US Club/NEP Birth Year

[OB1]

This is not a big deal. Other youth sports use birth year, e.g. hockey.

In many respects it makes administration much easier. Parents will no longer be confused. Administrators will have an easier time verifying rosters.

The breaking up and forming new teams in the long run will be a good thing. It might weed out those who are involved for purely social reasons.

[Unregistered]

Heard that NEP voted to go birth year in August 2016 v waiting until the mandatory August 2017.

I like the move and glad it is finally no longer a rumor!

NEP didn't have a choice, unless they wanted to leave US Club:

US Club Soccer announces implementation plan for U.S. Soccer's recent coaching initiatives

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Sept. 15, 2015) - US Club Soccer has announced its implementation plan for U.S. Soccer mandates to calendar-year competition and small-sided games. US Club Soccer's Board of Directors approved the action late last week in accordance with U.S. Soccer's recent coaching initiatives:

US Club Soccer members will be required to transition age grouping of teams from school-year based (Aug. 1-July 31) to calendar-year based (Jan. 1-Dec. 31) by Aug. 1, 2016....

[Unregistered]

This is not a big deal. Other youth sports use birth year, e.g. hockey.

In many respects it makes administration much easier. Parents will no longer be confused. Administrators will have an easier time verifying rosters.

The breaking up and forming new teams in the long run will be a good thing. It might weed out those who are involved for purely social reasons.

Exaclty! Who needs those 1,000,000 kids anyway?

[Unregistered]

In many respects it makes administration much easier. Parents will no longer be confused. Administrators will have an easier time verifying rosters.

Oh, come on. Right now, you're eligible for a given year if your birthdate was on or after 8/1/XX. After the change, you're eligible if your birthdate was on or after 1/1/XX. If that change makes things much easier for administrators, it doesn't say much about those administrators' capabilities.

[Unregistered]

This is not a big deal. Other youth sports use birth year, e.g. hockey.

In many respects it makes administration much easier. Parents will no longer be confused. Administrators will have an easier time verifying rosters.

The breaking up and forming new teams in the long run will be a good thing. It might weed out those who are involved for purely social reasons.

True administrators no longer need to use there fingers to count out 7th or 8th month.
They now can use the fingers to count all the money coming in.

[Unregistered]

Interesting to read some reactions:
http://goalnation.com/top-docs-regar...ccer-mandates/

My daughter is at a regional satellite of a big club. Unfortunately, she's a 02 but 3/4 of her teammates are 03s, so they won't have a team for her next year....unless the 3/4s all want to play up a year.

And 3/4 of the team above her are 02, she will have a team!

[Unregistered]

And 3/4 of the team above her are 02, she will have a team!

What the formula should have done is taken into consideration the level of play, or clubs should come up with a method of function training a group of elite of various age and premiere of various ages etc. the age isn't the issue as much as the level of play/training kids are willing to achieve. Social vs serious vs social/serious vs parents spending money to have a kid in club.

[Unregistered]

What the formula should have done is taken into consideration the level of play, or clubs should come up with a method of function training a group of elite of various age and premiere of various ages etc. the age isn't the issue as much as the level of play/training kids are willing to achieve. Social vs serious vs social/serious vs parents spending money to have a kid in club.

That's why clubs separate into A & B teams!

[Unregistered]

That's why clubs separate into A & B teams!

Or why there are different leagues or level of club play! Isn't it all sorted on ability?!!

[Unregistered]

Or why there are different leagues or level of club play! Isn't it all sorted on ability?!!

That is assuming the pool isn't weakened by the birth year. You are essentially asking a group of kids to replay a year and their current peers get to advance. The individual and their paying parent get the short end of the stick. Especially if your age group was slated to play 8v8,9v9, or 11v11 the upcoming year. The child is held back for the others to catch up. That is why you want elite level functional training so you keep forward progress and get something for your money and demotion. The clubs won't do it as it will cost them $. Unless one club does it as a gimmick then the others would have to follow suit.

[Unregistered]

That is assuming the pool isn't weakened by the birth year. You are essentially asking a group of kids to replay a year and their current peers get to advance. The individual and their paying parent get the short end of the stick. Especially if your age group was slated to play 8v8,9v9, or 11v11 the upcoming year. The child is held back for the others to catch up. That is why you want elite level functional training so you keep forward progress and get something for your money and demotion. The clubs won't do it as it will cost them $. Unless one club does it as a gimmick then the others would have to follow suit.

Or you will just see a mess of kids play up. Duh

[Unregistered]

Or you will just see a mess of kids play up. Duh

Too many play ups will cause a shortage below. Clubs won't allow it.

My son will be held back to repeat 9v9. I just look at it as another year of development.

He's eligible for MS which is 11v11. So that's a potential option.

If people really think this change is going to be catastrophic to their child's playing, then they have bigger issues to worry about.

[Unregistered]

Too many play ups will cause a shortage below. Clubs won't allow it.

My son will be held back to repeat 9v9. I just look at it as another year of development.

He's eligible for MS which is 11v11. So that's a potential option.

If people really think this change is going to be catastrophic to their child's playing, then they have bigger issues to worry about.

I agree clubs will not have many play up but not because of shortages below. Why should they? They want to win so filling a roster with younger kids just so they can keep playing together may weaken the team, which in turn leads to losses and fewer players coming in the following years. Players should always play with their age groups no matter where the age cutoff is (except for the very rare special player-singular, not plural).

The number of players in the pool isn't changing significantly just the assortment of who goes where. Kids who drop out because of social reasons probably would have by middle school anyway. Kids who love the sport or aren't laden with peer issues will continue plying, make new friends, etc.

[Unregistered]

I agree clubs will not have many play up but not because of shortages below. Why should they? They want to win so filling a roster with younger kids just so they can keep playing together may weaken the team, which in turn leads to losses and fewer players coming in the following years. Players should always play with their age groups no matter where the age cutoff is (except for the very rare special player-singular, not plural).

The number of players in the pool isn't changing significantly just the assortment of who goes where. Kids who drop out because of social reasons probably would have by middle school anyway. Kids who love the sport or aren't laden with peer issues will continue plying, make new friends, etc.

Totally agree. The only place you might see a drop off is at ulittles. Every competitive girl I know now started playing soccer in Kinder/1st grade with a group of classmates. Since the change starts at u6 & covers most rec as well, I fear those groups of girls will pick a different sport or activity that they can do together. I know my dd would have wanted to do something her little group of besties could do together back then & would never have fallen in love with soccer and become the elite player she is today.

[Unregistered]

Every competitive girl I know now started playing soccer in Kinder/1st grade with a group of classmates. Since the change starts at u6 & covers most rec as well, I fear those groups of girls will pick a different sport or activity that they can do together. I know my dd would have wanted to do something her little group of besties could do together back then & would never have fallen in love with soccer and become the elite player she is today.

I think most parents who grew up playing soccer and enjoyed the game are still going to be signing their kids up to play soccer as a first organized sport at an early age, whether or not their kid knows someone else on the team. These are the kids that will most likely grow to love the sport anyway, as their parents watch the game with them on TV, take them to local MLS games, play family pick-up games on the weekends, encourage them to practice on their own, and support the kids by placing them in good development programs and driving them to practices and games. It could possibly hurt participation of first generation players, who might only get into soccer due to a friend's influence, which would be too bad. Most kids will have at least a few classmates that will still be in their age groups and those that don't will probably know kids in the next higher grades from family acquaintance. It would be interesting, though, if there were statistics on the interest level of top U.S. players' parents in soccer before their kids became involved.