ECNL wants to switch back to school year from birth year

[Guest]

I'm from California + can explain how it works out here reguarding "tryouts".

Every top team both ECNL and GA plays and practices year round. What ends up happening is that everyone knows everyone. Either through tournament teams parents or special trainers put together, or futsal, or playing in different clubs when players were younger, etc, etc.

Once you get to ECNL or GA levels who's going to play on XYZ team is usually decided before official tryouts happen. Unofficially a player will contact a different club coach asking if they can practice with their team. From there the coach and parent negotiate on what's going to happen with the roster next season. As an example Slammers G2010 had a parent + player group that came over from Blues as a bundle. (Parents group together as a bundle to control team votes). All this happens before official tryouts so tryout cutoff dates mean nothing.

Also players switching leagues have no rules on when you can officially try out.

Clubs are also monitoring different leagues and teams for players + reaching out with offers year round.

this is standard regardless on where you live. and what does bundle to control team votes mean? are you voting to replace the coach?. The Parents have 1 task, write the check. You don't get a vote on anything, Thats the exact issue with youth soccer in this country, Helicopter parents getting involved.

[Guest]

this is standard regardless on where you live. and what does bundle to control team votes mean? are you voting to replace the coach?. The Parents have 1 task, write the check. You don't get a vote on anything, Thats the exact issue with youth soccer in this country, Helicopter parents getting involved.

You're exactly correct reguarding helicopter parents.

The parents group together to control team decisions like which restaurant ro meetup at after a game . Or to control which teams you play friendlies against. Or which kids share a room when traveling. Etc etc etc.

They group together when approaching a coach to join their team to be more appealing and block out other players from joining.

You get the idea.

[Guest]

You're exactly correct reguarding helicopter parents.

The parents group together to control team decisions like which restaurant ro meetup at after a game . Or to control which teams you play friendlies against. Or which kids share a room when traveling. Etc etc etc.

They group together when approaching a coach to join their team to be more appealing and block out other players from joining.

You get the idea.

so you are telling me the parents on this team pick / vote to who they play in friendlies? that is quite possibly the most absurd thing I have ever heard.

[Guest]

I had a HS basketball teammate who was in my class but 17 months older than me (I was October, he was May of the year before). If soccer moves to GY, but don't actually do a "pure GY" but a GY-like cutoff date of 8/1 instead, what happens to kids like this (pre 8/1 birthdays, but really old for their grade)? Do they just get stuck playing with kids from the grade above all the way through the system? Will they even be able to play as seniors in HS when their teammates from a grade above are all in college? If the trapped player thing is bad for those trapped kids now, the outlier kids from an 8/1 cutoff who are really old for their grades are going to find it hard to be seen and absolutely screwed in terms of recruiting. They won't be recruitable when coaches are spending the most time watching their team for the class ahead of them, then not as much when they are recruitable the next year and want to be seen. At least recruiters are aware that there are trapped players with the current BY system.

Seems like a tough break even though people get so worked up about kids who are "held back." There are lots of reasons kids are "held back". Only some are held back to gain an advantage athletically. In my friend's case, he was a preemie and was very slow to develop as a kid so his parents held him back to start kindergarten. By the time we were in middle school he had caught back up and then of course hit puberty way ahead of the rest of us. So what? Is the argument against this that some kid on the JV team got "cheated" out of a spot on Varsity (no club or AAU in my day) because my friend was a year older and more physically developed? That there will be a race to the bottom with everyone reclassing to gain advantage? So what if there is? It's all overblown. Not too many people want to be 20 year old seniors.

[Guest]

I’m from California my daughter plays ECNL. You see a handful of girls sometimes after thanksgiving but my understanding is the tryout window for non ECNL players is always open and ECNL players (with permission) can tryout after fall and spring seasons.

But you definitely see more players for tryouts after the spring seasons. they usually start coming out around late April into early June.

^this happens in MA too but no official tryouts until the mandated date

[Guest]

so you are telling me the parents on this team pick / vote to who they play in friendlies? that is quite possibly the most absurd thing I have ever heard.

It's not that overt.

The group decides separatly then if they choose not to do a certain friendly they all say that they cant attend.

Once this happens a few times who controls the team becomes clear.

[Guest]

It's not that overt.

The group decides separatly then if they choose not to do a certain friendly they all say that they cant attend.

Once this happens a few times who controls the team becomes clear.

The coach controls the team. and if he or she doesn't the club directors need to step in. I understand there are " groups" on each team but this situation is outrageous. Tell those parents to grab their coffee and chair and go sit on the sidelines and watch the game

[Guest]

The coach controls the team. and if he or she doesn't the club directors need to step in. I understand there are " groups" on each team but this situation is outrageous. Tell those parents to grab their coffee and chair and go sit on the sidelines and watch the game

It all makes perfect sense. It's the most "California" thing I've heard on here. Land of the nutjobs.

[Guest]

The coach controls the team. and if he or she doesn't the club directors need to step in. I understand there are " groups" on each team but this situation is outrageous. Tell those parents to grab their coffee and chair and go sit on the sidelines and watch the game

Try and do that when 3 of the 4 are USYNT players and some of the top schools in the nation are scouting them. ;-)

I get what yow're saying but im not talking about normal players or normal team dynamics.

[Guest]

It all makes perfect sense. It's the most "California" thing I've heard on here. Land of the nutjobs.

I live in California it is the land of nutjobs. But at least we get good weather if you live near the coast. We also have half of Lake Tahoe which is pretty great too.

[Guest]

The last 50 pages have been dedicated to one person who is determined to get to 200 pages and another person who has a Q1 stud.

[Guest]

The ECNL podcast references “school year” not “grade year”. I have always taken that to mean that it would correspond to school year calendar cut off dates. Those held back are going to play with what would have been their true grade. They can red shirt as a freshman as the fix.

[Guest]

The ECNL podcast references “school year” not “grade year”. I have always taken that to mean that it would correspond to school year calendar cut off dates. Those held back are going to play with what would have been their true grade. They can red shirt as a freshman as the fix.

By getting a GED summer following their junior year

[Guest]

The ECNL podcast references “school year” not “grade year”. I have always taken that to mean that it would correspond to school year calendar cut off dates. Those held back are going to play with what would have been their true grade. They can red shirt as a freshman as the fix.

Some A-hole with a July birthday is grasping at straws throwing out cautionary tales about recessing and fear mongering about older kids playing 2 years down. LAX is a good comp for this. You play with your grade, but there are age limits (some date - be it Aug 1 or whatever). It’s not that complicated and the whole reclass crap is a red herring.

[Guest]

That D0UCHE raised several thought-provoking points regarding age cutoffs in youth sports and how they impact players, especially when transitioning from systems like "Birth Year" (BY) to a "Grade Year" (GY) cutoff like the one with an August 1st date. Players who have pre-August 1 birthdays but are still younger in terms of school grade (like your teammate who was born in May) may indeed find themselves in challenging situations under a GY system. They could end up competing against older players in their physical prime, which could hinder their development and visibility, especially if they dominate their grade rather than being outpaced by older peers in the same age group. ****ing concerns about recruiting are valid. If players are stuck playing with older peers, they may miss out on showcases and exposure that could lead to recruitment opportunities. Coaches often prioritize watching players in their primary recruiting class year, which could disadvantage older players who are technically in the grade below their true age group but may not get the same level of attention. Now, not all players who are older for their grade are artificially held back for athletic advantages. There are various legitimate reasons for delaying entry into kindergarten, including developmental challenges like being born prematurely. Every player has a unique story, and a one-size-fits-all approach, such as an age cutoff, may not adequately account for individual circumstances. The argument that older players may "cheat" other players out of spots is indeed often oversimplified. Competition in sports is inherently unequal in many ways, including factors like physical maturity, skill level, and experience. While it could be argued that an older player might have a physical advantage, this does not inherently make them more deserving of a spot on varsity. The fear mongering of a “race to the bottom” with widespread reclassifying is a concern that some stakeholders have. However, as you mentioned, being a 20-year-old senior may not appeal to many, and the social dynamics of high school sports also play a crucial role. Most teenagers prefer to be with their peers, and while some may make the choice to reclassify, it’s unlikely to become the norm for everyone. Overall, the shift to a GY system with specific cutoffs can create unintended challenges for certain student-athletes, especially those whose circumstances lead them to be older for their grade. Balancing fairness, competitive integrity, and the individual development trajectories of young athletes is a complex issue that certainly warrants ongoing discussion and thoughtful consideration from educators and sports organizations alike.