Elite Clubs National League Explained

The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) is a national youth soccer developmental league in the United States. It was founded in 2009 as a girls' league and added a boys' league in 2017.^[1]

Competition format

The ECNL is divided by age groups from U-13 through U-19, and into nine (girls') or ten (boys') regional conferences of nine to 16 clubs. Clubs play regular season matches within their conferences, and top teams and wildcards can qualify for a post-season national round-robin champions' league competition. Winners of the group stage compete in a finals tournament for the title of national champion.^{[1] [2]}

ECNL clubs also compete in tournaments that invite clubs from other leagues, such as the Surf Cup operated by Surf Cup Sports, itself a licensee of several ECNL clubs.^[3]

Operation

The ECNL is a nonprofit organization composed of member clubs, with an elected board of directors that approves budgets, competition rules, and the admission of new members.^[3]

Broadcasting

ECNL matches have been nationally broadcast by ESPNU and ESPN3.^[4] ECNL matches are also streamed on Hudl.^[5]

Player costs

Costs to ECNL players can vary widely between clubs.^[6] Coaches not near ECNL clubs criticize the costs of playing for the league as a barrier for development in the sport^[7] and a factor in reducing the racial and economic diversity among elite United States soccer players.^{[8] [9]} Since its founding and continuing as of June 2015,^[10] the estimated average cost to play for an ECNL team was $3,000 to $10,000 per year.^{[11] [12]}

Conflicts with high school soccer

The ECNL doesn't prohibit its club players from also playing for high school soccer teams, and its season doesn't overlap with high school seasons. However, players and clubs alike reported challenges with players attempting to play for both, including scheduling conflicts, costs, injury risks, and strains on players' performances.^[13] The highly competitive nature of club soccer in the United States, and at times specifically the ECNL, is a subject of debate among high school athletes.^[14] The ECNL also facilitates collegiate coaches and scouts having access to recruit players, including those who haven't started high school, by accommodating them at ECNL tournaments.^[15]

Clubs

ECNL Girls

^[16]

Club Name	Location
Alabama FC	Birmingham, Alabama
Albion Hurricanes FC	Houston, Texas
Arlington Soccer	Arlington, Virginia
Atlanta Fire United	Duluth, Georgia
AZ Arsenal SC	Phoenix, Arizona
Bay Area Surf	Bay Area, California
Beach FC (CA)	Torrance, California
Beach FC (VA)	Virginia Beach, Virginia
Bethesda SC	Gaithersburg, Maryland
Boise Thorns FC	Meridian, Idaho
Carolina Elite Select Academy (CESA)	Greenville, South Carolina
Challenge SC	Spring, Texas
Charlotte Independence	Cornelius, North Carolina
Charlotte SA	Pineville, North Carolina
Classics Elite SC	San Antonio, Texas
Cleveland Force SC	Bedford Heights, Ohio
Colorado Rapids	Aurora, Colorado
Concorde Fire Platinum Concorde Fire Premier	Atlanta, Georgia
Connecticut FC	Bethany, Connecticut
Crossfire Premier	Redmond, Washington
Dallas Texans	Dallas, Texas
Davis Legacy	Davis, California
De Anza Force	Cupertino, California
Del Mar Carmel Valley Sharks	San Diego, California
D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club (DKSC)	Farmers Branch, Texas
Eagles Soccer Club	Camarillo, California
East Meadow SC	North Bellmore, New York
Eastside FC	Issaquah, Washington
Eclipse Select SC Eclipse Select SC North	Arlington Heights, Illinois
Fairfax BRAVE SC	Vienna, Virginia
FC Alliance	Knoxville, Tennessee
FC Bucks	Richboro, Pennsylvania
FC Dallas	Dallas, Texas
FC DELCO	Downingtown, Pennsylvania
FC Pride	Indianapolis, Indiana
FC Prime	Sunrise, Florida
FC Stars Blue FC Stars White	Acton, Massachusetts
FC Wisconsin	Germantown, Wisconsin
Florida Elite Soccer Academy	St. Johns, Florida
Florida Kraze Krush	Winter Springs, Florida
Florida Premier FC	New Port Richey, Florida
Florida West FC	Fort Myers, Florida
FSA FC	Farmington, Connecticut
Gretna Elite Academy	Gretna, Nebraska
Gwinnett Soccer Academy (GSA)	Lilburn, Georgia
Heat FC	Henderson, Nevada
Indiana Fire	Westfield, Indiana
Internationals SC	Medina, Ohio
Jacksonville FC	Jacksonville, Florida
Kansas City Athletics	Merriam, Kansas
Kings Hammer SC	Covington, Kentucky
LA Breakers FC	Los Angeles, California
La Roca	South Weber, Utah
LAFC So Cal	Woodland Hills, California
Legends FC	Eastvale, California
Liverpool FC IA Michigan	Pontiac, Michigan
Loudoun Soccer	Leesburg, Virginia
Marin FC	Greenbrae, California
Maryland United FC	Bowie, Maryland
Match Fit Academy	Mercer County, New Jersey
McLean Youth Soccer	McLean, Virginia
Michigan Hawks Michigan Hawks Magic	Plymouth, Michigan
Midwest United FC	Kentwood, Michigan
Minnesota Thunder Academy	Richfield, Minnesota
Mustang SC	Danville, California
MVLA Soccer Club	Mountain View, California
North Carolina Courage	Raleigh, North Carolina
North Carolina Fusion	Bermuda Run, North Carolina
NCFC Youth	Raleigh, North Carolina
Northwest Elite FC	Beaverton, Oregon
Ohio Elite Soccer Academy	Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio Premier	Dublin, Ohio
Oklahoma Energy FC	Edmond, Oklahoma
Orlando City Youth SC	Sanford, Florida
Pacific Northwest SC	Tukwila, Washington
Pateadores	Costa Mesa, California
Players Development Academy (PDA) PDA Blue	Somerset, New Jersey
PDA South	Westampton, New Jersey
Penn Fusion SA	West Chester, Pennsylvania
Phoenix Rising FC	Scottsdale, Arizona
Pipeline SC	White Marsh, Maryland
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Placer United SC	Rocklin, California
Pleasanton Rage	Pleasanton, California
Portland Thorns FC Academy	Portland, Oregon
Pride SC	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Racing Louisville FC Academy	Louisville, Kentucky
Real Colorado Real Colorado Athletico	Centennial, Colorado
Rebels SC	Chula Vista, California
Richmond United	Glen Allen, Virginia
Rockford Raptors FC	Loves Park, Illinois
San Diego Surf SC	San Diego, California
San Juan SC	Rancho Cordova, California
Santa Rosa United	Santa Rosa, California
Scorpions Soccer	Braintree, Massachusetts
Seattle United	Seattle, Washington
Slammers FC	Newport Beach, California
Slammers FC HB Køge	Costa Mesa, California
SLSG MO SLSG Green	Fenton, Missouri
So Cal Blues SC	Laguna Hills, California
Solar Soccer Club	Allen, Texas
South Carolina United	Columbia, South Carolina
Sporting Blue Valley	Overland Park, Kansas
Sporting California USA	Ontario, California
Sporting Iowa	Des Moines, Iowa
Sting Austin	Pflugerville, Texas
Sting Dallas Black Sting Dallas Royal	Dallas, Texas
Strikers FC ECNL	Irvine, California
SUSA FC	Smithtown, New York
Tampa Bay United SC	Tampa, Florida
Tennessee Soccer Club	Franklin, Tennessee
Tulsa SC	Tulsa, Oklahoma
United Futbol Academy	Cumming, Georgia
Utah Avalanche	Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah Royals FC	Mesa, Arizona
Virginia Development Academy	Woodbridge, Virginia
Washington Premier	Puyallup, Washington
Wilmington Hammerheads	Wilmington, North Carolina
Western New York Flash	Elma, New York
World Class FC	Orangeburg, New York

ECNL Boys

Sponsorship

The ECNL girls' league has been sponsored by Nike since 2010.^{[17] [18]} The partnership includes Nike retail presences at girls' ECNL events^[3] and national training camps held at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.^[19]

In March 2019, the ECNL announced that PUMA would sponsor the ECNL boys' league.^[20]

Oversight

The U.S. Soccer Federation designates US Club Soccer, a non-profit national association member of the federation, as overseer of the ECNL's girls' and boys' leagues as well as other youth leagues in the United States.^{[3] [1]}

History

Foundation

The ECNL was founded as a girls' soccer league in March 2009 during a meeting of 40 founding clubs.^[1] Its founding was inspired in part by frustrations experienced by clubs and coaches with older volunteer-driven organizations, such US Youth Soccer and the American Youth Soccer Organization, in favor of a more professionalized approach.^[11]

Christian Lavers is a league founder, and served as both president and CEO of the ECNL, executive vice president of US Club Soccer, vice president of US Club Soccer management services client C2SA, and owner and club director for Wisconsin ECNL club FC Wisconsin.^{[3] [21]} Lavers also served as director of sport and chief soccer officer of top-flight women's professional club Kansas City Current in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).^{[22] [23]}

Expansion

The ECNL expanded to 52 clubs in 2010 and 66 in 2011. The organization created a boys' league in 2017, adding 57 founding clubs.^[1]

By 2019, the ECNL girls' league had 94 clubs and boys' league had 90 clubs. After the shutdown of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy in 2020,^{[12] [24] [25]} the girls' league expanded to 113 clubs and boys' league to 131 clubs.^[1]

Public filings indicated that the league's revenue grew from $500,000 in 2010 to $3.4 million in 2019.^[3]

Competition with Development Academy

In 2017, the United States Soccer Federation announced the launch of a 74-club girls' academy within the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) organization, in addition to its boys' academy. This program competed directly with the ECNL, which launched its own boys' academy in the same year and brought the ECNL and DA into direct nationwide competition for youth soccer clubs.

The Development Academy prevented players from playing high school soccer, while the ECNL allowed it.^[25]

In 2019, top boys' and girls' clubs from the DA, all-star teams drawn from the ECNL and other domestic youth clubs, and youth clubs from FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, and Manchester City F.C. competed in the second International Champions Cup Futures Tournament, staged by Relevent Sports Group alongside their senior professional 2019 Women's International Champions Cup.^[26] The tournament took place from December 11 to December 15, 2019, at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.^{[27] [28]}

COVID-19 pandemic

U.S. Soccer closed the DA on April 15, 2020, citing financial difficulties related to the pandemic, and some of the former DA clubs joined the ECNL.^{[24] [25]}

The ECNL scheduled the start of its first season during the COVID-19 pandemic for August 1, 2020, for clubs in jurisdictions that allowed youth sports.^[29]

In September 2020, ECNL medical director Drew Watson organized a nationwide study of member clubs to track the spread of COVID-19 among players returning to practice and better understand the potential risks of transmission. The study encompassed 90,000 players and reported a positive case rate of 310 per 100,000 children.^[30]

In a separate study, Watson suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic had also increased rates of anxiety and depression reported by athletes.^[31]

2021 abuse scandal

See also: 2021 NWSL abuse scandal.

In a Washington Post report published February 2022, several former players of ECNL founding club Chicago Eclipse Select accused its coach Rory Dames, who also served on the league's board of directors, of sexual harassment and verbal abuse of youth players, and other abuses of power. The report also alleged that Dames hired a coach for Eclipse who had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. Center for SafeSport for sexual harassment of youth players. Dames denied the allegations through his attorney. The report followed a separate media report alleging similar behavior by Dames in his role as head coach of senior NWSL pro club Chicago Red Stars, which became part of the 2021 NWSL abuse scandal and led to two separate investigations into alleged abuses within the league, including Dames. US Club Soccer disqualified Dames from coaching in November 2021 following the NWSL reports. Dames also resigned as president of Eclipse Select.^[32]

The Report of the Independent Investigation to the U.S. Soccer Federation Concerning Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women's Professional Soccer, an independent report by Sally Yates commissioned by U.S. Soccer in 2021, noted that other ECNL club administrators were associated with other abuse allegations, either directly or indirectly. The report included complaints of a "fear-based" environment made by players against Aaran Lines for his tenure as head coach of the Western New York Flash, and the report also noted that Lines had remained a member of the Flash organization as director of its ECNL team.^[33] The Yates Report referenced an unnamed coach who had been sanctioned by the U.S. Center for SafeSport for making "sexually explicit remarks to high school players" but was allowed to be hired as director of coaching for an unnamed ECNL team.^[34] The report also covered the founding and coaching directing of ECNL club Albertson Soccer Club by Paul Riley until April 2020,^[35] who was also accused of sexual and verbal abuse of professional senior players during his tenures coaching in multiple leagues.^{[36] [37]} The NWSL club North Carolina Courage subsequently fired Riley, and U.S. Soccer subsequently suspended Riley's coaching license.^[36]

In January 2023, the NWSL permanently banned Riley and Dames from coaching in the league as a result of its joint investigation with the NWSL Players Association.^[38]

Allegations of systemic gender bias

In a report published by the Washington Post in November 2022, 24 current and former ECNL coaches raised concerns about a systemic lack of advancement opportunities for women working in ECNL, as well as discrimination and harassment. The report noted that 90 percent of directors of coaching at 129 ECNL clubs were male, and included claims by former Scotland and United Kingdom international Ifeoma Dieke, who had worked for an ECNL club and alleged that the league's exclusion of women from leadership roles was "a systemic problem". The ECNL and several of the clubs named in the report responded by denying the allegations or dismissing the complaints, and the league's chief operating officer Jennifer Winnagle stated that more than half of the league's front office staff was female. US Club Soccer responded to requests to comment with a statement indicating pride in the work of US Club Soccer and its member organizations for female youth soccer.^[3]

Champions

Overall Club Championship

Season	Girls[39]	Boys
2009–10	Not awarded	—
2010–11	Eclipse Select SC (IL)	—
2011–12	Slammers FC (CA)	—
2012–13		—
2013–14	Players Development Academy (NJ)	—
2014–15	Michigan Hawks SC (MI)	—
2015–16	Slammers FC (CA)	—
2016–17	Michigan Hawks SC (MI)	—
2017–18	Sting SC (TX)	Not awarded
2018–19	LAFC Slammers (CA)	Not awarded
2019–20	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic	Not awarded
2020–21	LAFC Slammers (CA)	San Diego Surf SC (CA)[40]
2021–22	Solar SC (TX)[41]	NASA Tophat (GA)[42]
2022–23		San Diego Surf SC (CA)[43]
2023–24

Notes and References

1. News: What exactly is the ECNL? . January 5, 2021 . April 10, 2023 . SoccerWire.
2. ECNL announces new playoff format . September 14, 2021 . April 10, 2023 . TopDrawerSoccer.com.
3. News: Where girls compete but men rule . November 18, 2022 . April 10, 2023 . . Molly . Hensley-Clancy.
4. News: Weekend soccer TV listings: Women's World Cup, Copa America, MLS, Friendlies, WPS, USL, Brazil, Youth . July 14, 2011 . . Steven . Goff.
5. Web site: ECNL . . April 14, 2023.
6. News: Girls Development Academy promises to be less expensive for players than ECNL . February 23, 2016 . April 10, 2023 . . Mike . Woitalla.
7. News: How U.S. Soccer's national problem is stunting Nebraska's talent . March 9, 2022 . April 10, 2023 . Nebraska News Service . Peyton . Thomas.
8. News: The Privilege of Play: Why the world's game is a white game in the U.S. . September 22, 2020 . April 10, 2023 . . Henry . Bushnell.
9. News: Pay-to-Play: New article examines 'why soccer is such a white sport' in the USA . October 1, 2020 . April 10, 2023 . SoccerWire.
10. Web site: Should my daughter play ECNL? . June 25, 2015 . April 10, 2023 . . Lisa . Lavelle.
11. Web site: Can US Youth Soccer, MLS tackle "travel soccer" conundrum? . May 31, 2020 . April 10, 2023 . Major League Soccer.
12. News: Alphabet soup: Development Academy shutdown puts Austin's elite girls soccer in tough spot . April 25, 2020 . April 10, 2023 . . Chris . Bils.
13. News: Top girls' soccer players face difficult choice between club, high school teams . April 22, 2015 . April 14, 2023 . . Brandon . Parker.
14. News: What Students Are Saying About: Digital Memories, Youth Sports and Movie Theaters . May 9, 2019 . April 14, 2023 . The New York Times.
15. News: Committing to Play for a College, Then Starting 9th Grade . January 26, 2014 . April 14, 2023 . . Nathaniel . Popper.
16. Web site: Member Clubs . April 10, 2023 . Elite Clubs National League.
17. GIRLS ECNL EXTENDS LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH NIKE . March 29, 2019 . April 10, 2023 . Elite Clubs National League.
18. ECNL National Championship and AGM set to begin; ECNL announces long-term partnership with Nike . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100714153520/http://www.eliteclubsnationalleague.com/home/447044.html . July 14, 2010 . July 12, 2010 . April 10, 2023 . Elite Clubs National League.
19. News: Train, and Recover, Like a U.S. Soccer Star . August 19, 2015 . April 14, 2023 . AskWell . The New York Times.
20. Boys ECNL signs PUMA as official league sponsor . March 26, 2019 . April 10, 2023 . SoccerWire.
21. News: ECNL in depth, Part II: League execs explain unique governance, talent ID processes . February 17, 2021 . April 10, 2023 . SoccerWire . Jimmy . LaRoue.
22. News: ECNL president Christian Lavers accepts position with Kansas City NWSL team . March 29, 2021 . April 10, 2023 . SoccerWire.
23. News: Christian Lavers picked as Kansas City NWSL's chief soccer officer . March 30, 2021 . April 10, 2023 . . Paul . Kennedy.
24. News: U.S. Soccer shuts down Development Academy, blames COVID-19 . April 15, 2020 . April 10, 2023 . The Equalizer . Jeff . Kassouf.
25. News: U.S. Soccer Development Academy closes its doors . April 21, 2020 . April 14, 2023 . . . Andrew . Turner.
26. News: International Champions Cup women's tournament expands to eight teams as 2019 schedule comes together . February 15, 2019 . April 14, 2023 . . Jonathan . Tannenwald.
27. News: AMERICAN FEMALE YOUTH TEAMS ARE BETTER THAN THEY'VE EVER BEEN . January 8, 2020 . April 14, 2023 . Diane . Scavuzzo . Soccer Today.
28. Web site: 2019 International Champions Cup Futures Tournament . April 14, 2023 . IMG Academy.
29. News: Youth sports continue to deal with coronavirus pandemic as Orange County cases rise . July 22, 2020 . April 14, 2023 . . Andrew . Turner.
30. News: ECNL clubs partake in nationwide COVID-19 study assessing risk of soccer participation . September 17, 2020 . April 14, 2023 . . . Andrew . Turner.
31. News: For youth soccer players, COVID-19 has had dire mental health consequences . October 15, 2020 . April 14, 2023 . . Felipe . Cardenas.
32. News: 'Nobody believed those teenagers' . February 8, 2022 . April 10, 2023 . . Molly . Hensley-Clancy.
33. Sally Q. Yates . Sally Yates . October 3, 2022 . Report of the Independent Investigation to the U.S.Soccer Federation Concerning Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women's Professional Soccer . . 46 . April 10, 2023 . ... players described a “completely toxic environment” at WNY Flash, saying that the Head Coach Aaran Lines created an “absolute hell hole” where “everyone is motivated by fear” and the “head coach has no respect for players as people.” (210) One player described the coach’s style as “fear based instead of motivational” while another described the environment as “dehumanizing and dangerous.” (211) As one player noted to us, the environment was hostile, and Lines thought he could do whatever he wanted. (212) Lines declined our request for an interview and remains a member of the organization, continuing to serve as director of the program’s top girls’ team, which is a member of the Elite Clubs National League (“ECNL”).(213).
34. Sally Q. Yates . Sally Yates . October 3, 2022 . Report of the Independent Investigation to the U.S.Soccer Federation Concerning Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women's Professional Soccer . . 167 . April 10, 2023 . For example, in one case in which SafeSport issued findings substantiating a complaint that a youth coach made sexually explicit remarks to high school players, its discipline was limited to a two-year probation, during which he continued to coach high-school girls and was installed as Director of Coaching for an Elite Clubs National League (“ECNL”) team. (1397).
35. Sally Q. Yates . Sally Yates . October 3, 2022 . Report of the Independent Investigation to the U.S.Soccer Federation Concerning Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women's Professional Soccer . . 185 . April 10, 2023 . From the mid-1990’s until 2020, Riley owned and operated the Paul Riley Soccer School. He also founded and served as the Director of Coaching for the Albertson Soccer Club, a youth organization which fielded multiple teams in both the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) and Development Academy (DA). Riley also owned and operated the FC Fury, a team in the DA, and the NEWSS (National Elite Women’s Soccer Showcase). Riley sold his interests in FC Fury, Paul Riley Soccer Club, and Albertson Soccer Club in April 2020..
36. News: Accusations of Abuse Shake U.S. Women's Soccer League . September 30, 2021 . April 10, 2023 . . Kevin . Draper.
37. News: 'This guy has a pattern': Amid institutional failure, former NWSL players accuse prominent coach of sexual coercion . September 30, 2021 . April 10, 2023 . . Meg . Linehan.
38. News: 4 former NWSL coaches are banned permanently following an abuse investigation . January 10, 2023 . April 10, 2023 . . National Public Broadcasting.
39. Web site: Kutney . Jason . 2021-08-10 . LAFC SLAMMERS WINS OVERALL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP, TOP 25 CLUBS REVEALED . 2023-07-19 . en-US.
40. Web site: Kutney . Jason . 2021-08-10 . SAN DIEGO SURF NAMED FIRST ECNL BOYS OVERALL CLUB CHAMPION, TOP 25 CLUBS REVEALED . 2023-07-19 . en-US.
41. Web site: 2022-08-29 . SOLAR SC NAMED ECNL GIRLS OVERALL CLUB CHAMPION, TOP 25 CLUBS REVEALED . 2023-07-19 . ECNL Girls . en-US.
42. Web site: 2022-08-29 . NTH-NASA NAMED ECNL BOYS 2021-2022 OVERALL CLUB CHAMPION, TOP 25 CLUBS REVEALED . 2023-07-19 . Boys ECNL . en-US.
43. Web site: ECNL Boys Top 25 Clubs honored; San Diego Surf named Overall Champion . 2024-01-23 . SoccerWire . en.