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What is ECNL soccer? Everything You Need to Know About This Top-Level Youth League

Published: November 30, 2021
Updated: February 20, 2023
By: Jenn Ireland

Category: Soccer Tryouts, The Women's Game

If you are playing competitive youth soccer in the US, the chances are pretty high that you either play in, or have heard, of the ECNL.

Here we are going to answer some frequently asked questions about the ECNL, give a brief overview of what a typical ECNL season looks like and explain why some of the very best youth players in the US choose to play in the ECNL. Also, we have some tips if you are thinking about attending soccer tryouts for the 2022/23 ECNL season.

What is ECNL soccer? A brief history

The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) was started for female youth soccer players in 2009. It was founded as a collaboration between high-level soccer clubs across the nation that “saw a need for change in, and special commitment to, improving the daily environment for American elite female youth soccer players.” The ECNL is sanctioned by US Club Soccer.

The ECNL started with girls soccer teams in the U15, U16 and U17 age groups, but has since expanded to U13 – U19 (and added some U12 teams as well with the new Pre-ECNL program). The ECNL also expanded to create ENCL Boys in 2018. To become part of the ECNL, clubs have to go through a tight application process and prove their level of play.

What is the difference between ECNL and ECRL?

The ECRL (ECNL regional league) was introduced a couple years ago as a second-tier within the ECNL. The main difference is that ECRL teams mostly play opponents in their region, while ECNL teams play nationally. This addition has added depth to the league and additional development opportunities for players, making it so more of them can consistently compete at a higher level of play and against stronger competition.

As of the 2021/22 season, ECNL girls has approximately 748 teams, while the ECNL girls regional league (ECRL) has about 840 teams.

ECNL League play, national events and playoffs

This article from soccerwire.com does a great job going in-depth with the competition format and season structure, but here’s the short & sweet version:

ECNL regular season League play

Teams compete against other teams in their regional conferences. There are 9 ECNL girls conferences, some of which are split further into sub-regions. Each team plays approximately 20-30 games during the regular season.

ECNL National Events

National Events are opportunities for teams to play against different opponents from different regional conferences, meaning teams that they don’t normally get to play in league play. For the 2021/22 ECNL soccer season, there are 8 National Events scheduled to be played all around the country.

ECNL National Selection Games also take place during ENCL National Event weekends. The National Selection Games are ‘all-star’ games in which top players are selected by ECNL selection staff. These games are highly anticipated and a huge honor to be selected for.

ECNL Girls Announces Rosters for ECNL Tennessee (#ECNLTN) National Selection Games

Read More: https://t.co/IH4eBTw7WV pic.twitter.com/PkMfsz76x7
— ECNL Girls (@ECNLgirls) November 30, 2021

ECNL National Playoffs & Finals

The ECNL recently announced a new post-season structure for the 2021/22 season. The post-season will start with the ECNL National Playoffs, with the qualifying teams playing in the Champions League competition. 44 teams will quality from each age group. From there, 16 teams will advance to a round of 16, and the 8 winners will move onto the ECNL Girls National Finals.

At the U16 and U17 age groups only, the top teams that don’t quality for the Champions League can qualify for the North American Cup or one of two Showcase Cups. These cups take place at the ECNL National Playoffs and give players the chance to play in front of college colleges and scouts.

ECNL Open Cup

The ECNL Open Cup is an opportunity for teams that didn’t quality for Champions League, North American Cup or Showcase Cup to play. Top teams from the ECNL regional league (ECRL) are also invited to compete. This provides a platform for ECRL players to compete against mid-level ECNL teams and showcase their skills in a college showcase environment.

ECNL Super Cup

The Super Cup provides ECNL clubs the opportunity to create a ‘first-team’, best-of-the-best roster for U15-U19 age groups. Players chosen for this highest level of competition within their club will still be rostered with their ECNL age group team, but they will receive additional training and competition opportunities by playing with the combined super team. Each club can only have one Super Cup team.

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The best leagues for high-level play in girls soccer

The ECNL is one of the top destinations for elite, youth female soccer, but it isn’t the ONLY place where girls soccer players are thriving. Other current top-level youth girls soccer programs in the United States include the GA (Girls Academy), ODP (Olympic Development Program) and the NPL (National Premier League).

The USSF’s DA program is no longer in the mix, it was shut down unexpectedly in 2020, just a few years after the girls side of the program was launched – which is where the GA popped up, to fill the void left by the DA. As of right now in 2022, the ECNL, along with the Girls Academy, are the two youth leagues that offer female soccer players the highest level of play in the US and the best route to collegiate and national team play.

Why players choose the ECNL

So why do girls soccer players choose the ECNL? Since its founding, the ECNL has been positioning itself to be the top tier for female youth soccer development in the United States – and it’s doing a pretty good job. Not only has the ECNL created a massive following, they’ve also held true to their original approach of creating a player-centered approach to development. And along the way produced an abundance of superstars in the rapidly growing world of US women’s soccer.

ECNL players have been dominating college soccer for the past several years. In the 2021 season, in the NCAA Power Five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC), more than 1175 ECNL Girls alums were rostered. Not only that, ECNL alums have also been representing at an international level more and more (on Nov 26th, 2021, 9 former ECNL players were on the roster for USWNT’s friendly vs Australia).

🚨 9… Let’s say that AGAIN, 9 #ECNLAlums represented the @USWNT last night. 🚨

Beyond excited for Sullivan, Horan, Fox, Davidson, Cook, Murphy, Campbell, Sanchez & Weaver!@mcleansoccer @DeAnzaForce @MFAGirlsAcademy @PDAGirlsSoccer @CF_soccerclub @socal_blues @WAPremier https://t.co/DcQDkruCZE
— ECNL Girls (@ECNLgirls) November 27, 2021

How do I play in the ECNL?

If you are interested in playing ECNL or ECNL regional league soccer, start by checking out this map to find a club near you. Most major metropolitan areas have ECNL clubs in the near vicinity, but not all. Do research online and reach out to the individual clubs via their website to get information on ECNL soccer tryouts.

ECNL tryouts are open tryouts, meaning anyone who signs up and pays the registration fee can attend, it’s not based on invitation. Tryouts typically take place in the spring, although each state will vary slightly because the dates are set by the state’s youth soccer associations, not ECNL.

My biggest piece of advice, if you want to play in this premier youth league, is that you need to be invested – and that means doing the work and taking charge of your own development. The ECNL is top-notch, one of the highest levels of play for youth players in America. If your goal is to play ECNL or ECRL, you have to be motivated, driven and committed to doing the work necessary to get you there. This means being truly, deeply, passionately invested in your individual development and in constantly working to improve your game.

Elite Club National League is...

So, just to refresh, what is ECNL soccer? It’s a place where youth soccer players get the chance to consistently compete against high-quality opponents in an environment that supports them as a player and offers numerous development and recruitment opportunities. The ECNL continues to expand and add new programs (ECNL regional league, Super Cup, Pre-ECNL, etc.) solidifying this league a top-level destination.

Hi everyone! I’m Jenn and I create content to help female soccer players and coaches maximize individual and team potential by developing healthy mindset skills. Join other subscribers and sign up for the newsletter for all my best tips and advice!

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Hi everyone!

I'm Jenn, a USSF C-licensed youth soccer coach, mental skills coach & founder here at Expand Your Game. I created this site because it is the site I needed when I was a soccer player.

About me: I am a former newspaper photojournalist who loves downtempo electronic music, guacamole and books of every sort. And of course soccer! On days off you can find me researching tiny farms in Portugal , tossing a frisbee for my dog, or tending to my growing collection of indoor plants.