or one of my cohorts will get a legitimate request for just such a thing before the 2016-2017 season is over.

bwgophers wrote:

adufresne wrote:Can we get an FBR for the DLs?

I'd put money on it that myself or one of my cohorts will get a legitimate request for just such a thing before the 2016-2017 season is over.

Burn the hard drives BW... let it die a quick and painless death. Lol

I was with you BW as you talked about the comparison to softball. Can't follow you down that road of conflating eager ulittle parents ranking teams and posting on the internet with the turf wars the different youth orgs have been waging over the control of parent pocketbooks.

 FBR could disappear tomorrow, and so could TSN,  and it would have no bearing AT ALL on the business plans of the soccer entrepreneurs.

Anyone have any insight into new fees?

ItsMeAgain wrote:

bwgophers wrote:

ItsMeAgain wrote:

bwgophers wrote:
Premier Development League (PDL) - U14-U18.  This is where the Composite teams will be playing their regular league games.  LH will run the league with a parallel schedule/venues to ECNL. Haven't confirmed whether official scores/standings will be kept in this league.  This league will include teams from ECNL Texas Conference Clubs, 1 team per club.  This league will be "instead of" playing in LHGCL, although since PDL/LHGCL are sanctioned by different entities, just like ECNL, it looks like there will be the option to dual-roster.  For 2016-2017, it looks like PDL will just have U15 & U17 divisions, but it looks like the option is there to expand it to each of the U14-U18 age groups in the future.

youre saying that the composite league will be under us club rosters, but will be run by lake highlands and not ecnl as originally was proposed?

Yes. Us Club sanctioned, but administered by LH.

thats reason enough to avoid composite in my book..................................

Heard today that LH running the composite league may not be the done deal it was purported to be. Getting conflicting information from a couple of different sources I trust, suggesting that not all parties are 100% on the same page yet. Stay tuned...

I heard that ECNL announced they would not sanction the ECNL Composite League... so now what does that mean for that age group of teams?

AtThePitch wrote:I heard that ECNL announced they would not sanction the ECNL Composite League...  so now what does that mean for that age group of teams?

Have to confess I never did grasp what the allure of that whole concept was. I understand what's in it for the ECNL clubs, but players? Doesn't LHGCL D1 serve essentially the same purpose?

Can you answer your own question ? You are part of ECNL for 48 hours now.

SWINGIT!! wrote:How is a division strictly for ECNL clubs the best thing to ever happen to NTX soccer?
No promotion or relegation, I get. But limiting consumers to 1 of the Big 5 seems to be driven by something other than development.