User:Oznogon/Draft:Elite Clubs National League

The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) is an American youth soccer organization based in Henrico, Virginia, that operates two national leagues: the Girls ECNL, founded in 2009, and the Boys ECNL, founded in 2017. Each league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer, the United Soccer League, and the National Women's Soccer League. Following the dissolution of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, the ECNL's leagues became the largest youth academy competitions in the United States. ECNL competitions are sanctioned by US Club Soccer.

As of the 2021–22 season, the ECNL had 279 total clubs across both leagues in five age groups: U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16, and U-17.

History
The Elite Clubs National League was founded in 2009 in a presentation held in March 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada, to 60 girls' clubs to establish a national youth competition. The first season, held from August 2009 to July 2010, featured 40 teams and more than 2,000 players across U-15, U-16, and U-17 age groups. The league divided into two 20-team divisions and played divisional matches for placement in the championship tournament during five regional showcase events, leading up to the championship tournament in Seattle, Washington. ECNL competitions consolidated prospective soccer players in regional events that benefited college soccer recruiters, who offer scholarships to players as young as 13 years old.

The league expanded to 52 clubs and a U-18 group in August 2010, and launched a 16-match annual season that included regional matches in addition to the showcase events. In July 2011, ECNL clubs first competed in and won several US Youth Soccer National Championships.

In August 2011, the league expanded to 66 clubs, added a U-14 group, and expanded its season to 30 matches. Growth continued in following seasons to 76 clubs in 2013–14, and the league hired its first full-time commissioner during this season.

In August 2017, the ECNL added a boys' league with 57 founding clubs and competed against the National Premier League, winning national championships across four of five age groups.

In July 2018, the Girls ECNL hosted an integrated national training camp in Portland, Oregon, in a partnership with the Women's International Champions Cup, Paris Saint-Germain Feminines, and Manchester City Women. Boys ECNL partnered with the Bahamas Football Association for a national training camp in Nassau, Bahamas.

In June 2019, the Girls ECNL postseason expanded to add U13 and U18/19 competitions. By the 2019-20 season in August 2019, the Girls ECNL had expanded to 94 clubs and added smaller regional leagues (ECRLs), and the Boys ECNL had expanded to 90 clubs and added a U-13 age group.

In December 2019, the ECNL and International Champions Cup held the ICC Futures all-star competitions for both girls and boys leagues, with the Girls ECNL competition pitting four U-15 teams against the youth academies of Atlético Madrid Femenino, FC Barcelona Femení, Manchester City Women, and Paris-Saint Germain Femenines.

Following the shutdown of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, the ECNL expanded in the 2020-21 season from 94 girls' clubs in 2019 to 113 girls, and from 90 boys' clubs in 2019 to 131. The ECNL also added Boys ECRLs in this season.

Abuse scandal
In September 2021, The Athletic published an investigation into North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley, alleging that Riley had sexually coerced and verbally abused players on his professional club teams, specifically during the time period between 2011 and 2015 (consisting of his time in WPS, WPSL, and NWSL). More than a dozen players from every team Riley had coached since 2010 spoke to the publication, and two named players went on the record with allegations against him. In the article, Riley denied the allegations. The article also stated that NWSL failed to act on Riley's alleged abuses multiple times, including earlier in 2021 when the league declined to act on an offer from two of Riley's alleged victims to assist in investigating Riley's alleged abuses. Later that day, the Courage announced that Riley had been fired due to "very serious allegations of misconduct". The Portland Thorns released a statement the same day citing that some of the incidents occurred during Riley's two-year tenure as head coach of the Thorns in 2015 and discussing their reaction to the incidents at the time. Riley was director of coaching for ECNL club Albertson Fury from 2009 to 2017, and became a technical and recruitment advisor of Albertson Soccer Club and SUSA, the latter of which fields teams in ECNL.

One of the founding clubs of ECNL was Chicago Eclipse Select, which was co-founded and co-owned by Rory Dames in 1997, and where he also served as coach and club president. Dames also sat on ECNL's board of directors, and since its founding in 2012 was also coach of the Chicago Red Stars, a professional National Women's Soccer League club.

On November 22, 2021, the Washington Post published a report accusing Dames of verbal and emotional abuse of Red Stars players, some of whom reported the behavior in 2018 to the United States Soccer Federation, which owned and operated the league during some of the alleged abuse. Dames retained his job after the complaint was reportedly filed, however, and resigned after the 2021 National Women's Soccer League season, immediately prior to the Post report's publication. One of Dames's Red Stars assistants from 2013 to 2017, Christian Lavers, is an ECNL co-founder and has been president of ECNL since its founding.

In February 2022, the Washington Post published a second report accusing Dames of abusing his power within the youth soccer community, verbally abusing Eclipse Select players, making inappropriate jokes and comments to girls youth players, and having a sexual relationship with a player. The details included a 1998 report of inappropriate conduct investigated by Arlington Heights police, and also confirmed Dames stepped down as the president of Eclipse after resigning from the Red Stars and was replaced by vice president Mike Nesci. However, the club would not confirm whether Dames still owned Eclipse or was involved in its governance. A lawyer for Dames denied the allegations of sexual harassment, grooming, and name-calling.

Schedule
ECNL leagues generally operate from September to July. Some clubs are licensees or directly operated by professional teams of Major League Soccer, the USL, the National Women's Soccer League, or European clubs. The top teams of each conference, measured by points per game, qualify for the 32-team ECNL post-season champions league, along with several wildcard teams. The next 16 teams in points per game compete in the North American Cup, the following 16 compete in the ECNL Showcase Cup, and remaining teams can compete in the ECNL Open Cup.

In 2021, the ECNL added the ECNL Super Cup, allowing clubs to create teams across U-15 to U-19 age groups.

Sponsors
Nike, Inc. first sponsored the ECNL in June 2010 and remains a primary sponsor. PUMA joined as the official Boys ECNL apparel sponsor in April 2019.