ECNL moving to school year not calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Augusters were part of the SY contingent, until they weren't. Now SY is unfair.

Thank you for your sacrifice!

[Anonymous]

I love how people think an 8/1 cutoff is so ridiculous and "off the rails" when it was literally that for years and years before BY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Augusters were part of the SY contingent, until they weren't. Now SY is unfair.

Exactly this…they were fist pumping when they thought SY was going back to 8/1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading all this and how boldly parents of September to December kids explain the challenges of being trapped now and the benefits of playing with like-grade peers going forward, alongside the flippant comments made about August kids who will now be both the very youngest on their teams and always forced to play with a grade above them, is maddening. Anyone who thinks that it is reasonable to be stranding these August kids without any September to December grade peers and with no consideration for them to play with their enrolled grade is kidding themselves. These kids won’t enter the sport because they will never be able to do so with their friends/classmates, which is the entry point to any youth sport. If they happen to get lucky and find a local league that lets them enter on a team with grade peers post-fall 2026 (not at all a given with AYSO and US Youth Soccer committed to shift to 9/1), they likely don’t ever make the jump to competitive because they are again not making that jump with any grade peers/friends. And for those of them who are middle school age and have already committed themselves to the sport, they may well still quit because of the issues with being the sole remaining group of trapped players and, again, social dynamics involved with the team shuffles. Friendship and, at a minimum, being able to relate with your peers on a team is huge for adolescents, too, even at competitive levels. This decision is monumentally punitive to these August kids across the youth soccer spectrum and anyone who tries to deny this reality or somehow gloats in the predicament these kids will find themselves in very soon should be ashamed.

Spot on. Hopefully there will be something done to accommodate, but we will see. There are a lot of keyboard warriors on anonymous forums that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

According to the joint statement of USYS, US Club and AYSO, 68% of kids live in areas where September 1 is the cutoff for kindergarten. That means nearly 70% of kids born in August will be playing with their school grade (or could have played with their school grade if the parents started the kids when they could have. Everyone knows that the other 32% of August kids will be "trapped" - but the soccer organizations are trying to get this to as close to a school grade competition NATIONALLY as possible. They clearly aren't trying to ensure that everyone gets to play with their school grade. If they were doing that, they'd do grad year - which would help out the many summer birthday kids who don't start "on time."

Most of us do know the difference between a hole in the ground and an anus. That's actually the part that upsets the August parents.

Help me understand then what the harm would have been to move the cutoff to 8/1?

What would be the harm of 7/1 or 5/1 or 3/1?

As some like to say "I'll let you figure out why"

[Anonymous]

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab1_3-2020.asp


Indiana cares.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading all this and how boldly parents of September to December kids explain the challenges of being trapped now and the benefits of playing with like-grade peers going forward, alongside the flippant comments made about August kids who will now be both the very youngest on their teams and always forced to play with a grade above them, is maddening. Anyone who thinks that it is reasonable to be stranding these August kids without any September to December grade peers and with no consideration for them to play with their enrolled grade is kidding themselves. These kids won’t enter the sport because they will never be able to do so with their friends/classmates, which is the entry point to any youth sport. If they happen to get lucky and find a local league that lets them enter on a team with grade peers post-fall 2026 (not at all a given with AYSO and US Youth Soccer committed to shift to 9/1), they likely don’t ever make the jump to competitive because they are again not making that jump with any grade peers/friends. And for those of them who are middle school age and have already committed themselves to the sport, they may well still quit because of the issues with being the sole remaining group of trapped players and, again, social dynamics involved with the team shuffles. Friendship and, at a minimum, being able to relate with your peers on a team is huge for adolescents, too, even at competitive levels. This decision is monumentally punitive to these August kids across the youth soccer spectrum and anyone who tries to deny this reality or somehow gloats in the predicament these kids will find themselves in very soon should be ashamed.

Spot on. Hopefully there will be something done to accommodate, but we will see. There are a lot of keyboard warriors on anonymous forums that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

According to the joint statement of USYS, US Club and AYSO, 68% of kids live in areas where September 1 is the cutoff for kindergarten. That means nearly 70% of kids born in August will be playing with their school grade (or could have played with their school grade if the parents started the kids when they could have. Everyone knows that the other 32% of August kids will be "trapped" - but the soccer organizations are trying to get this to as close to a school grade competition NATIONALLY as possible. They clearly aren't trying to ensure that everyone gets to play with their school grade. If they were doing that, they'd do grad year - which would help out the many summer birthday kids who don't start "on time."

Most of us do know the difference between a hole in the ground and an anus. That's actually the part that upsets the August parents.

Help me understand then what the harm would have been to move the cutoff to 8/1?

There would be more misalignment . It's very clear.

How?

Look at the math. With 9/1 there are less misaligned kids. Saying but but they can play up does not eliminate that they are misaligned.

So if it were 8/1, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "on time" in the 9/1 states. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade below. But, they would be able to play up with their grade.

With a 9/1 cutoff, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "late" in a 9/1 state. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade above them. But, they would not have the option to play down with their correct grade.

With 9/1, the misaligned kids don't have the ability to play down a grade.

With 8/1, the misaligned kids would have the ability to play up with their grade.

So it may be correct to say you have less misaligned kids with a 9/1 cutoff (how much less I still don't know), but it is a fact that misaligned kids at a 9/1 cutoff have no option to play with their grade. While the misaligned kids with a 8/1 cutoff do.

But I agree we're beating a dead horse. It is what it is. But if you had to pick the lesser of two bad options, it would seem picking the option that gave kids the best opportunity to be aligned with their grade makes the most sense. They missed the mark with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading all this and how boldly parents of September to December kids explain the challenges of being trapped now and the benefits of playing with like-grade peers going forward, alongside the flippant comments made about August kids who will now be both the very youngest on their teams and always forced to play with a grade above them, is maddening. Anyone who thinks that it is reasonable to be stranding these August kids without any September to December grade peers and with no consideration for them to play with their enrolled grade is kidding themselves. These kids won’t enter the sport because they will never be able to do so with their friends/classmates, which is the entry point to any youth sport. If they happen to get lucky and find a local league that lets them enter on a team with grade peers post-fall 2026 (not at all a given with AYSO and US Youth Soccer committed to shift to 9/1), they likely don’t ever make the jump to competitive because they are again not making that jump with any grade peers/friends. And for those of them who are middle school age and have already committed themselves to the sport, they may well still quit because of the issues with being the sole remaining group of trapped players and, again, social dynamics involved with the team shuffles. Friendship and, at a minimum, being able to relate with your peers on a team is huge for adolescents, too, even at competitive levels. This decision is monumentally punitive to these August kids across the youth soccer spectrum and anyone who tries to deny this reality or somehow gloats in the predicament these kids will find themselves in very soon should be ashamed.

Spot on. Hopefully there will be something done to accommodate, but we will see. There are a lot of keyboard warriors on anonymous forums that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

According to the joint statement of USYS, US Club and AYSO, 68% of kids live in areas where September 1 is the cutoff for kindergarten. That means nearly 70% of kids born in August will be playing with their school grade (or could have played with their school grade if the parents started the kids when they could have. Everyone knows that the other 32% of August kids will be "trapped" - but the soccer organizations are trying to get this to as close to a school grade competition NATIONALLY as possible. They clearly aren't trying to ensure that everyone gets to play with their school grade. If they were doing that, they'd do grad year - which would help out the many summer birthday kids who don't start "on time."

Most of us do know the difference between a hole in the ground and an anus. That's actually the part that upsets the August parents.

Help me understand then what the harm would have been to move the cutoff to 8/1?

What would be the harm of 7/1 or 5/1 or 3/1?

Or say ... 1/1?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading all this and how boldly parents of September to December kids explain the challenges of being trapped now and the benefits of playing with like-grade peers going forward, alongside the flippant comments made about August kids who will now be both the very youngest on their teams and always forced to play with a grade above them, is maddening. Anyone who thinks that it is reasonable to be stranding these August kids without any September to December grade peers and with no consideration for them to play with their enrolled grade is kidding themselves. These kids won’t enter the sport because they will never be able to do so with their friends/classmates, which is the entry point to any youth sport. If they happen to get lucky and find a local league that lets them enter on a team with grade peers post-fall 2026 (not at all a given with AYSO and US Youth Soccer committed to shift to 9/1), they likely don’t ever make the jump to competitive because they are again not making that jump with any grade peers/friends. And for those of them who are middle school age and have already committed themselves to the sport, they may well still quit because of the issues with being the sole remaining group of trapped players and, again, social dynamics involved with the team shuffles. Friendship and, at a minimum, being able to relate with your peers on a team is huge for adolescents, too, even at competitive levels. This decision is monumentally punitive to these August kids across the youth soccer spectrum and anyone who tries to deny this reality or somehow gloats in the predicament these kids will find themselves in very soon should be ashamed.

Spot on. Hopefully there will be something done to accommodate, but we will see. There are a lot of keyboard warriors on anonymous forums that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

According to the joint statement of USYS, US Club and AYSO, 68% of kids live in areas where September 1 is the cutoff for kindergarten. That means nearly 70% of kids born in August will be playing with their school grade (or could have played with their school grade if the parents started the kids when they could have. Everyone knows that the other 32% of August kids will be "trapped" - but the soccer organizations are trying to get this to as close to a school grade competition NATIONALLY as possible. They clearly aren't trying to ensure that everyone gets to play with their school grade. If they were doing that, they'd do grad year - which would help out the many summer birthday kids who don't start "on time."

Most of us do know the difference between a hole in the ground and an anus. That's actually the part that upsets the August parents.

Help me understand then what the harm would have been to move the cutoff to 8/1?

There would be more misalignment . It's very clear.

How?

Look at the math. With 9/1 there are less misaligned kids. Saying but but they can play up does not eliminate that they are misaligned.

So if it were 8/1, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "on time" in the 9/1 states. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade below. But, they would be able to play up with their grade.

With a 9/1 cutoff, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "late" in a 9/1 state. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade above them. But, they would not have the option to play down with their correct grade.

With 9/1, the misaligned kids don't have the ability to play down a grade.

With 8/1, the misaligned kids would have the ability to play up with their grade.

So it may be correct to say you have less misaligned kids with a 9/1 cutoff (how much less I still don't know), but it is a fact that misaligned kids at a 9/1 cutoff have no option to play with their grade. While the misaligned kids with a 8/1 cutoff do.

But I agree we're beating a dead horse. It is what it is. But if you had to pick the lesser of two bad options, it would seem picking the option that gave kids the best opportunity to be aligned with their grade makes the most sense. They missed the mark with that.

If only there was a solution ... wait until SY+60 guy shows up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading all this and how boldly parents of September to December kids explain the challenges of being trapped now and the benefits of playing with like-grade peers going forward, alongside the flippant comments made about August kids who will now be both the very youngest on their teams and always forced to play with a grade above them, is maddening. Anyone who thinks that it is reasonable to be stranding these August kids without any September to December grade peers and with no consideration for them to play with their enrolled grade is kidding themselves. These kids won’t enter the sport because they will never be able to do so with their friends/classmates, which is the entry point to any youth sport. If they happen to get lucky and find a local league that lets them enter on a team with grade peers post-fall 2026 (not at all a given with AYSO and US Youth Soccer committed to shift to 9/1), they likely don’t ever make the jump to competitive because they are again not making that jump with any grade peers/friends. And for those of them who are middle school age and have already committed themselves to the sport, they may well still quit because of the issues with being the sole remaining group of trapped players and, again, social dynamics involved with the team shuffles. Friendship and, at a minimum, being able to relate with your peers on a team is huge for adolescents, too, even at competitive levels. This decision is monumentally punitive to these August kids across the youth soccer spectrum and anyone who tries to deny this reality or somehow gloats in the predicament these kids will find themselves in very soon should be ashamed.

Spot on. Hopefully there will be something done to accommodate, but we will see. There are a lot of keyboard warriors on anonymous forums that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

According to the joint statement of USYS, US Club and AYSO, 68% of kids live in areas where September 1 is the cutoff for kindergarten. That means nearly 70% of kids born in August will be playing with their school grade (or could have played with their school grade if the parents started the kids when they could have. Everyone knows that the other 32% of August kids will be "trapped" - but the soccer organizations are trying to get this to as close to a school grade competition NATIONALLY as possible. They clearly aren't trying to ensure that everyone gets to play with their school grade. If they were doing that, they'd do grad year - which would help out the many summer birthday kids who don't start "on time."

Most of us do know the difference between a hole in the ground and an anus. That's actually the part that upsets the August parents.

Help me understand then what the harm would have been to move the cutoff to 8/1?

There would be more misalignment . It's very clear.

How?

Look at the math. With 9/1 there are less misaligned kids. Saying but but they can play up does not eliminate that they are misaligned.

So if it were 8/1, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "on time" in the 9/1 states. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade below. But, they would be able to play up with their grade.

With a 9/1 cutoff, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "late" in a 9/1 state. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade above them. But, they would not have the option to play down with their correct grade.

With 9/1, the misaligned kids don't have the ability to play down a grade.

With 8/1, the misaligned kids would have the ability to play up with their grade.

So it may be correct to say you have less misaligned kids with a 9/1 cutoff (how much less I still don't know), but it is a fact that misaligned kids at a 9/1 cutoff have no option to play with their grade. While the misaligned kids with a 8/1 cutoff do.

But I agree we're beating a dead horse. It is what it is. But if you had to pick the lesser of two bad options, it would seem picking the option that gave kids the best opportunity to be aligned with their grade makes the most sense. They missed the mark with that.

Why do Aug. kids who start school ON TIME have to sacrifice to "Play Up" in order to stay in their grade, so those held back Aug. kids can "Play Down"?

The only exception is for local leagues to give exception to Aug. kids if their school starts on 8/1. This does not apply to any national league.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading all this and how boldly parents of September to December kids explain the challenges of being trapped now and the benefits of playing with like-grade peers going forward, alongside the flippant comments made about August kids who will now be both the very youngest on their teams and always forced to play with a grade above them, is maddening. Anyone who thinks that it is reasonable to be stranding these August kids without any September to December grade peers and with no consideration for them to play with their enrolled grade is kidding themselves. These kids won’t enter the sport because they will never be able to do so with their friends/classmates, which is the entry point to any youth sport. If they happen to get lucky and find a local league that lets them enter on a team with grade peers post-fall 2026 (not at all a given with AYSO and US Youth Soccer committed to shift to 9/1), they likely don’t ever make the jump to competitive because they are again not making that jump with any grade peers/friends. And for those of them who are middle school age and have already committed themselves to the sport, they may well still quit because of the issues with being the sole remaining group of trapped players and, again, social dynamics involved with the team shuffles. Friendship and, at a minimum, being able to relate with your peers on a team is huge for adolescents, too, even at competitive levels. This decision is monumentally punitive to these August kids across the youth soccer spectrum and anyone who tries to deny this reality or somehow gloats in the predicament these kids will find themselves in very soon should be ashamed.

Spot on. Hopefully there will be something done to accommodate, but we will see. There are a lot of keyboard warriors on anonymous forums that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

According to the joint statement of USYS, US Club and AYSO, 68% of kids live in areas where September 1 is the cutoff for kindergarten. That means nearly 70% of kids born in August will be playing with their school grade (or could have played with their school grade if the parents started the kids when they could have. Everyone knows that the other 32% of August kids will be "trapped" - but the soccer organizations are trying to get this to as close to a school grade competition NATIONALLY as possible. They clearly aren't trying to ensure that everyone gets to play with their school grade. If they were doing that, they'd do grad year - which would help out the many summer birthday kids who don't start "on time."

Most of us do know the difference between a hole in the ground and an anus. That's actually the part that upsets the August parents.

Help me understand then what the harm would have been to move the cutoff to 8/1?

There would be more misalignment . It's very clear.

How?

Look at the math. With 9/1 there are less misaligned kids. Saying but but they can play up does not eliminate that they are misaligned.

So if it were 8/1, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "on time" in the 9/1 states. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade below. But, they would be able to play up with their grade.

With a 9/1 cutoff, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "late" in a 9/1 state. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade above them. But, they would not have the option to play down with their correct grade.

With 9/1, the misaligned kids don't have the ability to play down a grade.

With 8/1, the misaligned kids would have the ability to play up with their grade.

So it may be correct to say you have less misaligned kids with a 9/1 cutoff (how much less I still don't know), but it is a fact that misaligned kids at a 9/1 cutoff have no option to play with their grade. While the misaligned kids with a 8/1 cutoff do.

But I agree we're beating a dead horse. It is what it is. But if you had to pick the lesser of two bad options, it would seem picking the option that gave kids the best opportunity to be aligned with their grade makes the most sense. They missed the mark with that.

Why do Aug. kids who start school ON TIME have to sacrifice to "Play Up" in order to stay in their grade, so those held back Aug. kids can "Play Down"?

The only exception is for local leagues to give exception to Aug. kids if their school starts on 8/1. This does not apply to any national league.

There is no sacrifice here. These kids are playing a game.

There is also no play up or play down. Those are made up terms that mean nothing when a cutoff is based on dates and not grad year. The Q4 kids weren't playing UP in the BY system. And the August kids aren't playing UP in the new SY system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading all this and how boldly parents of September to December kids explain the challenges of being trapped now and the benefits of playing with like-grade peers going forward, alongside the flippant comments made about August kids who will now be both the very youngest on their teams and always forced to play with a grade above them, is maddening. Anyone who thinks that it is reasonable to be stranding these August kids without any September to December grade peers and with no consideration for them to play with their enrolled grade is kidding themselves. These kids won’t enter the sport because they will never be able to do so with their friends/classmates, which is the entry point to any youth sport. If they happen to get lucky and find a local league that lets them enter on a team with grade peers post-fall 2026 (not at all a given with AYSO and US Youth Soccer committed to shift to 9/1), they likely don’t ever make the jump to competitive because they are again not making that jump with any grade peers/friends. And for those of them who are middle school age and have already committed themselves to the sport, they may well still quit because of the issues with being the sole remaining group of trapped players and, again, social dynamics involved with the team shuffles. Friendship and, at a minimum, being able to relate with your peers on a team is huge for adolescents, too, even at competitive levels. This decision is monumentally punitive to these August kids across the youth soccer spectrum and anyone who tries to deny this reality or somehow gloats in the predicament these kids will find themselves in very soon should be ashamed.

Spot on. Hopefully there will be something done to accommodate, but we will see. There are a lot of keyboard warriors on anonymous forums that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

According to the joint statement of USYS, US Club and AYSO, 68% of kids live in areas where September 1 is the cutoff for kindergarten. That means nearly 70% of kids born in August will be playing with their school grade (or could have played with their school grade if the parents started the kids when they could have. Everyone knows that the other 32% of August kids will be "trapped" - but the soccer organizations are trying to get this to as close to a school grade competition NATIONALLY as possible. They clearly aren't trying to ensure that everyone gets to play with their school grade. If they were doing that, they'd do grad year - which would help out the many summer birthday kids who don't start "on time."

Most of us do know the difference between a hole in the ground and an anus. That's actually the part that upsets the August parents.

Help me understand then what the harm would have been to move the cutoff to 8/1?

There would be more misalignment . It's very clear.

How?

Look at the math. With 9/1 there are less misaligned kids. Saying but but they can play up does not eliminate that they are misaligned.

So if it were 8/1, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "on time" in the 9/1 states. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade below. But, they would be able to play up with their grade.

With a 9/1 cutoff, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "late" in a 9/1 state. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade above them. But, they would not have the option to play down with their correct grade.

With 9/1, the misaligned kids don't have the ability to play down a grade.

With 8/1, the misaligned kids would have the ability to play up with their grade.

So it may be correct to say you have less misaligned kids with a 9/1 cutoff (how much less I still don't know), but it is a fact that misaligned kids at a 9/1 cutoff have no option to play with their grade. While the misaligned kids with a 8/1 cutoff do.

But I agree we're beating a dead horse. It is what it is. But if you had to pick the lesser of two bad options, it would seem picking the option that gave kids the best opportunity to be aligned with their grade makes the most sense. They missed the mark with that.

Why do Aug. kids who start school ON TIME have to sacrifice to "Play Up" in order to stay in their grade, so those held back Aug. kids can "Play Down"?

The only exception is for local leagues to give exception to Aug. kids if their school starts on 8/1. This does not apply to any national league.

Someone is getting screwed no matter what. I'm just highlighting that playing up is an actual option, while playing down is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading all this and how boldly parents of September to December kids explain the challenges of being trapped now and the benefits of playing with like-grade peers going forward, alongside the flippant comments made about August kids who will now be both the very youngest on their teams and always forced to play with a grade above them, is maddening. Anyone who thinks that it is reasonable to be stranding these August kids without any September to December grade peers and with no consideration for them to play with their enrolled grade is kidding themselves. These kids won’t enter the sport because they will never be able to do so with their friends/classmates, which is the entry point to any youth sport. If they happen to get lucky and find a local league that lets them enter on a team with grade peers post-fall 2026 (not at all a given with AYSO and US Youth Soccer committed to shift to 9/1), they likely don’t ever make the jump to competitive because they are again not making that jump with any grade peers/friends. And for those of them who are middle school age and have already committed themselves to the sport, they may well still quit because of the issues with being the sole remaining group of trapped players and, again, social dynamics involved with the team shuffles. Friendship and, at a minimum, being able to relate with your peers on a team is huge for adolescents, too, even at competitive levels. This decision is monumentally punitive to these August kids across the youth soccer spectrum and anyone who tries to deny this reality or somehow gloats in the predicament these kids will find themselves in very soon should be ashamed.

Spot on. Hopefully there will be something done to accommodate, but we will see. There are a lot of keyboard warriors on anonymous forums that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

According to the joint statement of USYS, US Club and AYSO, 68% of kids live in areas where September 1 is the cutoff for kindergarten. That means nearly 70% of kids born in August will be playing with their school grade (or could have played with their school grade if the parents started the kids when they could have. Everyone knows that the other 32% of August kids will be "trapped" - but the soccer organizations are trying to get this to as close to a school grade competition NATIONALLY as possible. They clearly aren't trying to ensure that everyone gets to play with their school grade. If they were doing that, they'd do grad year - which would help out the many summer birthday kids who don't start "on time."

Most of us do know the difference between a hole in the ground and an anus. That's actually the part that upsets the August parents.

Help me understand then what the harm would have been to move the cutoff to 8/1?

There would be more misalignment . It's very clear.

How?

Look at the math. With 9/1 there are less misaligned kids. Saying but but they can play up does not eliminate that they are misaligned.

So if it were 8/1, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "on time" in the 9/1 states. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade below. But, they would be able to play up with their grade.

With a 9/1 cutoff, the misaligned kids would be the Aug. kids who started "late" in a 9/1 state. In that case, those Aug. kids would be stuck in a grouping with kids a grade above them. But, they would not have the option to play down with their correct grade.

With 9/1, the misaligned kids don't have the ability to play down a grade.

With 8/1, the misaligned kids would have the ability to play up with their grade.

So it may be correct to say you have less misaligned kids with a 9/1 cutoff (how much less I still don't know), but it is a fact that misaligned kids at a 9/1 cutoff have no option to play with their grade. While the misaligned kids with a 8/1 cutoff do.

But I agree we're beating a dead horse. It is what it is. But if you had to pick the lesser of two bad options, it would seem picking the option that gave kids the best opportunity to be aligned with their grade makes the most sense. They missed the mark with that.

Options are irrelevant. Take your feelings out of it. The truth is there are more states with an 9/1 cut off or later and align with that grade. If your in the DMV with an August kid and are complaining this much you held your kid back. If you do happen to live in a state with an earlier cutoff condolences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading all this and how boldly parents of September to December kids explain the challenges of being trapped now and the benefits of playing with like-grade peers going forward, alongside the flippant comments made about August kids who will now be both the very youngest on their teams and always forced to play with a grade above them, is maddening. Anyone who thinks that it is reasonable to be stranding these August kids without any September to December grade peers and with no consideration for them to play with their enrolled grade is kidding themselves. These kids won’t enter the sport because they will never be able to do so with their friends/classmates, which is the entry point to any youth sport. If they happen to get lucky and find a local league that lets them enter on a team with grade peers post-fall 2026 (not at all a given with AYSO and US Youth Soccer committed to shift to 9/1), they likely don’t ever make the jump to competitive because they are again not making that jump with any grade peers/friends. And for those of them who are middle school age and have already committed themselves to the sport, they may well still quit because of the issues with being the sole remaining group of trapped players and, again, social dynamics involved with the team shuffles. Friendship and, at a minimum, being able to relate with your peers on a team is huge for adolescents, too, even at competitive levels. This decision is monumentally punitive to these August kids across the youth soccer spectrum and anyone who tries to deny this reality or somehow gloats in the predicament these kids will find themselves in very soon should be ashamed.

Spot on. Hopefully there will be something done to accommodate, but we will see. There are a lot of keyboard warriors on anonymous forums that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

According to the joint statement of USYS, US Club and AYSO, 68% of kids live in areas where September 1 is the cutoff for kindergarten. That means nearly 70% of kids born in August will be playing with their school grade (or could have played with their school grade if the parents started the kids when they could have. Everyone knows that the other 32% of August kids will be "trapped" - but the soccer organizations are trying to get this to as close to a school grade competition NATIONALLY as possible. They clearly aren't trying to ensure that everyone gets to play with their school grade. If they were doing that, they'd do grad year - which would help out the many summer birthday kids who don't start "on time."

Most of us do know the difference between a hole in the ground and an anus. That's actually the part that upsets the August parents.

Help me understand then what the harm would have been to move the cutoff to 8/1?

There would be more misalignment . It's very clear.

How?

But I agree we're beating a dead horse. It is what it is. But if you had to pick the lesser of two bad options, it would seem picking the option that gave kids the best opportunity to be aligned with their grade makes the most sense. They missed the mark with that.

The decision has been made. Can we please stop discussing the 9/1 v. 8/1 cutoff decision? It's over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading all this and how boldly parents of September to December kids explain the challenges of being trapped now and the benefits of playing with like-grade peers going forward, alongside the flippant comments made about August kids who will now be both the very youngest on their teams and always forced to play with a grade above them, is maddening. Anyone who thinks that it is reasonable to be stranding these August kids without any September to December grade peers and with no consideration for them to play with their enrolled grade is kidding themselves. These kids won’t enter the sport because they will never be able to do so with their friends/classmates, which is the entry point to any youth sport. If they happen to get lucky and find a local league that lets them enter on a team with grade peers post-fall 2026 (not at all a given with AYSO and US Youth Soccer committed to shift to 9/1), they likely don’t ever make the jump to competitive because they are again not making that jump with any grade peers/friends. And for those of them who are middle school age and have already committed themselves to the sport, they may well still quit because of the issues with being the sole remaining group of trapped players and, again, social dynamics involved with the team shuffles. Friendship and, at a minimum, being able to relate with your peers on a team is huge for adolescents, too, even at competitive levels. This decision is monumentally punitive to these August kids across the youth soccer spectrum and anyone who tries to deny this reality or somehow gloats in the predicament these kids will find themselves in very soon should be ashamed.

Spot on. Hopefully there will be something done to accommodate, but we will see. There are a lot of keyboard warriors on anonymous forums that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

According to the joint statement of USYS, US Club and AYSO, 68% of kids live in areas where September 1 is the cutoff for kindergarten. That means nearly 70% of kids born in August will be playing with their school grade (or could have played with their school grade if the parents started the kids when they could have. Everyone knows that the other 32% of August kids will be "trapped" - but the soccer organizations are trying to get this to as close to a school grade competition NATIONALLY as possible. They clearly aren't trying to ensure that everyone gets to play with their school grade. If they were doing that, they'd do grad year - which would help out the many summer birthday kids who don't start "on time."

Most of us do know the difference between a hole in the ground and an anus. That's actually the part that upsets the August parents.

Help me understand then what the harm would have been to move the cutoff to 8/1?

There would be more misalignment . It's very clear.

How?

But I agree we're beating a dead horse. It is what it is. But if you had to pick the lesser of two bad options, it would seem picking the option that gave kids the best opportunity to be aligned with their grade makes the most sense. They missed the mark with that.

The decision has been made. Can we please stop discussing the 9/1 v. 8/1 cutoff decision? It's over.

Except there are supposed to be more advice coming from the higher ups to help with the transition and there's some belief that such info may provide a roadmap for this issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:August truthers have gone off the rails.

The truth is that August birthdays in states with a 7/31 cutoff are the oldest kids in their school grade. For each gym class and school sport they play for their entire childhood they will be the oldest. The crying about club soccer is beyond ridiculous.