I am on a good team now. What is special about FC DELCO?
Yes, there are certainly some good teams in the Eastern Pennsylvania/Mid Atlantic region. However, FC DELCO is a nationally recognized club – a club of elite teams which play in the top national programs in Boys and Girls soccer, the US Development Academy and the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). Also, FC DELCO is an established club with a solid protocol of developing and preparing the elite player to play soccer at the next level in their soccer career. Most importantly, FC DELCO’s participation in the ECNL guarantees its teams will be at the top showcases, playing the best teams at the prime times on the best fields.
FC DELCO is not for everyone. FC DELCO looks for elite players with the commitment, motivation and talent to play at a national level against the top competition in the country. Since its inception in 1989, FC DELCO has offered elite players an opportunity to play a national schedule that gives wide exposure to the highest levels of the youth game and high visibility to college and national team coaches.
FC DELCO philosophy:
1) Playing against national competition on a consistent basis is the best way to develop the highest quality soccer players and to showcase the players to college and national team coaches.
2) Elite players should have training opportunities from a staff of top coaches that work across age groups, so that teams and players get the best coaching for their stage of development, and access to the specialized skills and experiences of an entire coaching staff, not one single coach.
3) An elite player should have the opportunity to play to the level of her ability, not necessarily to her age,
What is the ECNL?
Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) is the premier national girls’ league of the top clubs in the country, and builds on the success of the Red Bull National League.
The ECNL will provide the highest level league of girl’s youth soccer in the country, following a similar approach to that of the highly successful U.S. Soccer Development Academy on the boy’s side of youth soccer. The invitation-only league is designed to promote the most effective player development environment available for girls.
In 2009-2010, the ECNL season will feature 40 of the top youth girls clubs in the United States in the U15-U17 age groups competing in a 12-game season. Teams in the ECNL will compete for individual age group ECNL National Championships and an overall ECNL Clubs National Championship.
What is so special about ECNL?
The ECNL is founded on the concept that elite female player development in the United States needs a structure that will reduce the total number of games on the schedule and increase the number of meaningful, quality games. The ECNL sets forth a vision that gives us a clear path to that goal -a national competition schedule and a national identification program linked to that competition.
My daughter will likely go to a college within 1-2 hours of home. Why should we consider a club that plays in the Elite Clubs National League?
Division I, II and III women’s soccer programs all recruit nationally and Division 1 athletic scholarships tend to go to players from nationally competitive teams. Elite players maximize their opportunities to be recruited for college and to be identified for the national team by playing against the top talent from around the country at the big college showcases.
Successful college identification is a lot more than attending a few showcase events. It requires significant preparation from players and a coaching staff and club with the experience and connections to ensure players are promoted to the desired college programs.
Again, FC DELCO is not for everyone. FC DELCO looks for elite players with the commitment, motivation and talent to play at a national level against the top competition in the country.
Is it true that FC DELCO does not allow Parent coaches?
The Parent Coach presents an inherent bias that cannot be avoided. Despite the best of intentions, Parent Coaches inevitably hold teams together to benefit their daughter and make decisions that favor the coach’s daughter. All too often the Parent Coach goes to great lengths to retain the Division 1 caliber players in order to give their daughter a shot at a Division III college program.
In the critical college recruiting years of U15-U17, an Elite Player requires professional coaches that make unbiased decisions about position, play time, showcases, training etc. At FC DELCO, the Elite Player is trained and coached by the entire FC DELCO Coaching Staff during the three critical recruiting years. The FC Coaches with the experience in coaching teams at the highest level of college showcases and with the network of relationships with college coaches lead and guide the Elite Player through the three year process of college recruiting.
Although many young teams are coached by dedicated Parent Coaches, the Elite Player should strongly consider a move to a club with a professional coaching staff by U12.
I am interested in a college scholarship. Does playing for FC DELCO really make a difference?
ECNL events are run in conjunction with the top showcases in their own division – Disney, Las Vegas, Eclipse, PDA, NCAA Final Four. This is a guarantee that FC DELCO players will play at these major recruiting events against the best teams, on the best fields, at the prime times. Few clubs, and certainly fewer, if any, stand-alone teams, outside the ECNL can offer that opportunity to their players during prime recruiting years.
College coaches do not have the time or money to find you. Playing at the top showcase events against top competition gives players the best opportunity to showcase themselves in front of college coaches. To get recruited, and be in line for college soccer scholarship you MUST become known to the college coaches. Your soccer ability can only get you recruited if the coaches have a chance to see you in action.
College Coaches are not focused on Eastern PA. You need to be playing on a National stage.
How does FC DELCO prepare its players for the college recruiting process?
FC DELCO’s history and experience has developed an effective protocol for their players. The college recruiting process is a three year process that starts in the fall of a player’s freshman year. Few coaches understand the college recruiting process as well as the FC DELCO coaching staff. Between the FC DELCO coaching staff and their ECNL colleagues, FC DELCO provides access to college coaches at Division I, II and III that is unmatched. FC DELCO players consistently receive multiple opportunities to play at the schools that are their top choices and receive significant scholarship offers.
I have heard that FC DELCO costs more?
This is the biggest myth about FC DELCO. FC DELCO typically costs the same or less than other programs and is a far better value. U15-U17 Girls teams coordinate their training, to give players three to five high quality training sessions per week during much of the season and an opportunity to work with several different top level coaches.
The costs of travel are the same for any elite team. However, FC DELCO’s experience has allowed it to develop cost saving measures, assuring travels costs are kept to a minimum. Further, because FC DELCO is guaranteed participation national show cases, it allows cost efficient planning for its travel needs.
Are all trainings at Downingtown (USTC)?
This is the second biggest myth about FC DELCO. FC DELCO has players from New Jersey, Delaware, Central and North Pennsylvania and trains at multiple locations through the year to accommodate players through the Mid Atlantic region. FC DELCO Girls teams train in locations including:
Northeast East Philadelphia
Villanova
Haverford
Bala Cynwyd
Lansdale
Malvern
USTC
