Originally Posted by Anonymous
Just to be clear. Dukes national is 1 year old. I'm sure it will grow and grow as people seek additional playing opportunitirs


Full disclosure, I'm an LI dad. I'm not sure about them getting better. 2023 is a very strong age group, from Mass to Maryland and beyond. PA has some great teams, Jersey has a few as well. Just a lot stronger than the 2022's and up (I have a 2023, 2022, and 2019). The problem with the model is that the Dukes are a supplemental team for most of these kids. The players all have parents that think that their little Rabils need to play more lax. Unfortunately, there's no continuity. There's no true allegiance to the program. It's a bunch of good players, absolutely, but the truly elite players won't do it because their teams are practicing and playing enough already. My son, for instance, wouldn't have time for it. I'm not saying he's elite, but he's very good and plays on one of the more competitive LI teams. Between his town and his club, he practices 4 days a week all winter. Even more when the weather breaks. That's already too much, in my opinion. If he was on a team that didn't practice in the fall or winter, or practiced minimally, then Dukes would definitely be an option. But most highly competitive teams have really increased practice time this year. The kids on those teams are not going to Dukes. Their coaches would not tolerate it. That just my opinion; I'm not saying I'm right or wrong or even that the team isn't good. They are good, my son's team has played them a few times. Close games but his team was able to pull out the win. It's got to be great for some people because they seem very happy with it. That's awesome and I wish you the very best!