Welcome to the first email in the series “Inside of the Lines” where we will share insights from inside the game and our club. From training concepts, to our Game Model, and to player development each email will give you a better understanding of what is happening inside the lines.
Alphabet Soup…
EDP, ECNL, MLS, N1L, NPL, NAL, MNJ, USYS… what does it all mean? And where do our teams play?
To start with, let me lay out the letters that we are connected to. Our Senior Recreation teams play in SYSL (The Suburban Youth Soccer League), while our Travel teams typically play in MNJYSA (The Mid New Jersey Youth Soccer Association) and our EP3 teams usually play in either EDP (Elite Development Program) or the newly formed N1L (National 1 League) as part of our relationship with NPL (National Premier League).
Our Club also has ongoing applications in for other leagues that we continue to follow up with based upon the ever-changing landscapes. We also have some big news regarding the latest opportunity for the Club!
The world of youth soccer is constantly evolving, and it’s getting harder to know which level is right for your son or daughter. New leagues form, rebrand, merge, and sometimes disappear altogether all in the race to be the place for your aspiring player.
If you look at any youth soccer “pyramid,” you’ll see different leagues placed at the top, each with its own argument for why it belongs there, but what does that really mean? And more importantly what’s actually the right place to play?
It comes down to aspirations. And those aspirations change as players grow, develop, and figure out who they want to be in the game.
At 8 years old, being a professional player is the dream, of course it is, but is that the right time to throw a child into the grind of the youth soccer machine only for them to be spat out a few years later if they haven’t first learned to love the game?
At 12–13, the focus often shifts. Now it might be about making the high school team. Players start thinking: Am I good enough? Am I in the right environment? But the reality is, so much of that process is out of their control…roster sizes, graduating seniors, positional depth. It can be a stressful and confusing transition that leaves families wondering if they’re making the right choices.
At 15, maybe it’s college soccer that becomes the goal. But by 17? Sometimes the idea of simply going to college and enjoying the experience becomes more appealing.
Here’s a stat worth thinking about: roughly 50% of girls drop out of sports by age 12–13. On the other hand, around 70–74% of Division I recruits come through the ECNL pathway. So the real question becomes: Do I want my child to stay in the sport long-term, or do I push them down a pathway that might ultimately drive them away from it? It’s a very real and often overlooked part of the conversation. So how do you navigate a world filled with social media telling you where you have to be to give your child the best chance to succeed?
As a club, we’re not here to tell you what to do, but we do want to help guide families through the process.
We’re constantly working to provide levels that meet the needs of our players and families. From SYSL for Senior Recreation, to MNJ and EDP Futures for Travel players, to EDP and now N1L, we believe every player has an appropriate competitive environment within the club to develop, but more importantly, we’ve built a structure that supports players staying in the game.
We have strong coaching; Good facilities; Solid club support; And a community that lives and breathes the sport. On top of that, we’ve had success and we’re proud of that.
Will we stand still? Absolutely not. We’re always exploring additional pathways that can support player development but they have to be the right fit. And this is where the alphabet soup gets even more confusing.
Take the Girls Academy pathway: GA League, GA Aspire, DPL—three very different levels. There are arguments that EDP can be stronger than DPL in certain cases. The same conversations happen with ECNL, ECRL, and NPL. Some NPL brackets are stronger than USYS National League brackets. Then there’s MLS Next, with both elite academies and clubs still trying to establish themselves.
So, for us, it comes down to making smart, thoughtful decisions about the pathways we pursue. We’ve been very happy with EDP and now NPL/N1L but are we open to other options in the future? Of course. If they align with what we believe is right for our players and our club.
In the few weeks since I started writing this article, the USYS National League and the NPL have merged to form the N1L (National 1 League) which is now considered the top tier of Team vs Team play in the Nation! We’re proud to have the opportunity to put our teams in this league as part of our current relationship with both EDP and NPL. The Team vs Team level works for us right now, and as we grow, we are considering Club vs Club leagues to enter. For now, however, this works for SPFSC.
The difference between a Club vs Club league and a Team vs Team league is as simple as it sounds. A Club vs Club league like ECNL requires an appropriate level team in each age group from U13 to U18/19 to be able to enter the league as often times, the entire club will travel to play the entire club. Team vs Team is simpler for us as a program in that we have teams at different levels, and for now, we do not have a team in every age group. Therefore, the N1L provides an extremely high level of play for the teams in our club that are capable of playing there. Keep an eye out for our exciting announcement on social media soon!
I’m sure by the time the Fall comes around, there will be more acronyms for you to wrap your heads around, and we’ll be here to help you unpack it!
Andy Pearce
Director of Coaching