The youth ladder · 5 min read
What 'a level up' actually means in youth soccer
A better badge is not the same as a better team. Age-group results tell you which is which, and they are public.
Badges versus results
We map 1,049 clubs across 42 states and DC, with 3,471 age-group standings rows behind them. That last part is what separates a real step up from a lateral move in a nicer kit: how that club's team AT YOUR AGE GROUP actually finishes, rather than what league the club as a whole belongs to.
The leagues do not cover everywhere
Eight states have no ECNL, Girls Academy or MLS NEXT team on file at all — Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. That is a fact about where these leagues operate, and for a family in those states the honest answer is that the national ladder is a travel decision, not a local one.
ODP is the one anybody can try out for
The Olympic Development Program runs state to regional to national, and its state tryouts are open. College coaches and scouts attend regional camps. It is not a consolation prize and it does not require a club to nominate you, which makes it the most accessible thing on this page.
Sources
Figures attributed to Startline are counted from the data we hold and update when it does. Recruiting rules change — check anything dated against the governing body itself.