ECNL moving to school year not calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If ECNL switches the dates to correspond by and large with grade years (ie 9/1 or 8/1 or 7/1), I highly doubt they will then make exceptions for those dates. That would pretty much undermine the concept of switching to those dates in the first place.

Good, someone gets it. Switching to Grade Year will cause new problems. They already figured this out and we have Birth Year.

What new problems?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If ECNL switches the dates to correspond by and large with grade years (ie 9/1 or 8/1 or 7/1), I highly doubt they will then make exceptions for those dates. That would pretty much undermine the concept of switching to those dates in the first place.

Disagree. If a child is properly in a grade, meaning no holding back for school, I think that approach allows for flexibility of different school cut offs. In Mass our cut off is Sept 1. So my August kid is the youngest in their grade.

If ECNL goes with 8/1 a lot of Northeast teams will have August kids playing below their grade. If they do ‘8/1 unless your proper grade is determined 9/1’ then you’ve got the best alignment for the entire country.

That’s why ECNL will go grad year. Tell me how the level of play drops from that happening? Not saying it fair if a kid is held back but when has fair ever show itself in sports? If your kid can’t compete with someone one year older they probably won’t be playing in college anyways.

[Anonymous]

It will be harder to get the rest of youth soccer on board for grad year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will be harder to get the rest of youth soccer on board for grad year.

Grad year benefits ECNL a lot and aligns better with the college recruiting. They will go ahead regardless of the rest of the youth soccer. I heard ECNL will change for 25/26 and rest will change 26/27

[Anonymous]

Pretty clear this is happening for a good portion of US soccer for 25.

[Anonymous]

Is GA going to do it? I have only heard rumors on ECNL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is GA going to do it? I have only heard rumors on ECNL

GA has to follow suit, as GY gives a prominent edge on college recruiting and will attract late-birthday GA players to switch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be harder to get the rest of youth soccer on board for grad year.

Grad year benefits ECNL a lot and aligns better with the college recruiting. They will go ahead regardless of the rest of the youth soccer. I heard ECNL will change for 25/26 and rest will change 26/27

All US Club soccer teams will use Aug 1.
ECNL and GA will go grad year as that better aligns with college recruiting. This will allow for the majority of clubs to be closely aligned where it won’t effect to much for team registration.

Will be Fall 25 maybe other leagues will go 26/27 but the majority will jump right to it.

[Anonymous]

That would kinda be a mess for kids that were held back for whatever reason no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That would kinda be a mess for kids that were held back for whatever reason no?

Do you define every other sport that uses grad year a mess?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That would kinda be a mess for kids that were held back for whatever reason no?

Do you define every other sport that uses grad year a mess?

Yeah if the majority of the youth divisions use one cutoff and one uses another criteria completely. Yes that is a mess.

[Anonymous]

Why not just go to private school and hold kids back?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If ECNL switches the dates to correspond by and large with grade years (ie 9/1 or 8/1 or 7/1), I highly doubt they will then make exceptions for those dates. That would pretty much undermine the concept of switching to those dates in the first place.

Disagree. If a child is properly in a grade, meaning no holding back for school, I think that approach allows for flexibility of different school cut offs. In Mass our cut off is Sept 1. So my August kid is the youngest in their grade.

If ECNL goes with 8/1 a lot of Northeast teams will have August kids playing below their grade. If they do ‘8/1 unless your proper grade is determined 9/1’ then you’ve got the best alignment for the entire country.

That’s why ECNL will go grad year. Tell me how the level of play drops from that happening? Not saying it fair if a kid is held back but when has fair ever show itself in sports? If your kid can’t compete with someone one year older they probably won’t be playing in college anyways.

I’m totally fine with it. My kid will be fine. I was simply explaining why it might be a cut off date with exceptions for kids who’s proper grade might be out of sync with the rest of the country so they aren’t really ‘playing up’ they are just playing with their grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not just go to private school and hold kids back?

I was recently corrected by a private school parent. Their kid wasn’t “held back”. They were “reclassed.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be harder to get the rest of youth soccer on board for grad year.

Grad year benefits ECNL a lot and aligns better with the college recruiting. They will go ahead regardless of the rest of the youth soccer. I heard ECNL will change for 25/26 and rest will change 26/27

Which premium soccer colleges have said that?