Total Player Pathway
Eclipse is a full-service club providing a TOTAL PLAYER PATHWAY (TPP) from 3 and 4 years old through high school. We offer 5 phases to ensure that each individual player has a plan that will allow him or her to be an Eclipse Club member from their first touch of the ball until they leave for college.
ECNL Program – TPP: Phase 5 (U13 through U18/19; the ELITE LEVEL teams and players)
The ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, and ECNL Girls Regional League Programs provide our U13-U19 members the highest level of competition available on a Regional and National level called the Elite Club National Leagues (ECNL). Teams will be challenged at the top level within the ECNL’s events and leagues throughout the country. The height of competition will be based on the individual and the level of the teams. This program is the final phase within Eclipse’s Total Player Pathway before players move on to their college careers. The ECNL is an invite-only league, that consists of the top youth clubs across the country. A club’s ability to play in the ECNL requires an invitation from the respective league. The top youth clubs across the country play in the ECNL. Eclipse Select is proud to be one of the founding members of the ECNL as well as one of its top performers since 2009. Eclipse Select is a founding member of the ECNL Boys in 2017-18. Players must try out to play at this level and then they are placed on the appropriate level team based on their abilities. For more information about these teams and the leagues they play, visit our ECNL Girls, ECNL Boys, and ECNL Girls RL pages.
Premier Program – TPP: Phase 4 (U11 through U18/19)
Our Premier Program primarily plays in the United States Youth Soccer (USYS) and/or National Premier League (NPL) leagues which include Regional and possibly Nationals events. Its role in the Total Player Pathway is to serve developing players aspiring to grow into Phase 5 players before graduating high school. Teams in Phase 4 are entered in leagues and regional tournaments that are usually closer in comparison to the nationally based ECNL program but are still at a high competition level and have the opportunity to further their development. These leagues also require teams to qualify to participate in them and are for teams playing 9v9 at U11 and U12 or 11v11 at U13-U19. Groups and teams comprised of the highest-level players in the U11 and U12 age groups are identified as Pre-ECNL. These teams prepare for the ECNL program to follow by being entered into events against other identified Pre-ECNL teams. Players must try out to play at this level and then they are placed on the appropriate level team based on their abilities. For more information about these teams and the leagues they play, visit our Pre-ECNL Girls, and Boys Premier pages.
Select Youth Program – TPP: Phase 3 (U7 through U12)
The Select Youth Program is for travel-level teams and athletes playing with less than 11 players on the field per team: 9v9, 7v7, 5v5, and 4v4. These are for ages that would be playing under-8 (U8) to under-12 (U12). These teams/pools participate in local leagues such as Northern Illinois Soccer League (NISL), Illinois Women’s Soccer League (IWSL), and/or, but not limited to the Central Illinois Youth Soccer League (CIYSL). Competition at this level is primarily local and in-state and combined with in-state weekend tournaments. Teams are seeded in these leagues’ various divisions based on their level of players. It is always Eclipse’s goal to place these teams with groups of teams that are similar in level of play to ours, to maximize the balance between learning and having fun.
In this phase of the Total Player Pathway, individuals are challenged to prepare for the Premier and ECNL level that follows. Players must attend a tryout to be evaluated and then are placed on the appropriate level team based on their abilities. Since this is still part of our Grassroots program, cuts are rarely made, and we can usually find a place for every player that wants to play for Eclipse. For more information about these teams and the leagues they play, visit our Boys and Girls Select (U7-U12) page.
Recreational Program – TPP: Phase 2 (U7 and older)
The Super Recreational League (SRL) is a non-traveling program that provides professional oversight to a recreational environment for players age 5 through 8. It serves the communities closest to our Oak Brook Headquarters. SRL’s aim is to provide a superior introductory experience for your beginner soccer child. It is a progressive grassroots plan at the base of our club that serves as one of the entryways into our Total Player Pathway. Children are grouped by ability and challenged with a balance between training and playing small-sided games. It is designed to propel and prepare players for the Youth Program and traveling soccer. There are no tryouts for this level. For more information about this program, visit our SRL page.
Tots, Skills & Camp Programming – TPP: Phase 1 (U7 and younger)
LoveIt! DreamIt LiveIt! Soccer (LDL) programs are the official partner to Eclipse Select Soccer club offering supplemental training on an individual, small group, or topic-specific level. LDL Tots & Skills Classes are for 3 to 6-year-old children and precedes the SRL as the first steps into your Eclipse Total Player Pathway. These classes prepare boys and girls to seamlessly transition into SRL. LDL also serves the communities around the Eclipse Headquarters with camps, clinics, skills training, indoor leagues, and seasonal programs, to complement the Eclipse programs listed above. LDL staff works closely with Eclipse Youth Program coaches to ensure players are following and growing in conjunction with their club team and their coach’s input. See their current programs being offered on the LDL page.