RICHMOND, Va. (March 11, 2025) - The ECNL, under the leadership of Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Drew Watson, is proud to announce the launch of the ECNL Center for Athlete Health and Performance (CAHP), a research and education hub designed to identify, develop and share best practices in long-term youth athlete health, development and performance.
The ECNL Center for Athlete Health and Performance will conduct research, disseminate evidence, and offer recommendations on a wide range of high-yield topics relevant to youth athletes, coaches, and families, including mental health, injury and illness risk and prevention, load management, pediatric exercise physiology, sport nutrition, and more.
"The ECNL Center for Athlete Health and Performance is a truly innovative and unique collaboration that will provide information, recommendations and best practices to help stakeholders within youth sports improve the health, safety, and performance of youth athletes," Dr. Watson said. "By working with leaders in youth soccer across the country, this represents an extraordinary opportunity to integrate real-world experience with the most relevant current evidence and medical expertise to improve the athlete experience and bridge the gap between academia, medicine and the field."
The ECNL Center for Athlete Health and Performance will provide compilations of the most applicable research from around the world on topics relevant to youth athletes, as well as evidence derived from research projects within the ECNL conducted in collaboration with Dr. Watson's Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin. During the last two years, for example, longitudinal research projects have been developed within the league to better understand mental health and injury risk in ECNL athletes and drive future interventions to improve athlete health. The ECNL Center for Athlete Health and Performance's first shared research and recommendations will be released in the coming days.
Following the initial content launch, the ECNL Center for Athlete Health and Performance will provide new content throughout the year for athletes and coaches to use in support of their goals within the game.
"We envision the ECNL Center for Athlete Health and Performance to be a resource for coaches, players and families that will positively impact the development of young athletes, and ultimately improve the youth sport environment," Dr. Watson said. "We also anticipate that the expansion of the data collection infrastructure within the league represents a truly unique framework to generate evidence specific to young athletes on a potentially unprecedented scale that can inform decision-making in youth sports. Our goal is that the ECNL Center for Athlete Health and Performance becomes the standard in the space, and something that can be replicated in clubs and different sports throughout the country."
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About the ECNL:
The ECNL is the nation's leading youth soccer development platform. The ECNL respects and celebrates the unique individuality of every youth soccer player and club, supporting and enabling them to unleash their unfettered passion and fierce tenacity in striving to achieve their potential.
The ECNL mission to Raise the Game is a total commitment to create the best possible environment for players, coaches, referees and administrators, with a determination to constantly question convention and challenge the status quo in youth sports.
The ECNL Commitment:
We will lead, set our eyes on new horizons, and pursue them relentlessly. Born out of the belief in a better way. Continued in the ever-evolving pursuit of excellence.
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