The ECNL will have two different team competition standings and corresponding championships in the 2011-2012 season:

• (i) the ECNL Conference Standings and ECNL Conference Champions; and 
• (ii) the ECNL National Championship Standings and ECNL National Champions.   

In addition, the ECNL will have the coveted club competition, crowning an ECNL Overall Club Champion.  These three competition structures are outlined below. 

ECNL Conference Standings & Conference Champions (U15 - U18):

In 2011-2012, the ECNL consists of 8 regional conferences across the country.  Within these conferences, every team will play their conference opponents both home and away.  In addition, teams will play between 2-4 cross-conference games against teams from another conference.  All conference and cross-conference games, and only these games, will be included in the ECNL Conference Standings.  At the end of the season, an ECNL Conference Champion at each age group will be crowned.  In addition, the champion and 2nd place team in each conference will receive bonus points in the ECNL Overall Club Championship standings. The 2011-12 ECNL Conferences are as follows: 

• South,
• Mid-Atlantic*,
• Northeast, 
• Midwest*,
• Texas,
• Mountain West,
• NorthWest, and
• SoCal Coast.

* These conferences have been divided into two divisions by geography.

ECNL National Standings - A-Flight & the ECNL National Champions (U15 - U18 A-Flight):

U15- U18: In 2011-2012, the ECNL National Champion will be determined based on position in the ECNL National Championship Standings – A-Flight.  All games played by an ECNL A-Flight team against other teams in the ECNL A-Flight will be included in the ECNL National Championship Standings– A-Flight. For clarification, this includes all qualifying conference games, cross-conference games, and games at national events.    At the end of the regular season, the top 16 teams in the ECNL National Standings – A-Flight will qualify for the National Championship Group at the ECNL National Championships, where they will play four games to determine the ECNL National Champion: a round of 16 game, a quarter-final, a semi-final, and a championship game.

ECNL National Standings - B-Flight & the Challenge B-Flight ECNL Champions (U15 - U18 Challenge B-Flight):

U15-U17: In 2011-12, the ECNL Challenge B-Flight will consist of thirty-six (36) teams. All ECNL competitions played by a B-Flight team against other teams in the B-Flight will be included in the ECNL National Standings – B-Flight. For clarification, this includes all qualifying conference games, cross-conference games, and games at national events where B-Flight teams play against each other (B-Flight team vs. B-flight team direct match-up).   At the end of the regular season, the top four (4) teams in the ECNL National Standings B-Flight will be placed into the B-Flight National Championship Group at the ECNL National Championships, where they will play a semi-final and final to determine the B-Flight ECNLChampion.  These four (4) teams will all be automatically promoted to the A-Flight for the 2012-2013 season. 

In addition, at the end of the regular season, the fifth (5th) and sixth (6th) place teams in the ECNL National Standings- B-Flight, along with the 25th and 26th place team in the ECNL National Standings - A-Flight,  will be placed in a Promotion and Relegation Play-Off Group (at the National Championship) for one final spot in the A-Flight in 2012-2013.  

U18: At the end of the regular season, the top 16 teams in the ECNL National Standings – B-Flight will qualify for the B-Flight Championship Group at the ECNL National Championships, where they will play four games to determine the B-Flight ECNL Champion: a round of 16 game, a quarter-final, a semi-final, and a championship game.

ECNL National Championship (U14):

At U14, teams will play their conference opponents both home and away, and will play a selected number of cross-conference games.  All conference and cross-conference games will be included in the U14 ECNL Conference Standings.  At the end of the season, the top 2 U14 teams from every ECNL Conference, for a total of 16 teams, will qualify for the National Championship Group at the ECNL National Championships, where they will play four games to determine the ECNL National Champion: a round of 16 game, a quarter-final, a semi-final, and a championship game.  All other U14 teams will play games at the ECNL National Championships against teams from different conferences, in preparation for future ECNL play.

ECNL Overall Club Champion:

The ECNL Overall Club Champion will be crowned based on the final records of all teams in the club, from U15-U18, and overall standings of these teams based on points-per-game within their flight.  Bonus points will be awarded to Conference Champions, Conference Finalists, National Champions, and National Finalists.  The Overall Club Champion standings will be released beginning in January.  No U14 results will be included in the Overall Club Champion.