ECNL Overview
ECNL Director, Alejandro speaks about what ECNL can offer a plyer.
NORTH
Real Colorado (CO)
Colorado Rapids Youth (CO)
Pride SC (CO)
B-Elite Academy (CO)
La Roca (UT)
Utah Avalanche (UT)
Phx Rising
FC Tucson
AZ Arsenal
FC Arizona
New Mexico Rush (NM)
Rio Rapids (NM)
SOUTH
League Play
There will be 16 league games for ECNL (last year there were 24).
There will be 2 local ECNL tournaments so this will minimize the amount of extra travel. This will also allow us to look to schedule the Arizona ECNL games on single-game weekends, which will significantly reduce the stress on players and decrease the risk of injury often caused by the double game weekends.
TRAVEL
Travel will change significantly. Instead of 5 travel weekends to California/Vegas, there will only be 3.
One to New Mexico, and two to Colorado, with the Utah clubs coming to us. Then next year there will only be two travel weekends – one to New Mexico and one to Utah, with the Colorado clubs coming to us.
The only negative with travel is the distance to Colorado being further than California and likely a flight, but the significant reduction in travel weekends should offset this.
TEAM TRAVEL
Team travel will be up to each individual team. There will be options available:
Families can travel individually, or in
vehicle rental with team chaperones.
This will be determined before the season, and be a team decision.
What is the “ECNL”
(the Elite Clubs National League)?
The ECNL is a national youth soccer league founded in 2009 for the purpose of providing the highest level of competition and the best developmental environment for American 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. The ECNL was founded by clubs throughout the country based on the belief that elite 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.
What does moving to the ECNL mean for FC Arizona and our players?
Competing in the ECNL will afford us the opportunity to continue our club-centric model in a more competitive development environment and offer a stronger competition model for player development while offering a proven college track path.
Why should I play in the ECNL?
The ECNL was formed with one driving purpose: to improve the developmental environment for elite soccer players. In order to accomplish this, the ECNL has several specific objectives:
1. increase the frequency with which the top players in the country have the opportunity to compete against each other;
2. decrease the number of uncompetitive games for the top players in the country so that these players can train more frequently;
3. increase the collegiate recruiting exposure for top players;
4. 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.
Who plays in the ECNL?
For a complete list of member clubs, please go to https://www.ecnlboys.com/
For additional information
We encourage you to register for tryouts. If you’d prefer not to register yet, but have questions, please contact us for additional information. All inquiries remain confidential.
Please visit the ECNL Boys website.
