FC DALLAS TO JOIN ECNL GIRLS FOR 2020-21 SEASON
RICHMOND, VA (April 30, 2020) – The Elite Clubs National League Girls is excited to announce that FC Dallas will be joining the ECNL Girls in the 2020-2021 season. The addition of FC Dallas to the league marks another national leader in girls soccer re-aligning with the ECNL.
“We are thrilled to welcome FC Dallas back to the ECNL Girls,” said ECNL Girls Commissioner Jen Winnagle. “Having the club return to the league is great for competition within the Texas conference and in the Texas ECNL Regional League. This is a true homecoming of sorts, as FC Dallas was an original member of the league when it was founded in 2009.”
FC Dallas Youth is the youth development platform for FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. Comprised of more than 250 teams in the DFW metroplex and another 11 outside of market affiliate clubs, the program provides an opportunity for more than 5500 youth players to explore and enjoy the sport of soccer, develop on and off the field, and gain a clear pathway to collegiate and professional soccer. FC Dallas has a rich history of success by its competitive youth teams, including capturing the U15 ECNL National Championship in 2017 and the U15 Development Academy Championship in 2018. The club has also helped hundreds of female players move on to college soccer over the past decade.
“FC Dallas is honored to be joining the Elite Clubs National League Girls for the 2020-2021 season,” said Vice President of Youth Soccer, Chris Hayden. “We have a strong belief in the platform and the extraordinary opportunity that it provides our highest level female athlete. We are excited for this new chapter in our program’s history.”
Nearly 90% of ECNL Girls alumni move on to play in the college game, where they overwhelmingly dominated individual conference honors in 2019 across the “Power 5” conferences. In total, over 1,100 ECNL Alums played this year across the five conferences, accounting for more than 62% of all rostered players in the Power 5.
Additional information on participating member clubs for the 2020-21 Season will be released in the coming weeks.
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About Elite Clubs National League Girls: The Elite Clubs National League Girls (ECNL Girls) was founded in 2009 to enhance the developmental experience of female youth soccer players in the United States through: (i) improving the competitive environment through creation of a true national competitive league; (ii) improving the process for identifying elite female soccer players through a systematic scouting and identification program based on national competitions; and (iii) improving the daily training environment at top female youth soccer clubs through developing best practices and training and organizational guidelines for its member clubs. The ECNL Girls is sanctioned by US Club Soccer and is sponsored by Nike Soccer.
Twitter: @theECNL | Instagram: /theECNL | Facebook: /theECNL
Media Contact:
Mary Conway