ECNL wants to switch back to school year from birth year

[Guest]

So in 8th how many games do they miss? Do you know? Here’s a hint, it’s 0. They play the same number of games just start 2 months later? So what are they missing? There have been so many parents on this thread of trapped players actually talking about the benefit of their kid getting looks early. Coaches recruit players not teams no coach is going to random games and saying I like #6. It doesn’t work like that. So yeah all of your points are actually invalid. Stop with the nonsense

Many players do miss out on games because not all leagues have fall seasons for high school ages. And even if they do those kids miss out on 2-3 months of training. If they were on a team with other 8th graders they miss out on nothing. All of the arguments for keeping it BY involve kids missing out on a partial or whole fall season and they shouldn't be missing out on anything. Or playing down and taking playing time away from the younger players and now they too are missing out on something. No player should have to miss out on anything just because they were born in the wrong part of the calendar.

Youth soccer includes kids from Rec to MLSN and from age 3 to age 20 and both boys and girls. Just because you don't think that from your experience with your ECNL club it "isn't a big deal" for the affected kids doesn't mean you speak for the thousands of kids across all levels and ages that are affected. Or it's more likely that you just don't care about any other player but your own. Luckily the people who are making these decisions do. The selfishness on this tread is truly disturbing.

[Guest]

Four more days and this thread can die, at least for myself. Everyone that I have talked to is for the change. I can see how much parents of Q1/Q2 parents care about their younger teammates some of whom are trapped players. Not on our team at least, I feel bad for the teams that have parents like the one above, they have no idea what it is to be a good teams mate and I doubt they are teaching their kids.

Agreed. But don't lose too much faith in humanity from any of the 50+ posts from last night. It looks like mostly the one psycho BY dad copy-paste-bombing the thread, replying to his own messages. You can tell because they were randomly pulled from here and a similar thread at DC Urban Moms and then slightly edited to include his signature inflammatory insults. Insane.

[Guest]

June cuck dad we see you.

[Guest]

From an RAE study of youth track athletes:
https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S1440244024001555-gr1_lrg.jpg

That 12-month window makes a big difference for a long time in speed. It's very often the difference between catching someone on a fast break, scoring a goal, etc. People are crazy if they don't realize that 1-2 step difference in speed isn't often the difference in who gets on a better team, gets more recognition as a star, gets more playing time, etc. All else equal, speed is important in soccer if you're focused on winning games. And I'd argue it's even more important at the younger ages, before the kids learn more advanced tactics to counter speed.

What study is this from? Can you link to the study? Without having the study to reference, at face value these graphs make the "RAE doesn't matter after U12" guy look (even more) like a dummy.

[Guest]

This is why MLSN allows biobanding. It makes sense for boys. But eventually if they want to get noticed after puberty they'll need to start playing up.

You're right, but you kind of buried the point. Biobanding might be the only lifeline that keeps a late developer (boys especially) in the system long enough to get through puberty to be able to start playing up. Without biobanding, a talented, athletic but prebubescent player might find himself washed out of the system completely before he has a chance to catch up physically. If he's too small, too slow at age 13, he could get cut and put on a lower team where his development is affected because he's not playing against the same level of comp he would have been. And often that kid doesn't feel challenged or gets frustrated or bored playing against lesser skilled players. When that happens, an athletic kid drops out altogether or turns to other sports when all he needed was another year or two to develop physically. Of course, this is a great result for parents of kids who develop early. They don't want their early grower to lose his spot at U15 when the late grower finally blooms.

[Guest]

Can’t you people just wait 4 days for the vote.

[Guest]

For the parents who have nothing to worry about bc their kid will be fine, they sure have a lot to say and argue about.

[Guest]

The hard part is some girls parents can be incredibly block headed. Many girls parents like pay to play age banded teams and that's OK. If girls had a true professional Acadamy program that funneled players into professional teams everyone would have what they want and be happy. The problem is girls don't have an Academy to pro program. So what happens is that players that would prefer to play professionally are forced to be involved with pay to play age bound teams. This plays out in certain clubs hoarding talent by not playing them up even if the team kills everyone else their age. Provides great marketing for the club but unfortunately stagnates player development. But parents want wins and they're paying so you can see how things play out.

This is exactly correct.

If NCAA goes away which is very likely and colleges get rid of non revenue sports which is also very likely all the catering to college coaches won't make sense anymore.

Bring on NWSL Next so the girls can drop the pay to play parents and the game can advance.

[Guest]

“U.S. Soccer, in collaboration with the Board of Directors’ Technical Development Committee, is currently conducting a formal survey with members, leagues, and clubs. We will present the findings and recommended path forward at the Board of Directors meeting on November 22. U.S. Soccer plans to communicate the path forward to the ecosystem by the end of the year.”

How can you be this far into this debate and not have read the official statements?

Hardest thing about navigating this thread is figuring out 1) which posters might actually have valid/inside information (few), 2) which posters have valid cogent points to discuss (few), 3) which posters are just parents pushing the agenda that benefits their kids (most), and which posters are just brain dead troglodytes without a clue who feel the need to chime in without any understanding of the issues whatsoever (lots, including the nitwit PP who can't even be bothered to read the official USSF statement).

[Guest]

You're right, but you kind of buried the point. Biobanding might be the only lifeline that keeps a late developer (boys especially) in the system long enough to get through puberty to be able to start playing up. Without biobanding, a talented, athletic but prebubescent player might find himself washed out of the system completely before he has a chance to catch up physically. If he's too small, too slow at age 13, he could get cut and put on a lower team where his development is affected because he's not playing against the same level of comp he would have been. And often that kid doesn't feel challenged or gets frustrated or bored playing against lesser skilled players. When that happens, an athletic kid drops out altogether or turns to other sports when all he needed was another year or two to develop physically. Of course, this is a great result for parents of kids who develop early. They don't want their early grower to lose his spot at U15 when the late grower finally blooms.

You missed what was being said entirely.

Biobanding pre puberty makes sense. Biobanding after puberty does not. This is the issue. If youre biobanding after puberty youre doing it for wins. Letting certain players play down so they can be a superstar when really theyre not and have never been.

Girls go through puberty before boys. Usually by 14 its happened. Also girls tend to get worse at sports after puberty so theres no reason to bioband them.

[Guest]

We'll call it playing down all I want because that's what it is.

After U11 RAE has already happened.

Marginal trapped players a year up will end up marginal players when they play a year down. Exceptional trapped players a year up will be exceptional players a year down.

You just don't know this yet.

Here's an example of brain dead.

[Guest]

This is exactly correct.

If NCAA goes away which is very likely and colleges get rid of non revenue sports which is also very likely all the catering to college coaches won't make sense anymore.

Bring on NWSL Next so the girls can drop the pay to play parents and the game can advance.

Title IX still exists. Unless those colleges are willing to give up any federal money they will retain an amount of women’s sports equal to the profit making men’s sports.

[Guest]

Title IX still exists. Unless those colleges are willing to give up any federal money they will retain an amount of women’s sports equal to the profit making men’s sports.

Football and Basketball stay, everything else becomes club level with no $$ given. Maybe women's soccer gets to stay as one of the two Title IX sports, maybe not

[Guest]

This is exactly correct.

If NCAA goes away which is very likely and colleges get rid of non revenue sports which is also very likely all the catering to college coaches won't make sense anymore.

Bring on NWSL Next so the girls can drop the pay to play parents and the game can advance.

Title IX will prohibit the annihilation of women's sports. College soccer will live to see another day.

[Guest]

You missed what was being said entirely.

Biobanding pre puberty makes sense. Biobanding after puberty does not. This is the issue. If youre biobanding after puberty youre doing it for wins. Letting certain players play down so they can be a superstar when really theyre not and have never been.

Girls go through puberty before boys. Usually by 14 its happened. Also girls tend to get worse at sports after puberty so theres no reason to bioband them.

I didn't miss the point at all. But you might want to brush up on what biobanding is before you decide to make ignorant posts.