Can somebody break down the differences between the ECNL leagues? Ages, competition level etc.?

ECNL
ECRL
ECNL RL
Pre-ECNL
Specifically as it relates to girls youth soccer?

I thought ECRL and ECNL RL were interchangeable and the breakdown between the leagues was mostly based on age groups. I was also under the impression that ECNL was an age-pure league but now I think that might have changed also.

Thanks for the help!

As I understand it:
ECNL is a larger competition between the best teams in a certain geographic area that usually includes more than one state but not always. Eventually it becomes a national competition.

ECRL is step below that usually includes teams within the state, again not always.

Pre-ECNL is just a club designation because that age group doesn't have ECNL.

That's correct.

Also, ECRL is just a short way to say ECNL RL or ECNL Regional League.

In the Texas League, NL and RL all play the same clubs except there are two additional Oklahoma clubs at the RL level. Texas League = 10 Texas teams, 2 Oklahoma teams, plus 2 additional Oklahoma teams for RL.

I think there are a few more clubs involved in ECRL than just the ECNL clubs.

Just the two extra Oklahoma RL teams I mentioned in the Texas Conference. You can see it on the website or app when you look at the standings for each age group. Note, Tulsa SC doesn't have an RL for every age group.

OP- It is still an age pure league, teams are by birth year even though all the official team names are U13, U14, etc.

It appears we both mispoke about ECNL RL. It is separate from ECRL and ECNL.

The link below is what I was speaking about. This appears to be the South Texas group.
https://public.totalglobalsports.com/public/event/2304/event-division-teams/12144

No, what has been said is correct.

There are also two other ECNL RL conferences within Texas. The ECNL RL USC and ECNL RL North Texas conferences. They may appear equal to the Texas conference, but in reality they are a step below. Generally most clubs that have NL and RL teams will put their third level team in those conferences. However, some clubs that aren't in NL and RL may have their first team in those conferences, the Houstonians for example.

The RL playoffs reflect this structure. Eight teams make the playoff, the top four Texas Conference teams make it along with the top three RL USC teams and the top North Texas team.

etmydst said:

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No, what has been said is correct.

There are also two other ECNL RL conferences within Texas. The ECNL RL USC and ECNL RL North Texas conferences. They may appear equal to the Texas conference, but in reality they are a step below. Generally most clubs that have NL and RL teams will put their third level team in those conferences. However, some clubs that aren't in NL and RL may have their first team in those conferences, the Houstonians for example.

The RL playoffs reflect this structure. Eight teams make the playoff, the top four Texas Conference teams make it along with the top three RL USC teams and the top North Texas team.

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Quote:

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Also, ECRL is just a short way to say ECNL RL or ECNL Regional League.

In the Texas League, NL and RL all play the same clubs except there are two additional Oklahoma clubs at the RL level. Texas League = 10 Texas teams, 2 Oklahoma teams, plus 2 additional Oklahoma teams for RL.

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The link I provided had Rise, SG1, Dynamo and Houstonians, which are not in ECNL. So that's more than the Oklahoma clubs. Or maybe I'm just confused. Sorry, I'm not trying to be annoying about this.

It's confusing. Yes, technically the RL USC and RL North Texas conferences are in the ECNL umbrella as RL conferences, but when some one refers to an RL team they are talking about the teams in the Texas conference.

The RL USC came about two seasons ago. USC stands for United Soccer Clubs which is made up of most of the top clubs in South Texas. Some clubs in USC have ECNL and RL teams, some have GA, some have neither.

Prior to creation of RL USC, the top non-NL, RL, and GA teams in the USC were in USC Champions League Division. That Champions League Division became the RL USC Conference in 2019/2020 season. So, there isn't a club in RL USC that isn't a member of USC, which are the clubs you mentioned.

Again, it does vary for each club as to the level of the team in RL USC. Rise and Lonestar have GA teams, so their RL USC team is probably third level in their club. The Dynamos, Houstonians, and SG1 teams in RL USC are the top teams for those clubs.

"THE ECNL REGIONAL LEAGUE: THIS IS THE PROVING GROUND
The ECNL Regional Leagues are part of the Elite Clubs National League competition pyramid. The Regional Leagues are a development platform for clubs that fuel the continued holistic development of players and provide a proving ground for future competitive opportunities for teams and clubs.
ECNL Girls Regional Leagues service a deeper player pool from member clubs of the Elite Clubs National League and provide a competitive platform for objective evaluation of new clubs to become ECNL member clubs in the future."

So, if a club is looking for membership into ECNL, they start in ECNL Regional League, regardless of age?

If they perform well here, they move too ???
I'm still unsure about the age pure thing. Soccer rumor mill has it that Solar coaches (Shepard and Grado) raised holy hell in order for their teams to play up. Again, just rumors...

I have no idea how a club applies for membership to ECNL.

I may have misunderstood the definition of age-pure. From my understanding it meant birth year teams as opposed to school year teams. ECNL does allow play up players.

etmydst said:

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I have no idea how a club applies for membership to ECNL.

I may have misunderstood the definition of age-pure. From my understanding it meant birth year teams as opposed to school year teams. ECNL does allow play up players.

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Thanks for taking the time to explain the differences.

My daughter plays u15 ECRL.

Some of the teams are wicked good. Some are not. My daughters team is somewhere in the middle.

My daughter plays U13 ECNL (this is our first year obviously). I'm not sure of how all the teams get established but the competition is ridiculously good, particularly the north TX teams.

It's all just a way to get more money out of parents and the bragging rights that your kid plays for this top league…

agracer said:

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It's all just a way to get more money out of parents and the bragging rights that your kid plays for this top league…

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Pretty much. ECNL sad they were losing money and expanded.

That being said, it's way better organized thang thd GCL in Dallas.