In December of 2010, Sarah Kate Noftsinger was hired as the first commissioner of Elite Clubs National League. Three years later, Noftsinger still runs the constantly growing and evolving league that has quickly ascended to the top of the club soccer pyramid.

Last week, Noftsinger sat down with TopDrawerSoccer.com for a Q&A about improving ECNL, high school soccer, and scouting for the national team.

This is the first part of a three-part series from that conversation.

TDS: What is the improvement that ECNL is focused on moving forward?

Noftsinger: At the epicenter, it is always player development, meaning the player’s best interest is at the forefront of our minds. Anything educational for coaching development, player development, scouting, at the end of the day, it is about staying true to who we are and what we set out to do; we want to accomplish our goal.