ECNL moving to school year not calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a November Bday (2011) ECNL that started school early and is already in 8th grade . Assuming all good if they just let them play up with their current team. but if let’s say, 5-6 2010s come down in fall 2026, could they move her down to the team below, where should would now be in 10th grade playing with 9th graders….could cause some recruiting issues not being with your grade.

The best way to look at it is to forget about what grade your kid is in and instead look at the window from 9/1 - 8/31. Just like in BY you were looking at the 1/1 - 12/31 window regardless of grade, it's the same thing here. The big grip is that even with 9/1 there are going to be kids that are misaligned with their actual grade.

Being able to play with your classmate is all marketing, and talking point vs. other youth sports, nothing more and not grounded in reality once a player goes beyond the rec level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was from a US Soccer announcement in late December? Where can I find these resources?



Immediate Steps – Next 60 Days

We are working quickly with our members to develop communications and best practices that will support this decision, with the goal of centralizing resources on a U.S. Soccer webpage by our Annual General Meeting on February 27, 2025. You can expect the following resources to be available around that time:

Parent/Guardian-, Team-, Club-Specific Communications – outline considerations for players, team formation, and club needs

Collaboration with Leagues – best practices for how member organizations and leagues can work together on any new annual protocols related to registration choice and associated team formation needs

Scenario–Based Resources – support member organizations, leagues, clubs, teams, and parents / guardians as they navigate unique player scenarios

We all need to be more patient and the fact they don't have them ye underscores why these changes are not until 26/27.

US Soccer did say these resources would be available in late Feb. or "around that time." suppose it's only been 2 weeks.

[Anonymous]

I think its very easy to paly up at any club in the country. The real issue is parents dont want kids on D,E,F team. They want to be on a travel team and to flex on the Gram.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, the hyper fixation is a product of parents/clubs eyeing an edge that will happen 1 time to help a player get their cleat in the door and perhaps boost a team's chances at least in the short-term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, the hyper fixation is a product of parents/clubs eyeing an edge that will happen 1 time to help a player get their cleat in the door and perhaps boost a team's chances at least in the short-term.

Or is it a "fixation" on kids being on the same team as the rest of their school grade so they aren't "trapped" (meaning not having a team) in 8th and 12th grades? Who knows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, the hyper fixation is a product of parents/clubs eyeing an edge that will happen 1 time to help a player get their cleat in the door and perhaps boost a team's chances at least in the short-term.

Or is it a "fixation" on kids being on the same team as the rest of their school grade so they aren't "trapped" (meaning not having a team) in 8th and 12th grades? Who knows.

It wasn't a trap for all. Some viewed it as a nice break to play with other kids and it actually better prepared them to play HS (in 8th) and 12th, it's just another year to play that their older teammates didn't have!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, the hyper fixation is a product of parents/clubs eyeing an edge that will happen 1 time to help a player get their cleat in the door and perhaps boost a team's chances at least in the short-term.

Or is it a "fixation" on kids being on the same team as the rest of their school grade so they aren't "trapped" (meaning not having a team) in 8th and 12th grades? Who knows.

If a kid was that serious about soccer, the can and maybe should play on a team that doesn't play HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, the hyper fixation is a product of parents/clubs eyeing an edge that will happen 1 time to help a player get their cleat in the door and perhaps boost a team's chances at least in the short-term.

Or is it a "fixation" on kids being on the same team as the rest of their school grade so they aren't "trapped" (meaning not having a team) in 8th and 12th grades? Who knows.

If a kid was that serious about soccer, the can and maybe should play on a team that doesn't play HS.

That is very location & boy/girl dependent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about a November Bday (2011) ECNL that started school early and is already in 8th grade . Assuming all good if they just let them play up with their current team. but if let’s say, 5-6 2010s come down in fall 2026, could they move her down to the team below, where should would now be in 10th grade playing with 9th graders….could cause some recruiting issues not being with your grade.

Here is what I am piecing together on all of this:

1. August birthdays (the loudest opposition to this change) - unhappy for 2 reasons: (a) now become the youngest in the team - never good, but someone always has to be, and (b) may not be playing with their school grade, if the county has an 8/1 or earlier cutoff - which results in the “trapped” issue - but it is a far fewer number than BY.

2. September and maybe some October birthdays (with kids who are ahead a grade year in school due to county cutoff or other reasons) - unhappy for 2 reasons: (a) may no longer get to play with their school year, because as you note - they may get “pushed off” their teams as the Q4 players from the year above move down, and (b) if they play with the grade below them, while they will be the oldest, there are recruiting impacts.

3. Jan/Feb birthdays - upset because they are no longer the oldest, with all advantages that come along with that (including perceived impact to chances of playing up a year).

Any other months I missed who have been whining about this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a November Bday (2011) ECNL that started school early and is already in 8th grade . Assuming all good if they just let them play up with their current team. but if let’s say, 5-6 2010s come down in fall 2026, could they move her down to the team below, where should would now be in 10th grade playing with 9th graders….could cause some recruiting issues not being with your grade.

Here is what I am piecing together on all of this:

1. August birthdays (the loudest opposition to this change) - unhappy for 2 reasons: (a) now become the youngest in the team - never good, but someone always has to be, and (b) may not be playing with their school grade, if the county has an 8/1 or earlier cutoff - which results in the “trapped” issue - but it is a far fewer number than BY.

2. September and maybe some October birthdays (with kids who are ahead a grade year in school due to county cutoff or other reasons) - unhappy for 2 reasons: (a) may no longer get to play with their school year, because as you note - they may get “pushed off” their teams as the Q4 players from the year above move down, and (b) if they play with the grade below them, while they will be the oldest, there are recruiting impacts.

3. Jan/Feb birthdays - upset because they are no longer the oldest, with all advantages that come along with that (including perceived impact to chances of playing up a year).

Any other months I missed who have been whining about this?

Yes. All the other people who say it's "too disruptive" to break up existing teams and there should be "grandfathering." That was the same line people used in 2016 btw.

[Anonymous]

How does granfathering work anyway? What if a better player wants to play on that team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does granfathering work anyway? What if a better player wants to play on that team?

The idea here would have been to phase in the change. Keep BY except say those starting with 4v4 or 7v7 and slowly roll it up. Doesn't help people upset over trapped seasons, tho.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a November Bday (2011) ECNL that started school early and is already in 8th grade . Assuming all good if they just let them play up with their current team. but if let’s say, 5-6 2010s come down in fall 2026, could they move her down to the team below, where should would now be in 10th grade playing with 9th graders….could cause some recruiting issues not being with your grade.

Here is what I am piecing together on all of this:

1. August birthdays (the loudest opposition to this change) - unhappy for 2 reasons: (a) now become the youngest in the team - never good, but someone always has to be, and (b) may not be playing with their school grade, if the county has an 8/1 or earlier cutoff - which results in the “trapped” issue - but it is a far fewer number than BY.

2. September and maybe some October birthdays (with kids who are ahead a grade year in school due to county cutoff or other reasons) - unhappy for 2 reasons: (a) may no longer get to play with their school year, because as you note - they may get “pushed off” their teams as the Q4 players from the year above move down, and (b) if they play with the grade below them, while they will be the oldest, there are recruiting impacts.

3. Jan/Feb birthdays - upset because they are no longer the oldest, with all advantages that come along with that (including perceived impact to chances of playing up a year).

Any other months I missed who have been whining about this?

All the whining about Jan/Feb birthdays isn't from those parents. It's from the people who complain about them and say their kids will now take their spots, imagining how they feel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a November Bday (2011) ECNL that started school early and is already in 8th grade . Assuming all good if they just let them play up with their current team. but if let’s say, 5-6 2010s come down in fall 2026, could they move her down to the team below, where should would now be in 10th grade playing with 9th graders….could cause some recruiting issues not being with your grade.

Here is what I am piecing together on all of this:

1. August birthdays (the loudest opposition to this change) - unhappy for 2 reasons: (a) now become the youngest in the team - never good, but someone always has to be, and (b) may not be playing with their school grade, if the county has an 8/1 or earlier cutoff - which results in the “trapped” issue - but it is a far fewer number than BY.

2. September and maybe some October birthdays (with kids who are ahead a grade year in school due to county cutoff or other reasons) - unhappy for 2 reasons: (a) may no longer get to play with their school year, because as you note - they may get “pushed off” their teams as the Q4 players from the year above move down, and (b) if they play with the grade below them, while they will be the oldest, there are recruiting impacts.

3. Jan/Feb birthdays - upset because they are no longer the oldest, with all advantages that come along with that (including perceived impact to chances of playing up a year).

Any other months I missed who have been whining about this?

Also, there's been way toooo much meta-analysis of this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does granfathering work anyway? What if a better player wants to play on that team?

The idea here would have been to phase in the change. Keep BY except say those starting with 4v4 or 7v7 and slowly roll it up. Doesn't help people upset over trapped seasons, tho.

Yeah thats DOA.