ELITE CLUBS NATIONAL LEAGUE, INC.
HENRICO, VA

MISSION: The Elite Clubs National League, Inc. (“ECNL”) was founded in 2009 to enhance the developmental experience of the female youth soccer players in the United States through: The goal of the Elite Clubs National League is to change the landscape for elite female soccer players in the United States through innovative, player-centered programming and to enhance the overall experience by creating a better, more enjoyable, and more successful player, coach, and club development model. The ECNL is led by a Board of Directors elected by the member clubs. Day-to-day operations are managed by the ECNL Commissioner. The ECNL has four primary platforms: In its second season, 2010-11, the ECNL saw several changes. The ECNL added twelve of the top girls clubs from around the country, bringing the total number of ECNL member clubs to 52, and expanded to include the U18 age group. Each of the 52 member clubs had an ECNL team in the U15 through U18 age groups. In total, each team played roughly 16 games. The ECNL schedule expanded to include regional competition to supplement the existing ECNL National Showcase Events, and the ECNL National Championships were held in Aurora, CO in July. By adding more age groups and more high-quality ECNL games, the ECNL took steps that allowed the member clubs to increase the quality of games played while reducing the overall number of games on their calendar, increase the training time for their players, and expand the developmental opportunities provided by this platform into more age groups. In the third season, 2011-12, the ECNL again expanded to include the nation’s elite 66 female soccer clubs, an enhanced scouting and player identification structure, accessible club administrative, coaching, and scouting education opportunities, and an improved season structure that includes the U14 age group. Most importantly, the ECNL expanded the competition platform to approximately 30 games per team. By focusing solely on the elite competition within the ECNL, these clubs will be able to provide an improved environment with a better training-to-game ratio and more demanding and consistent competition. The 2011-12 ECNL season has three parts which provide the competitive platform for over 5,000 games to be played: The ECNL is headquartered in Richmond, VA. The national office is managed by ECNL Commissioner, Jen Winnagle.