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[EWSoccer64]

Broadly speaking, there are two distinct types of soccer teams in this state.
Those are recreational teams (rec) and competitive teams.
Generally speaking, rec teams are formed up either by a first come, first served sign up basis, or on the basis of the player's location (neighborhood/school).
Competitive teams are normally formed by tryouts.   Under some circumstances, invitations (recruiting) can also be used.

Rec teams are most common at the younger levels.
It is rare to see entire leagues formed up of Rec teams at the teenage years.

Competitive teams are further distinguished by the level they play at, which is normally denoted by a geographic area (District, State, Inter-State).

Comp teams that play in a district league (There are 7 districts in Washingon state, not all offer leagues/age groups for all possible teams) are normally called select teams.

Comp teams that play in a state wide league are broadly known as "Premier" teams.   This designation was from the old state wide Premier leagues.   The PDL and now the RCL have replaced the old Premier Leagues.  To many, the term "Premier" still denotes any team playing in a state wide league.

Comp teams that play in an Interstate league are a new development (except for ODP).    These are "Academy" and "ECNL" teams.   The popularity among clubs and parents for the interstate competition has given rise to new competions (Western Developmental Academy League, other "Academy Lite" leagues ) and new Champions League type comptetitions (Western Regional League, NWCL).  As long as the parents continue to shell out for these things, they will continue to grow.

A Standard view of the traditional soccer pyramid is that each level feeds off the level below it.

There is not, and never has been, any requirement that because a team is able to compete successfully at a higher level it is forced to move there.  In the past, there actually was opportunities (and often encouragement) to do so.   Currently, the model that the WSYSA embraces pretty much prohibits upward movement of teams.   Players are expected to leave their current teams and migrate to the designated teams at the higher levels.   Other than the WSYSA sanctioned Sounders program, the WSYSA has no real policy concerning the rest of the Academy type leagues and teams, and often does not differentiate them from regular state league level teams.

Please note that currently, state league pretty much means RCL and only RCL.   The so called "state open leagues", such as (barely) exist, are akin to the old time hybird leagues known as the IntraSitrict Leagues (IDL) which were designed for select (district) teams that wanted a more rigorous schedule but could not QUALIFY for state league competition.

Because of current restrictions on teams qualifying for higher level league play and status (designed to maintian the current RCL franchises and feed players into them), the classifications of teams are becoming less and less to do with the quality of the teams themselves, and more to do with the quantity of the finances available.



Comments or corrections?

[metz123]

You don't want to address the elephant in the room?


PSPL and US Club soccer....

[EWSoccer64]

You don't want to address the elephant in the room?


PSPL and US Club soccer....

USCS is an avenue, not a placement level in and of itself.

PSPL is, by and large, a Select level operation, quality wise.   It does have a few Premier and Rec level teams.   Since it does have a few participants from across the mountains, as a venue, one might describe it as a "state level league".   But that is like calling Bellingham or Yakima "International Airports" because once upon a time an airplane from a different country sat down to refuel.

Neither are "elephants in the room" in this conversation.

[metz123]

You may want to take a quick peek at some of the divisions of PSPL. To say that it has a few participants from east of the mountains is doing it a disservice. In some divisions 50% of the teams are across the mountains. PSPL has replaced the previous state league, which by your definition makes the teams "premier".

Inter-district leagues (particularly the NPSL) have now emerged again to replace the state league in central western washington.

The situation we have now is the cream of the crop playing mostly an out of state schedule....then a bunch of teams at around the same competitive level (RCL B, C, etc), PSPL Super and classic leagues and interdistrict leagues (NPSL Gold)...all separated from each other by politics.

The only tiers in soccer are top 10% elite, teams formed by selection, teams formed by geography....The words premier and select are meaningless as are the different academy designations and league designations. They are political and business boundaries not divisions of talent.

[Old Dog]

I look at the 3 this way.

Tee Shirts, colorful and vibrant, just plan boring!

[EWSoccer64]

The teams from East of the Mountains, with few exceptions, do not come from the old "Premier team fielding" clubs.  They are, by and large, "select quality" clubs, that have traditionally fielded district level teams.   Just the same as the clubs participating from West of the Mountains.
The exception from Spokane is the old Falcons/SSC Elite program, which often had both select and premier teams at the same age group.   You do not see Yakima Strikers, 3Rivers, or the Shadow in the PSPL.

Regardless, the PSPL may well fit the mold of a state league.  But again, that is a term of organization rather than a descriptor of quality.

You may want to take a quick peek at some of the divisions of PSPL. To say that it has a few participants from east of the mountains is doing it a disservice. In some divisions 50% of the teams are across the mountains. PSPL has replaced the previous state league, which by your definition makes the teams "premier".

Inter-district leagues (particularly the NPSL) have now emerged again to replace the state league in central western washington.

The situation we have now is the cream of the crop playing mostly an out of state schedule....then a bunch of teams at around the same competitive level (RCL B, C, etc), PSPL Super and classic leagues and interdistrict leagues (NPSL Gold)...all separated from each other by politics.

The only tiers in soccer are top 10% elite, teams formed by selection, teams formed by geography....The words premier and select are meaningless as are the different academy designations and league designations. They are political and business boundaries not divisions of talent.

[wit]

Lets call it like it is

Too many leagues and too varied range of teams competing in them.

There is no defined country wide term for rec, competiive, premier, rec+, select etc, etc, etc

For the most part, one league is no better than another, its all just a mixed bag of clubs and teams that move on a whim and want to play in what they consider a good enviroment for their teams. 

I hate the way teams designate themselves as Premier or Select or whatever you want to call it without proving that they are at that level. I hate the fact that leagues can call themselves what the like. Prime example the "NWCL".. who in the heck are Champions anyway ?. the league is not full of "Champions".. it is simply good marketing that appeals to those parents/coaches that are taken in by it. I am not saying it is a bad league, I am just using it as an example of how a league designates itself (maybe for financial reasons) and yet the teams within that leageue don't match that designation. I don't care if you go NWCL, PSPL, D6, NWL or some other league, the team makeup is the same. About the only ones that can be called reasonably legitimate is some State Leagues where approval is required. I am not saying I am a fan of the RCL but I have to say that over time it will bare some fruit as to who is legitimately a decent team / club, however it does seem to me that it comes at the expense of 95% of all the other levels of play.Ideally I would have leagues for all levels and requirements for those levels.

My 2 cents,

[tripleplay]

The situation we have now is the cream of the crop playing mostly an out of state schedule....then a bunch of teams at around the same competitive level (RCL B, C, etc), PSPL Super and classic leagues and interdistrict leagues (NPSL Gold)...all separated from each other by politics.

The only tiers in soccer are top 10% elite, teams formed by selection, teams formed by geography....The words premier and select are meaningless as are the different academy designations and league designations. They are political and business boundaries not divisions of talent.

What it boils down to is more people playing more soccer. For example in the old days my association would have had at a certain age group two "premier" teams and 5-6 "select" teams. Now the labels may be muddled but there are now 11 teams, 5 with paid coaches and 6 with volunteer coaches, most of which are playing longer seasons than they used to.

Basically there are two mutually exclusive groups - those who want to control soccer (WYS and many WPS stalwarts like EW)  and those who want to grow it.  

[EWSoccer64]

The situation we have now is the cream of the crop playing mostly an out of state schedule....then a bunch of teams at around the same competitive level (RCL B, C, etc), PSPL Super and classic leagues and interdistrict leagues (NPSL Gold)...all separated from each other by politics.

The only tiers in soccer are top 10% elite, teams formed by selection, teams formed by geography....The words premier and select are meaningless as are the different academy designations and league designations. They are political and business boundaries not divisions of talent.

What it boils down to is more people playing more soccer. For example in the old days my association would have had at a certain age group two "premier" teams and 5-6 "select" teams. Now the labels may be muddled but there are now 11 teams, 5 with paid coaches and 6 with volunteer coaches, most of which are playing longer seasons than they used to.

Basically there are two mutually exclusive groups - those who want to control soccer (WYS and many WPS stalwarts like EW)  and those who want to grow it.  

Go back to playing with your baseball fantasy league stats, TP.   You and your wild, untrue assertations are so far off base it's incredible.   What have you ever done to promote youth soccer?   Ever bring soccer to a new town or area?  Didn't think so.   Ever go to a coaching clinic?   Didn't think so.   Ever play the game?  Didn't think so.   Ever take a referee course and go out and referee?  Didn't think so.   Ever do anything but moon over the DoC you had that mancrush on and promote that DoCs should run everything?   Didn't think so.
You have tried to defend the PSPL and USCS for their cheating an Eastern Washington team out of the results of their league championship.  You have discounted the Hispanic population.  You have continuously promoted the big club, high expense ideal.  And in your cherry picked example above, you totally disregarded any rec element, and you did not show enough information to begin to validate any point that you were trying to make - expect that expenses have gone up.
TP, there is more to soccer than your corner of King County.  Instead of broadcasting your ignorance, go out and start contributing to the sport.  You were so highly critical of referees just a while back, so start there.  You obviously believe that you know the rules and refereeing better than the trained referees, so become a referee and prove it.
And instead of promoting the ideal that clubs own the players, look at the democratic ideal of the players owning the clubs.

[tripleplay]

And in your cherry picked example above, you totally disregarded any rec element, and you did not show enough information to begin to validate any point that you were trying to make - expect that expenses have gone up.

I didn't mention rec because I am interested in more people playing more soccer. Those teams are providing it. And yes it costs more than rec because you are playing 3-4 times as much as rec and paying a coach in some cases. So? You get more, you pay more.

As for the rest of your tirade, you seem pretty sensitive. Perhaps the truth hurts? You chose to be one of the bad guys suppressing soccer - not me.

BTW, this corner of KingCo has about one-tenth the school age population of District 6. It has 10-11 club teams per gender
 per year. Does D6 have 100-110 teams? Of course not. They have you instead.

[EWSoccer64]

TP, unlike those of us in the trenches, you have never done a single thing to grow soccer anywhere.   Stop trying to pretend that you have.   Go back to playing with your fantasy league stats.   And keep pretending that your association has more teams than all of D-6 - that is about as truthful as the rest of your goobledy-gook.

And in your cherry picked example above, you totally disregarded any rec element, and you did not show enough information to begin to validate any point that you were trying to make - expect that expenses have gone up.

I didn't mention rec because I am interested in more people playing more soccer. Those teams are providing it. And yes it costs more than rec because you are playing 3-4 times as much as rec and paying a coach in some cases. So? You get more, you pay more.

As for the rest of your tirade, you seem pretty sensitive. Perhaps the truth hurts? You chose to be one of the bad guys BTW, this corner of KingCo has about one-tenth the school age population of District 6. It has 10-11 club teams per gender
 per year. Does D6 have 100-110 teams? Of course not. They have you instead.

suppressing soccer - not me.

[tripleplay]

 And keep pretending that your association has more teams than all of D-6 - that is about as truthful as the rest of your goobledy-gook.

I didn't say we had more teams. I said we had more teams per capita. If you want to disprove it, feel free.
EYSA has about 34000 kids, D6 has about 256000 kids. EYSA has 10-11 select teams per age group per gender.

Your agenda is transparent. You want to turn Washington soccer back to the 1950's when American soccer was a niche sport and only a few people paid attention to it. You can try to preserve that ideal in your small towns, but I, for one, am glad that soccer is moving to the mainstream.

BTW, I am not saying that EYSA shouldn't be doing better. It should be!

  

[tripleplay]

TP, unlike those of us in the trenches,

Going to war against 8-year-old kids whose only crime is wanting to play soccer is nothing to brag about, EW.

[EWSoccer64]

Yep, there you go again, TP.   There you go again.   When challenged to show that you have actually ever contributed to youth soccer in any way, you say that those of us who have simply have gone to war against 8 year old kids.
Tssk, tssk.
Come on TP, step up, put some time and effort where your mouth is.  Get involved instead of being a back seat driver.

TP, unlike those of us in the trenches,

Going to war against 8-year-old kids whose only crime is wanting to play soccer is nothing to brag about, EW.

[EWSoccer64]

>>>BTW, this corner of KingCo has about one-tenth the school age population of District 6. It has 10-11 club teams per gender
 per year. Does D6 have 100-110 teams? Of course not. They have you instead.<<<

Actually, there are that many teams in Eastern Washington at many ages.   Oh wait, I forgot.  You do not count Hispanics....

[tripleplay]

Yep, there you go again, TP.   There you go again.   When challenged to show that you have actually ever contributed to youth soccer in any way, you say that those of us who have simply have gone to war against 8 year old kids.

Sorry EW. You've made it abundantly clear in 1000s of postings that anyone who wants to play soccer without following your 1950's script is the enemy. And that includes a lot of 8 year olds.

And now you are apparently blaming the "not-white-enough-for-you" Hispanics of D6 for the region's lower numbers. Some more of those enemies that don't follow your script, I guess.

[English1]

Wow and I was gonna watch the 25 days of Christmas...

[soccerpride]

Wow and I was gonna watch the 25 days of Christmas...

LOL! I mixed myself a Sour Appletini to read this...   

[EWSoccer64]

Yep, there you go again, TP.   There you go again.   When challenged to show that you have actually ever contributed to youth soccer in any way, you say that those of us who have simply have gone to war against 8 year old kids.

Sorry EW. You've made it abundantly clear in 1000s of postings that anyone who wants to play soccer without following your 1950's script is the enemy. And that includes a lot of 8 year olds.

And now you are apparently blaming the "not-white-enough-for-you" Hispanics of D6 for the region's lower numbers. Some more of those enemies that don't follow your script, I guess.

TP, it is you who have the history of not counting the Hispanics.  I, on the other hand, have worked with them for many, many years.  Coaching, refereeing, administering, clinics, developing the game and the infrastructure both inside and outside of "organized" soccer.  Yet you have never done anything but carp at those who have actually done something.   How many kids have you helped get college scholarships in soccer?  games refereed?   How many clinics have you put on?   How many games have you coached (no, keeping stats for a real coach does not count)?
LOL - Like I thought.  You cast aspersions at those who actually do things.  Actually doing something to help is clearly beyond your capabilities.

[tripleplay]

TP, it is you who have the history of not counting the Hispanics. 

Uh, no. I quoted government statistics to refute one of your made-up facts and you were appalled that most (not all) people who come from a Spanish-speaking background are White. It clearly offended you to share a racial background with "them". That same attitude comes through regularly - in your mind there is clearly something wrong with "them" for not worshipping the antiquated bureacracy  you hold so dear, for example.

[EWSoccer64]

Ah TP, it was you who were "appalled" when I called you on not counting Hispanics as a minority.
Go back and look it up.   
Of course, unlike you, I am not trying to have poor minorities priced out of organized youth soccer.   We all know that you believe that the rich kids should be able to buy their places on the pricey teams and not allow the poor, the minorities, the people not from the right zip codes, to be able to compete.  But that is your schtick, you stick to it.
And you keep on criticizing everyone but the DoC you have the man-crush on for their efforts to actually help kids play soccer.  The closest you have ever come to actually being involved in youth soccer is yelling at refs and being the team's designated stat's keeper.
Hey TP, wanna know a secret?  Experienced coaches give the stats keeping job to the loud mouth, ignorant parent in hopes that it will keep him quiet(er) on the sidelines and out of everyone's hair during games.   No wonder you have such a belief in the overpowering validity of statistics, you have been the stats take for how many years now??
 

TP, let us know when you actually try to do something to benefit youth soccer.  And no, yelling at refs does not count.
 

TP, it is you who have the history of not counting the Hispanics. 

Uh, no. I quoted government statistics to refute one of your made-up facts and you were appalled that most (not all) people who come from a Spanish-speaking background are White. It clearly offended you to share a racial background with "them". That same attitude comes through regularly - in your mind there is clearly something wrong with "them" for not worshipping the antiquated bureacracy  you hold so dear, for example.

[chicken wing]

 

Good laugh for a Friday morning EW..    the stat taker job description is spot on.

[Old Dog]

Hey TP, wanna know a secret?  Experienced coaches give the stats keeping job to the loud mouth

I thought thats what the field marshell job was for.....

[EWSoccer64]

Hey TP, wanna know a secret?  Experienced coaches give the stats keeping job to the loud mouth

I thought thats what the field marshell job was for.....

FMs?   How many times have you actually had an FM outside of a tournament?  And even then, how often do they actually do anything effective?

[K2]

Hey TP, wanna know a secret?  Experienced coaches give the stats keeping job to the loud mouth

I thought thats what the field marshell job was for.....

FMs?   How many times have you actually had an FM outside of a tournament?  And even then, how often do they actually do anything effective?

OK EW, normally I just sit and grin w/o saying anything as you spout your holyer than thou demagogue to the sheeple... When you throw FM's under the bus, for no apparent reason, you have gone to far.  FM's, like yourself, are volunteers who enjoy their role (however little it appears),  and administertors and referee's rely on them for many purposes of game management.  Their role is invaluable when you have 120 teams in town for a 3 day tourney.  Best you keep to the subjects you do know, and stay away from the ones you are ignorant.  Oh and yes, I do know who you are, what you have done for youth soccer, and still, I am utterly unimpressed with your contributions to the game.

[Old Dog]

Hey TP, wanna know a secret?  Experienced coaches give the stats keeping job to the loud mouth

I thought thats what the field marshell job was for.....

FMs?   How many times have you actually had an FM outside of a tournament?  And even then, how often do they actually do anything effective?

I have been known to assign a FM just for my team. With coaches on the other sideline now days no matter how good your ears are you do not always hear everthing. My FM handles it discreatly and my parents on teams I have needed one know the roll and if I then need too I step in, I do. It works.

[EWSoccer64]

Hey TP, wanna know a secret?  Experienced coaches give the stats keeping job to the loud mouth

I thought thats what the field marshell job was for.....

FMs?   How many times have you actually had an FM outside of a tournament?  And even then, how often do they actually do anything effective?

OK EW, normally I just sit and grin w/o saying anything as you spout your holyer than thou demagogue to the sheeple... When you throw FM's under the bus, for no apparent reason, you have gone to far.  FM's, like yourself, are volunteers who enjoy their role (however little it appears),  and administertors and referee's rely on them for many purposes of game management.  Their role is invaluable when you have 120 teams in town for a 3 day tourney.  Best you keep to the subjects you do know, and stay away from the ones you are ignorant.  Oh and yes, I do know who you are, what you have done for youth soccer, and still, I am utterly unimpressed with your contributions to the game.

K2, perhaps you would be more impressed if you learned how to read.   When you do, you can see that I excluded tournaments from their common non-appearance.   At tournaments, over two decades, I have never seen any Field Marshall do anything to control a situation other than to eventually go off and get someone from Tournament Central.   
And no, I have never seen or heard of a Field Marshall recording game stats for a team.  Normally, when used to collect any stats, it is just the ref sheets from the officials, which they pass on to tournament central.
Oh, and when you actually do something to benefit youth soccer, K2, I will happy to be either impressive or unimpressive to  Until you do, then your opinion matters less to me than it is possible to express.  So we are even.

[EWSoccer64]

Hey TP, wanna know a secret?  Experienced coaches give the stats keeping job to the loud mouth

I thought thats what the field marshell job was for.....

FMs?   How many times have you actually had an FM outside of a tournament?  And even then, how often do they actually do anything effective?

I have been known to assign a FM just for my team. With coaches on the other sideline now days no matter how good your ears are you do not always hear everthing. My FM handles it discreatly and my parents on teams I have needed one know the roll and if I then need too I step in, I do. It works.

I never thought of designating my own FM for my own team.   Is that effective in keeping the opposing set of rabid parents under control, as needed, as well?

[Old Dog]

Hey TP, wanna know a secret?  Experienced coaches give the stats keeping job to the loud mouth

I thought thats what the field marshell job was for.....

FMs?   How many times have you actually had an FM outside of a tournament?  And even then, how often do they actually do anything effective?

I have been known to assign a FM just for my team. With coaches on the other sideline now days no matter how good your ears are you do not always hear everthing. My FM handles it discreatly and my parents on teams I have needed one know the roll and if I then need too I step in, I do. It works.

I never thought of designating my own FM for my own team.   Is that effective in keeping the opposing set of rabid parents under control, as needed, as well?

Never put them in harms way to find out.

[pele]