The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) is one of the top youth soccer programs in the US. It has a massive following and it has stuck to its initial strategy of creating a player-centric approach to development.
ECNL is separated into nine regional conferences for girls and ten for boys, each with anywhere from nine to sixteen clubs. They play a highly-regimented competition format for each regular season.
What is ECNL?
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ECNL is a competitive youth soccer league that was established in 2009, originally focusing on young female soccer players. However, as of 2017, it has also expanded to include boys and is considered one of the top levels of play in the United States.
During the ECNL season, teams play 20-30 games against other ECNL member clubs in their respective regional conferences. These games are played in a standings table format and each team is ranked according to its performance throughout the regular season.
ECNL also offers national events throughout the year that offer college coaches opportunities to watch top ECNL teams play. These events also allow players from a variety of different conferences to get to meet each other and make connections with college coaches.
ECNL Tryouts
The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) is the most successful club-based development program in youth soccer. It is the foundation for a model for player development that has produced unrivaled numbers of college recruits on both the boys and girls sides.
The ECNL tryouts are held in early June each year. All ages groups are invited to attend both days of the tryouts.
If you are interested in trying out for an ECNL team, please register through the FC Stars website and make sure to bring all of the required items. Arrive at least 30 minutes before the start time of your tryout to check in.
One of the most important things for young players to do to prepare for a tryout is to be physically fit. Our sport requires a lot of running and sprinting, so being able to handle this kind of physical demand can help you to show well in a tryout setting.
ECNL Regional League
The ECNL Regional League is a developmental platform for clubs that fuels the holistic development of players. It consists of a hierarchy of competition, player identification and coaching and club development platforms that serve the daily needs of elite soccer clubs.
It also allows for increased club connectivity between teams of different levels within ECNL clubs and opportunity for teams and players in other clubs to develop through regular high level competition.
ECNL teams participate in Regional Conferences and National Events to provide a higher level of match-ups against top teams across the country. Ultimately, it is the competitive environment that ECNL teams provide that sets them apart from other programs.
For a player looking to play on a team that plays a lot of quality games, is able to train 3 times a week and travel to other locations, the ECNL Regional League is the perfect choice! With top notch game facilities, college showcases and an opportunity to be recruited, the ECNL Regional League is a great option for players who want to play at a higher level.
ECNL Super Cup
The ECNL Super Cup is the first of its kind in American youth soccer, providing ECNL clubs a unique platform and pathway for players to achieve new levels of excellence. Bringing together standout players from each club’s U15-U19 age groups into a U16 team and a U19 team, the ECNL Super Cup creates an exciting and ground-breaking opportunity for additional training, competition and development opportunities.
The ECNL re-structured post-season in 2021/22 to provide more opportunities for ECNL members to play in front of college coaches. The ECNL National Events are weekend-long events that allow ECNL teams to compete against teams from other regional conferences.
The ECNL has also partnered with the top teams from the ECRL regional league to host the ECNL Open Cup, which is a great way for ECRL members to showcase their skills in a college showcase environment. Additionally, ECNL has a number of other high-profile national events that are a great way for ECNL clubs to get exposure to college coaches and recruiters from across the country.