Playing up - U15+

[Anonymous]

Our DD plays up one year for her ECNL team. She starts, plays significant minutes, & is a major contributor to the team. However, several of her teammates were named to the ECNL first or second all-conference team and received other post-season recognition. It was deserved, as they are all very good players.

My question is whether it is better for college recruiting purposes to keep our DD playing up, or whether it would be better to have her now play on age and possibly make an all-conference team to build her resume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DD plays up one year for her ECNL team. She starts, plays significant minutes, & is a major contributor to the team. However, several of her teammates were named to the ECNL first or second all-conference team and received other post-season recognition. It was deserved, as they are all very good players.

My question is whether it is better for college recruiting purposes to keep our DD playing up, or whether it would be better to have her now play on age and possibly make an all-conference team to build her resume.

She needs to play where she will be impactful. College coaches will not give bonus points because she is playing up.

[Anonymous]

If recruiting is the main consideration, I think there are at least a couple of things to consider. One is that ideally you want her to be one of the stronger performers on the team. Many times, players playing up are doing so because they matured earlier. Others are just gifted, and work hard at their game. If the former, stepping back may be in her future. I would solicit the opinion of the coach to see which will be best for her.
Secondly, consider that if she continues to play up, recruiting may be harder since she will be a year younger than everyone. U17 is the age group where the largest numbers of players commit. If she continues to play up, at U17 she'll be playing in the U18/19 age group with mostly committed players. Typically U18/19 teams go to fewer showcases, and in some cases, are a bit less motivated. If she is lucky (and good) enough to commit earlier, this won't be a factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If recruiting is the main consideration, I think there are at least a couple of things to consider. One is that ideally you want her to be one of the stronger performers on the team. Many times, players playing up are doing so because they matured earlier. Others are just gifted, and work hard at their game. If the former, stepping back may be in her future. I would solicit the opinion of the coach to see which will be best for her.
Secondly, consider that if she continues to play up, recruiting may be harder since she will be a year younger than everyone. U17 is the age group where the largest numbers of players commit. If she continues to play up, at U17 she'll be playing in the U18/19 age group with mostly committed players. Typically U18/19 teams go to fewer showcases, and in some cases, are a bit less motivated. If she is lucky (and good) enough to commit earlier, this won't be a factor.

A little on/off topic. I have a DD who is younger for the age. Fall birthday. When she is U17 she will only be a sophomore. How will this work for her recruiting? She will be too young and then when she is a junior she will be U18/19.

[Anonymous]

Other people's mileage may vary, but I have found that accolades like YNT camps, all conference selections, InStat top 50 lists, won't get you on a college roster. They might help you get on a list for a school to come and see you, but after that, coaches make up their own minds about a players ability to help their program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Other people's mileage may vary, but I have found that accolades like YNT camps, all conference selections, InStat top 50 lists, won't get you on a college roster. They might help you get on a list for a school to come and see you, but after that, coaches make up their own minds about a players ability to help their program.

YNT camps won't get you on a college roster? What are you smoking?

[Anonymous]

Playing up on a u15? Isn’t that putting her on a half year high school team when u14s would be full year?

Regardless it is a bad idea.

1. The recruiting year will be off. Coaches look for kids to fill openings in a certain class. Her teammates and competitors will be in that class. Your kid will not.

2. Your kid will very likely not fit in with the age appropriate team. What happens at say at your kids u16 year and she wants to make a move? Will there be room? Will there be several open positions to move into? Is the younger team better or worse?

Frankly there is zero benefit to plying up as a teenager EXCEPT…..

3. Stepping back. - why is your kid playing up in the first place? Is she playing with her correct school grade? If so then that is important. College coaches are recruiting incoming freshman. So if your kid is graduating with the kids on her current team then she is with the correct age group even if she could play her age and not her grade.

[Anonymous]

I think there's a lot of advice here from people who don't sound like they know what they're talking about. Your DD's club should have one or more people designated to act as recruitment advisers to the kids. In many cases this will be a college coach. Go ask that person what their view is.

[Anonymous]

The risk of playing up as a potentially college-bound teenager is not being seen by the right schools. If your team is class of 24 and you are class of 25 the recruiters looking for 25s won't be watching your team. If you are inviting specific coaches to come watch you that won't matter as much but if you are just hoping to be seen it works better if you're with others in the same recruiting class.

[Anonymous]

Playing up is ok until you hit sophomore or junior year. Then have your kid play with their age. If they play HS too, they’ll still get to play some with older, more mature kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The risk of playing up as a potentially college-bound teenager is not being seen by the right schools. If your team is class of 24 and you are class of 25 the recruiters looking for 25s won't be watching your team. If you are inviting specific coaches to come watch you that won't matter as much but if you are just hoping to be seen it works better if you're with others in the same recruiting class.

SO what about the kids who have to play up because they havre fall birthdays. How do they get recruited with the correct grade? They are forced to play with the kids a year older

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The risk of playing up as a potentially college-bound teenager is not being seen by the right schools. If your team is class of 24 and you are class of 25 the recruiters looking for 25s won't be watching your team. If you are inviting specific coaches to come watch you that won't matter as much but if you are just hoping to be seen it works better if you're with others in the same recruiting class.

SO what about the kids who have to play up because they havre fall birthdays. How do they get recruited with the correct grade? They are forced to play with the kids a year older

Play the year they are graduating in. If that is up a year for travel that’s where they need to be for recruiting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The risk of playing up as a potentially college-bound teenager is not being seen by the right schools. If your team is class of 24 and you are class of 25 the recruiters looking for 25s won't be watching your team. If you are inviting specific coaches to come watch you that won't matter as much but if you are just hoping to be seen it works better if you're with others in the same recruiting class.

SO what about the kids who have to play up because they havre fall birthdays. How do they get recruited with the correct grade? They are forced to play with the kids a year older

Play the year they are graduating in. If that is up a year for travel that’s where they need to be for recruiting.

Your response shows you don’t understand the situation. They only way a late Fall birthday player can play in their graduating year is if they are playing 1 year down which is not allowed based on the birth year requirement.

[Anonymous]

Do what works best for you DC not what is best for your coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a lot of advice here from people who don't sound like they know what they're talking about. Your DD's club should have one or more people designated to act as recruitment advisers to the kids. In many cases this will be a college coach. Go ask that person what their view is.

haha. I feel like if you think clubs have recruitment advisors you're not in the process, and yet you feel inclined to say others don't know what they're talking about.