Youth soccer age change

[Guest]

It's already been tried. Coaches and players don't like it, to the point that the option is rarely even used by clubs. Basically, people don't like overcrowded teams.

1st - Teams/Clubs will over crowd as long as they can get away with it.
2nd - Technically, their is no "trapped" players as season games don't start until after the HS season ends and players in 8th grade still train at the club either with the team or another team. If you club doesn't have training for these players then either A. Your kid plays town travel and it doesn't matter or B. Your club sucks and you should should leave if your kid is looking to play in college.

[Guest]

why not just keep everything birth year and let all the trapped kids play down for the fall of 8th grade - it's just a 2 month period? Then later on doesn't the fact that the top age bracket is U19 correct for the trapped player issue at the end of the journey? what am I missing?

a ton. there are 250 pages explaining this on the Massachusetts board.

- you are already allowed to have some trapped players "play down." Jamming more players onto the team below isnt a good answer.
- Aside the impact from a 1 time change, there is zero reason why birth year makes any sense. "everyone else does BY" was never a good reason and turns out its not even true.
- The social construct in this country revolves around schools. Playing with friends keeps kids in the sport, especially during the major fall out years.
- this isn't just about 8th grade. Its also about the entry point for soccer, the recruiting years and the U19 senior year.
- moving to school year is not license for unlimited reclasses and kids driving to U13 games. There will still be date cutoffs.

Almost everyone's view on this board is entirely self-interest driven towards whatever is best for their kid. I get it. This cuts both ways with me. I have one kid that will probably be put at a pretty big disadvantage. I have another that is trapped that will be really upset, but will probably be better off for it. I have come to the conclusion that this is the right thing to do for soccer.

[Guest]

a ton. there are 250 pages explaining this on the Massachusetts board.

- you are already allowed to have some trapped players "play down." Jamming more players onto the team below isnt a good answer.
- Aside the impact from a 1 time change, there is zero reason why birth year makes any sense. "everyone else does BY" was never a good reason and turns out its not even true.
- The social construct in this country revolves around schools. Playing with friends keeps kids in the sport, especially during the major fall out years.
- this isn't just about 8th grade. Its also about the entry point for soccer, the recruiting years and the U19 senior year.
- moving to school year is not license for unlimited reclasses and kids driving to U13 games. There will still be date cutoffs.

Almost everyone's view on this board is entirely self-interest driven towards whatever is best for their kid. I get it. This cuts both ways with me. I have one kid that will probably be put at a pretty big disadvantage. I have another that is trapped that will be really upset, but will probably be better off for it. I have come to the conclusion that this is the right thing to do for soccer.

Good summary.

[Guest]

perhaps, but U14 and above should be grandfathered-in to the current system - they're already beyond the 8th grade trapped period and U19 solves for the issue in final years. can't ethically change the rules of the process this far into the soccer journey for the U14s and above.

[Guest]

perhaps, but U14 and above should be grandfathered-in to the current system - they're already beyond the 8th grade trapped period and U19 solves for the issue in final years. can't ethically change the rules of the process this far into the soccer journey for the U14s and above.

in other words - if they're gonna make the change then the 2011s and older should remain birth year, start the change at the younger age groups so that teams and programs and player pathways are not ripped to shreds so far into the process - is this being considered?

[Guest]

1st - Teams/Clubs will over crowd as long as they can get away with it.
2nd - Technically, their is no "trapped" players as season games don't start until after the HS season ends and players in 8th grade still train at the club either with the team or another team. If you club doesn't have training for these players then either A. Your kid plays town travel and it doesn't matter or B. Your club sucks and you should should leave if your kid is looking to play in college.

This was always the thing that I never understood about the concern around 'trapped' players. I'm asking for honest feedback because I don't have kids that old - anyway, it's not like these 8th graders don't get to play or miss an entire season, right? They just have to wait to play a few months later while their high school aged teammates play hack n slash high school soccer, right? And that's even assuming every kid even wants to play or makes their HS team. Are parents upset their kid can't play/train during those two months and it's a hit to their development or something?

[Guest]

This was always the thing that I never understood about the concern around 'trapped' players. I'm asking for honest feedback because I don't have kids that old - anyway, it's not like these 8th graders don't get to play or miss an entire season, right? They just have to wait to play a few months later while their high school aged teammates play hack n slash high school soccer, right? And that's even assuming every kid even wants to play or makes their HS team. Are parents upset their kid can't play/train during those two months and it's a hit to their development or something?

These sane players 4 years later are seniors but now have to play on a new team within the club or outside of it. They are left without a home because the bulk of team graduated.

They May change the system but it’s not solely because of trapped players. Figure that +70% are going to quit after 13-14u anyway so the x amount of players at 8th grade are considerably less as Seniors looking for teams. 18u and 19u combined anyway so after 17u it all collapses into one age group.

[Guest]

right, so U19 solves for the problem when the kids are seniors. so, since the 2011s and older have already pretty much gotten past the 8th grade trapped player period - makes the most sense to grandfather-in 2011 and older

[Guest]

right, so U19 solves for the problem when the kids are seniors. so, since the 2011s and older have already pretty much gotten past the 8th grade trapped player period - makes the most sense to grandfather-in 2011 and older

2011s will be trapped next year, so if they are changing it for the fall, no chance 2011s would be left trapped. So 2010s could make sense, but I doubt this will be the approach because it creates a hole in the current 2011s. There is no way to bifurcate this because you are basically creating a 4 month gap in some age group. So "grandfathering" in teams is really just wishful thinking. Its more likely this is a blunt across age group change. Again, teams can still stay together if they choose, they'll just be playing against a group that includes kids that are potentially a little older than they are currently.

[Guest]

2011s will be trapped next year, so if they are changing it for the fall, no chance 2011s would be left trapped. So 2010s could make sense, but I doubt this will be the approach because it creates a hole in the current 2011s. There is no way to bifurcate this because you are basically creating a 4 month gap in some age group. So "grandfathering" in teams is really just wishful thinking. Its more likely this is a blunt across age group change. Again, teams can still stay together if they choose, they'll just be playing against a group that includes kids that are potentially a little older than they are currently.

Since it affects me personally, I am hopeful they will at least allow 2011 kids born in August or September and currently in 8th grade to play up with their own grade next year. I think that would be really frustrating if you ended up having to play down with 8th graders just because you miss the 8/1 cutoff. Some kids might prefer to be the oldest, but my son has always played with his grade and he really doesn't want to change that next year if the age change happens. And for kids like him, they have played with 2010s already anyways on school teams.

[Guest]

Since it affects me personally, I am hopeful they will at least allow 2011 kids born in August or September and currently in 8th grade to play up with their own grade next year. I think that would be really frustrating if you ended up having to play down with 8th graders just because you miss the 8/1 cutoff. Some kids might prefer to be the oldest, but my son has always played with his grade and he really doesn't want to change that next year if the age change happens. And for kids like him, they have played with 2010s already anyways on school teams.

Clubs have to use common sense.

[Guest]

Since it affects me personally, I am hopeful they will at least allow 2011 kids born in August or September and currently in 8th grade to play up with their own grade next year. I think that would be really frustrating if you ended up having to play down with 8th graders just because you miss the 8/1 cutoff. Some kids might prefer to be the oldest, but my son has always played with his grade and he really doesn't want to change that next year if the age change happens. And for kids like him, they have played with 2010s already anyways on school teams.

Unless your kid is not good enough they will not stop you from playing up.

[Guest]

in other words - if they're gonna make the change then the 2011s and older should remain birth year, start the change at the younger age groups so that teams and programs and player pathways are not ripped to shreds so far into the process - is this being considered?

My daughter is a 2011 but is born in October so next fall she will be a “trapped” player going into 8th grade so it would have to be 2010s and older. My daughter isn’t thrilled about the possibility of having to change teams next fall but it is what it is. She’s actually been jumping in on some training sessions with the 2012 team and likes the girls so the transition should be pretty seamless.

[Guest]

Unless your kid is not good enough they will not stop you from playing up.

Makes no sense if all the kids just play up. I totally get ur point , but seems more logical that clubs will make kids play according to the new rules. Just my 2 cents

[Guest]

Makes no sense if all the kids just play up. I totally get ur point , but seems more logical that clubs will make kids play according to the new rules. Just my 2 cents

Only going to be a handful of kids. The ones that fall in the differences between public/private school cut offs. Case by case .