Truth

[Unregistered]

It effects our club every year. The 8th & 9th grade mixed team leaves the 8th graders with no team and many quit. Due solely to birth year, the u18s and u19s now have to merge 1.5 teams into one team so, again, about 10-12 quit. This happens every single year at every single club and will continue to drive players to quit.

Good. Need to thin out the herd.

[Unregistered]

It effects our club every year. The 8th & 9th grade mixed team leaves the 8th graders with no team and many quit. Due solely to birth year, the u18s and u19s now have to merge 1.5 teams into one team so, again, about 10-12 quit. This happens every single year at every single club and will continue to drive players to quit.

Youth soccer participation is down more than 15% and dropping more each year. This is part of the reason.

[Unregistered]

Why is birth year still having any impact? The change was made over 3 years ago, so that is the only year it should have had any impact. I guess I could see some trickle down effect 2 years ago, but 4 seasons on it shouldn’t be felt at all.

It has multiple impact points. First, as discussed above, is the issue of trapped 8th and 12th grade players who have no teams to play on. That happens every year. Then for the ulittles, some may be hesitant to play if they don't see the familiar faces of classmates and friends on the field. Don't respond "players will play." Not always, not to a shy seven year old who has a birthday on the wrong date. Again, that will happen every year.

I don't think the calendar year is the biggest issue at all but it is a substantial one. Cost, travel and league insanity are bigger issues but they're harder to tackle in the short term. Going back to school year is an easy quick fix.

[Unregistered]

It has multiple impact points. First, as discussed above, is the issue of trapped 8th and 12th grade players who have no teams to play on. That happens every year. Then for the ulittles, some may be hesitant to play if they don't see the familiar faces of classmates and friends on the field. Don't respond "players will play." Not always, not to a shy seven year old who has a birthday on the wrong date. Again, that will happen every year.

I don't think the calendar year is the biggest issue at all but it is a substantial one. Cost, travel and league insanity are bigger issues but they're harder to tackle in the short term. Going back to school year is an easy quick fix.

With school years being different around the U.S., better to go by grade. That way it won’t matter if your school cutoff dates for kindergarten are August 1 or Sept 1. Instead of 2005s or 2006s it would be 6th grade and 7th grade separate teams. Easy for college coaches to compare graduating classes too.

[Unregistered]

It has multiple impact points. First, as discussed above, is the issue of trapped 8th and 12th grade players who have no teams to play on. That happens every year. Then for the ulittles, some may be hesitant to play if they don't see the familiar faces of classmates and friends on the field. Don't respond "players will play." Not always, not to a shy seven year old who has a birthday on the wrong date. Again, that will happen every year.

I don't think the calendar year is the biggest issue at all but it is a substantial one. Cost, travel and league insanity are bigger issues but they're harder to tackle in the short term. Going back to school year is an easy quick fix.

8th-graders still have teams to play on; there's a reason they have fall U15. And many clubs will play their freshmen on such teams as well (fewer freshmen are good enough to make varsity), but accomodating the HS schedule.

Seniors born in or after September are a bigger problem.

As someone points out, having the cutoff the same as schools, rather than July 31, would be even better--kids born in August were screwed under the old system.

[Unregistered]

With school years being different around the U.S., better to go by grade. That way it won’t matter if your school cutoff dates for kindergarten are August 1 or Sept 1. Instead of 2005s or 2006s it would be 6th grade and 7th grade separate teams. Easy for college coaches to compare graduating classes too.

By grade/grad year would obviously be best for the sport. See the big rise in Lacrosse!

[Unregistered]

By grade/grad year would obviously be best for the sport. See the big rise in Lacrosse!

It's such a fringe sport with low quality & participation they don't even play each other at the club level in Oregon.

All travel teams.