Is ECNL or Girls Academy better?

Neither is ranked above the other. Our directory lists 133 ECNL Girls clubs and 121 Girls Academy clubs. Which is stronger near you depends on the clubs in your area.

What does ECNL RL stand for?

ECNL Regional League: the regional competition the ECNL runs under its national league. Our directory lists 411 girls’ clubs in it.

The Girls Academy’s second level. The league describes it as a tier two league. Our directory lists 148 clubs in it.

Do you have to play ECNL to play in college?

No. Neither the NCAA’s manuals nor the NAIA’s handbook names any youth league.

Guides

The girls’ ladder

Girls’ club soccer levels, explained

The short answer

Girls’ club soccer in the United States has two national top-level leagues, ECNL Girls and Girls Academy, and a second level under each: GA Aspire and ECNL Regional League Girls. Our directory lists 133 ECNL Girls clubs, 121 Girls Academy clubs, 411 in the ECNL Regional League and 148 in GA Aspire. State and local leagues sit below those. No league is required to play in college.

Sources last checked October 5, 2026

Pictured: Kalamazoo v Baldwin Wallace, women’s, 2024

Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0

Girls’ national club leagues in our directory
ECNL Girls	133 clubs in 34 states
Girls Academy	121 clubs in 35 states
ECNL Regional League Girls	411 clubs in 40 states
GA Aspire	148 clubs in 31 states
Clubs in both ECNL Girls and the Girls Academy	0

A club is one name in one state. A club with teams in two leagues is counted in each.

What are the levels of girls’ club soccer?

The girls’ ladder, top first

League	Level	Clubs	States
ECNL Girls	LevelNational, top level	Clubs133	States34
Girls Academy	LevelNational, top level	Clubs121	States35
GA Aspire	LevelSecond level	Clubs148	States31
ECNL Regional League Girls	LevelSecond level	Clubs411	States40

Counted from our club directory. Each league’s name links to its full club list.

Below these are state and regional leagues, which we do not list. A club can have teams at more than one level: 105 of the 133 ECNL Girls clubs also hold a place in the ECNL Regional League.

What is the highest level of girls’ club soccer?

ECNL Girls and Girls Academy. They are separate leagues with separate clubs: in our directory no club holds a place in both. ECNL Girls has clubs in 34 states and the Girls Academy in 35.

The Girls Academy describes itself this way: over 120 member clubs in eleven conferences, with teams at U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19; league play begins in August and ends with playoffs and national finals in June and July. The two leagues side by side, state by state: ECNL vs Girls Academy.

What are ECNL RL and GA Aspire?

They are the second level. The ECNL Regional League is run by the ECNL under its national league. 105 of the 133 ECNL Girls clubs also have a place in it, and it reaches 40 states to the national league’s 34.

GA Aspire is the Girls Academy’s second level. The league calls it a tier two league: clubs must apply and meet specific criteria for acceptance, and it is for second teams of Girls Academy member clubs, and outside clubs working towards a place in the top tier. 46 of the 121 Girls Academy clubs also have a place in Aspire.

More on the first of those: ECNL vs ECNL Regional League.

Does the league decide whether a girl plays in college?

No rule says so. The NCAA and NAIA manuals name no youth league, and the NCAA defines a coach’s evaluation as the observation of a player taking part in any practice or competition at any site (Bylaw 13.02.7). What a league changes is who you play against each week and which showcases your team is at.

What gets a player recruited is in how to get recruited for college soccer: a list of colleges that fit, video, and an email. A player in any league can do all three.

How should a family choose a level?

Playing time. A starter one level down has more film than a substitute one level up.
The coach. Ask who will train the team this year, and watch a session.
Travel and cost. A national league can mean travel to national events. Ask the club for the whole year’s cost before you sign.
The pathway inside the club. Ask how many players moved up from the second team last year.

Clubs in every league, by state, with each club’s website and tryout page where it has one: youth soccer levels and clubs.

Q&AQuick answers

What is the highest level of girls’ club soccer?: ECNL Girls and Girls Academy. Both are national leagues.
Is ECNL or Girls Academy better?: Neither is ranked above the other. Our directory lists 133 ECNL Girls clubs and 121 Girls Academy clubs. Which is stronger near you depends on the clubs in your area.
What does ECNL RL stand for?: ECNL Regional League: the regional competition the ECNL runs under its national league. Our directory lists 411 girls’ clubs in it.
What is GA Aspire?: The Girls Academy’s second level. The league describes it as a tier two league. Our directory lists 148 clubs in it.
Do you have to play ECNL to play in college?: No. Neither the NCAA’s manuals nor the NAIA’s handbook names any youth league.

How this was counted

Club counts are our club directory, built on 2026-10-05 from each league’s own published club list. A club is one name in one state. What each league says about itself is quoted from its own site, read on 2026-10-05.

Sources

Last checked against these sources onOctober 5, 2026. Figures marked Startline are counted from the data we hold and move when it does. Rules change: check anything dated against the governing body itself.

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