This is a loaded question and I'll thank Alex Snotherly, one of my faithful blog readers (not sure how many of those that there are....) for constantly giving me blog ideas, including the genesis for this one!
I'll start with the girls and what kind of opportunites that CASL is taking advantage of for the betterment of its female players at the classic level. The vast majority of the players are playing in the NCYSA (North Carolina Youth Soccer Assn.) leagues. NCYSA has a statewide Premier Division and then regional first and second divisions. The Premier Division starts forming after the players begin playing 11 v 11 at age 14. There is a promotion and relegation component to reward teams for great play and to keep all teams at their competitive level. The Under 13 and 14 age brackets play in the fall and spring and the Under 15-18 only play in the fall allowing the high school age players to play for their respective high school teams. NCYSA puts on two State Cups for ages Under 13 and older. The top division teams play in the USYS (United States Youth Soccer) tournament that leads to Regionals (CASL hosted the 184 team/6 day event in 2008 along with Wilson, NC) and Nationals at age Under 14 and older. The winner of that national competition is considered the USYS national champion at that age bracket. Also, the Kepner Cup (named after long time NCYSA president, Bob Kepner, who continues to do great things for soccer in NC at the adult level and on the NC Soccer Hall of Fame level) is for the teams that are not in the top level. The Kepner Cup winners advance to the USYS Presidents Cup Regionals and then Nationals (CASL hosted the President's Cup Nationals in 2009).
Through USYS, there is also the Region III Premier League. The top teams in each Region III (11 states and 12 state associations (Texas has two a North and a South)) state send representatives to play in this league. CASL usually has a team in every age bracket in this league and have been playing against the other Region III eastern states of FL, GA, SC and NC. The Under 15-18 play this competition in the fall, for reasons stated above, and the Under 14's play in the spring. The top teams in this league get automatic advancement to the Region III Regional tournament. This league will be changing its format, soon, so stayed tuned to see what those changes will be. Top teams in the Regional Leagues can also be selected to play in an even higher league, the USYS National League (CASL has hosted many events for the National League). This league sends its winners straight to the USYS National championships.
Also, CASL has teams playing in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). ECNL is a US Club soccer property. The ECNL has its own championship and teams in this classification can not compete for a USYS championship at any level including the state (NCYSA) level beginning in the fall 2011. However, it may be possible for some players to be rostered on ECNL and USYS teams. Any decision, in this regard, will be decided by the CASL coaching staff. This year, the 3 year old league is moving to a more regionalized approach after hosting just showcases (which CASL has hosted) in their first couple of years. This format will allow teams to play home games which is good for all concerned. The ECNL is a club league as stated in its name. Therefore, each club that belongs to ECNL will have 5 teams playing in the league, one each in the Under 14-18 age brackets.
As you can see, there is a great deal to keep up with in this level of soccer. It is, also, an ever changing landscape. Therefore, the CASL staff must keep up with the changes and make decisions as to what leagues and competitions to compete in on a yearly basis. Discussions occur weekly as to this topic amongst the CASL staff. It is the goal of the CASL staff to do what is best for the development of all players. Hence, the multiple leagues and competitions that CASL participates in.
Tomorrow, I will outline what CASL does on the boys side in regards to affiliations in leagues!
Charlie Slagle
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