SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Carolina Elite Soccer Academy 2012-2013 ECNL Overview

CESA is a founding member of the prestigious Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) and has begun preparing for the upcoming 2012-2013 soccer year. We will field top level teams in the under 14-18 age groups and will compete within the ECNL Southeast Conference.

Our conference is very competitive and is made up of the following clubs. Capital Area Soccer League (NC), Charlotte Soccer Academy (NC), Atlanta Fire United (GA), Gwinnett Soccer Association (GA), Concorde Fire (GA), Birmingham United Soccer Association (AL), CFK Krush (FL), Brandon Flames (FL) and CESA (SC). We are proud to be the only club in the state of South Carolina selected to participate within the ECNL and are looking forward to an exciting 2012-2013 year ahead.
The Elite Clubs National League is recognized on a national level as the most productive player development arena available to the aspiring female player and will be made up of 73 clubs for the coming year. 7 new members have been added to the league for 2012-2013 from a pool of 80 applicant clubs. The ECNL Southeast Conference and National Showcase Event matches have been consistently well attended by college coaches from around the country and our players have been able to showcase their abilities as they make their college soccer decisions.

Our current 2012 ECNL graduating class has just signed National Letters of Intent in February and will be attending the following schools beginning in the fall of 2012. Jamie Alexander ( Furman University), Kristen Baker ( Stony Brook University), Stephanie Devita ( Furman University), Kerrie Edmondson ( Wofford College), Emily Graves ( Furman University), Maggie Grisell ( Furman University), Chelsea Hamrick ( Anderson University), Natalie Lackey ( Furman University), Rebecca Lisson ( High Point University), Noel McDaniel ( Lander University), Kendall Smith ( Lenoir-Rhyne University), Sarah Specter ( College of Charleston) and Sarah Tuggle ( Davidson College). We will have additional players making decisions in late spring and will update the list as information becomes available.
In addition quite a few of our 2013 ECNL class have already made their college verbal commitments with others to follow in the coming months. Those who have made their college choices include Gina Cardenas (UNC-Greensboro), Meaghan Carrigan (University of Richmond), Chelsea Drennan (University of South Carolina), Mercedes Ducker (Western Carolina University), Kaleigh Kurtz (University of Richmond), Helena Moore (Anderson University), Tahirih Nesmith (University of Pennsylvania) and Maylyn Parsons (Columbus State University) .
Madeline Ramsey (Class of 2014) and our 95 Girls ECNL team has made a verbal commitment to LSU and will be the first of many in the age group to make their decisions.

CESA Co-Executive Director Andrew Hyslop feels that CESA’s continued participation within the ECNL is necessary to provide the weekly competition needed to ensure consistent player development. “Our players must train and play at a high level in order to continue to improve. We have seen firsthand that our conference play is challenging and demanding. The players know that every game will be a battle and they have enjoyed the competition. When you add in the fact that we travel to various ECNL National Showcase events throughout the year and match up with clubs from all over the nation it is a great experience for any young player who wants to play with and against the best.”

The current 2011-2012 ECNL year will conclude with the National Championship event which will be held at the Waukegan Sports Complex in Chicago, Illinois from June 24-30 2012. CESA will be sending our under 14-17 ECNL Girls to this event and we look forward to seeing our teams finish the year in a great soccer environment.
Our teams have shown well throughout the current ECNL season and have more than held their own during conference and National Showcase event competition. On an individual level we have had numerous players selected for inclusion as part of ECNL All-Event teams which are released at the conclusion of every scheduled National Showcase event. Meaghan Carrigan (94 Girls) and Stephanie Devita (93 Girls) were selected to the All-Event teams in their respective age groups after the Phoenix event in October 2011. The Sanford, Florida event in December 2011 was also a success on an individual level as Miranda Weslake (95 Girls) and Meaghan Carrigan (94 Girls) were named to the All-Event teams. It is quite an honor for the girls as only 11 players per age group are selected at each event.

The ECNL has also expanded the Player Development Program which is designed to identify the top players within each ECNL conference at multiple age groups, provide a developmental experience and recognize and reward individual performance and achievement. Players are selected based upon their performance in ECNL competitions and recommendations from coaches. Each Player Development program will occur over two days and will include three training sessions/matches and a presentation for the players. All players will also receive Nike training gear. There are no costs for participation in the Player Development Programs as the ECNL covers all staffing, facility rental and equipment costs. The only responsibility for participating players will be the cost of travel and accommodation (where necessary).
In February 2012 CESA and the Mesa Soccer Complex were selected as hosts for the Southeast Conference PDP Event which gave the players the opportunity to train and compete in a challenging environment. CESA players who were chosen to attend the event included Emily Graves (93 Girls), Kaleigh Kurtz (94 Girls), Stephanie Devita (93 Girls), Meaghan Carrigan (94 Girls), Maylyn Parsons (94 Girls), Chelsea Drennan (94 Girls), Tahirih Nesmith (94 Girls) and Savannah McCaskill (95 Girls). Our girls performed well and represented the club with class throughout the weekend. Congratulations to each of them.

CESA tryouts for 2012-2013 ECNL teams will be held at the Pittman Park Complex (420 Blacks Road Greenville SC 29615). Tryout dates and times for the under 14,15,16,17 and 18 girls ECNL teams are as follows.
May 6
Under 14 Girls ECNL 1:00-2:45pm
Under 15 and 16 Girls ECNL 3:00-4:45pm
Under 17 and 18 Girls ECNL 5:00-6:45pm

May 20
Under 18 Girls ECNL 1:00-2:30pm
Under 14 and 15 Girls ECNL 2:45-4:15pm
Under 16 and 17 Girls ECNL 4:30-6:00pm


Players should register online for the ECNL age group tryout they will attend. If needed additional tryout dates will be scheduled and we will continue to look at potential ECNL players until we have completed our rosters.

The 2012-2013 season schedule will be released in June and CESA teams will have 16 Southeast Conference games. Our Under 15-18 ECNL teams will all attend the 2013 ECNL National Playoffs to be held in June 2013. In the Under 14 age group the Southeast Conference champion will attend the National Playoffs. In the Under 15 and 18 age groups our ECNL team will attend two additional National Showcase events, while our Under 16 and 17 age groups will attend three additional National showcase events.

CESA ECNL Club Fees 2012-2013
Under 14 Girls ECNL Club Fees are $1300.00 per player (Fall/Spring)
Under 15-18 Girls ECNL Club Fees are $675 per player.
CESA club fees include 3 Training Tops, 3 Nights of Training per Week throughout the season and additional training as needed to prepare the team for upcoming events, Goalkeeping sessions, US Club Soccer Player Registration, Referee Fees, ECNL Club League Fee and Facilities Rental.
Additional costs which are not included in the CESA club fees are Player Uniform, Team fees which will include coach’s expenses for travel, showcase event entry fees and individual player travel costs.
Interested Players may contact the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy main office at 864-329-1113 for additional ECNL information.

Interesting. All that extra money for national exposure and the majority are not going any farther than they would from playing on a local level. I don't think my daughter is missing out on anything (my personal opinion).

Second that statement, $1,300 who in their right mind pays that type of money. For that type of money I should see commitments to Indiana University, University of North Carolina, Maryland, Notre Dame, UCONN, etc.
Looks as if the only exposure for $1,300 is North and South Carolina that can be done with a half way decent club team and a nice wide angle view camcorder.

Well it's interesting. This year for $1,300 a U-14 CESA player played in premier league and in 16 ECNL games. The stated fee for SC Utd on their website for U-14 Elite is $1,380, plus $175 for uniform. I'm assuming they will play in the state-wide league and premier league and pay extra to go to some tournaments.

Does that mean that everyone in SC Utd should expect to committ to IU, UNC, MD, Notre Dame, UCONN, etc? I'll bet a little research will show that SC Utd Mt. Pleasant has similar fees as does Charlotte, Atlanta clubs, CASL, etc. That's a lot of people expecting a lot of commitments for the same money

[censored], almost made it 5 whole months without posting on here. It was such a good and peaceful time.

For a comparison can you post your club’s players and where they signed to play college? Plus cost to play?

I noticed LSU, Penn State and a few others schools not in SC or NC where CESA players have signed.

Does that mean that everyone in SC Utd should expect to committ to IU, UNC, MD, Notre Dame, UCONN, etc? I'll bet a little research will show that SC Utd Mt. Pleasant has similar fees as does Charlotte, Atlanta clubs, CASL, etc. That's a lot of people expecting a lot of commitments for the same money

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No, it means that there is no need to join a national traveling team, and put forth the additional travel expenses, to get players the same college committment results as a local club. (Airline tickets cost a whole lot more than car travel and a hotel for a tournament or game) One would think that ENCL players would be recruited to more prestious schools than the local opportunities available. That would be the only reason I would be willing to put forth the training and travel fees associated with the ENCL League. Just sayin.....

BTW - Outside of the fact I said "the majority", Penn State and the University of Pennsylvania are not the same place.

You say you wouldn't pay that kind of money unless your child was committing to XYZ University. The point of playing in ECNL, National League and even the Academy is that is where your child will be exposed to the top college coaches. There won't be that caliber of coaches at Premier league games and local tournaments. The leagues also give the players a chance to play with and against high level players. So they don't end up the scrub player from South Carolina on the roster for XYZ University.

What good is it to pay for all that travel, be exposed to "top college coaches", but only be recruited/committed to area colleges and universities? I am saying that unless there was a really good chance of my child being recruited by a "top college coach" for a top university/college outside of this region, it isn't worth the money to fly across the nation, at least not in this economy. I'll save that money to help offset college expenses.