Not the 8/1 troll but the 8/1 cutoff isn’t “allowing” August birthdays to “play down.” If you’re born on August 1 or 31, you play with the same group of kids regardless of the grade you’re in. It was changed to the Aug cutoff (what it was before the BY experiment) because Aug kids can* play up to their grade, or with their grade. If it was a September cutoff, the Aug kids who were a grade below would not be allowed to play down with their grade because you can’t play down. I’m not against the +30 idea either. I just don’t see leagues adopting anything other than a strict cutoff for the reasons that have already been stated. I ageee it causes problems in the older ages, but that is going to be a short term problem that will be solved on an individual basis. As this new rule takes hold, you’ll see less and less Aug kids who would have to “play down” still playing soccer in the recruiting years. |
There is no narrative. Youth soccer changed from Sy to By and now they are going back to their previous Sy rules. |
Imagine the feeling a parent and their kid would have by having their August kid play down a grade level to bump a kid who has been playing on that team for years just because you want your kid to get more playing time while disrupting a team and players on grade level. Dealing with all the people talking about you and your kid should be reason alone to stay on your SY team. Pretty embarrassing just to think about it. |
Let’s be honest - kids who are Aug birthdays are ALL going to want to play with their grade. Having the Aug 1 cutoff gives them that option. You will see little to no kids playing a grade down unless they get bumped from their current team and have no other options to get meaningful playing time. But aside from all of that, I hope you wouldn’t be concerned about what others thought and more concerned about what’s best for your kid. |
Aug through Dec all moving down not just Aug. Teams splitting in half not on parents or kids so they won't get blow back. |
It seems to me most Aug-Dec kids will be mostly moving with the change BUT those who are in a higher grade will have options. They just might not like them, because the most competitive teams will only retain kids who are good enough and won't keep just for grade alignment. Grade alignment will be offered but on a team that aligns with ability. |
Exactly, nobody wants Aug birthdays playing down other than the one crazy parent. Theres just no upside. This is why SY leagues will make a rule not allowing it. Which will make 8/1 the same thing as 9/1+30. |
ECNL League Play/nationals will be 8/1, all showcases for Soph-Senior year will be based off grade. You can call it grad year if you want.
So Aug-Dec kids who started school early and are a grade ahead will have to choose between playing with younger school grade for league play but then going to showcase with another team of mostly older kids in their grade. This is why US soccer allowed for more flexibility with age groups for showcases and tournaments you can even look up the rules yourself and read the language that will allow for this. ECNL has always wanted what aligns best with college recruiting but US soccer said no GY but gave them an olive branch for their own showcases. Trust me all ECNL directors who want to be in the know and goto all the big meetings are well aware of what’s going to happen. |
Trust me, you dont understand what's going on. Aug and maybe July are the only birth months that will be able to play down. Because ECNL wants to switch from BY to SY Sept to Dec will be playing with their grade and no longer "trapped" as they were in BY. Once leagues are SY 8/1 aligned 99% of players on the field will be playing with their grade. There will be no need to do GY. The only group youd be catering to is regrades/holdbacks. Also ECNL already allows GY however its only for Seniors in HS. This isnt good enough for you which is why you want to cheat by playing down Sophmore + Junior years which are when most recruiting occurs. |
100% correct. Take a step back and think about what parents would do if GY was allowed. They'd hold their kids back so they can be superstars. 16 year old freshman and 20 year old seniors would become tablestakes to compete. This is already happening in Football Basketball and Lacrosse. Do you want the best player on every team 2 years older than everyone else? |
Nobody credible talking about anything particular with August births and their specific switch to SY now that 8/1 is the date |
You misread PP. |
The rule to not allow Aug birthdays to play down in SY will just happen. It's not in league, club, player, or recruiter best interest to allow it. No need to open up for debate |
I think after all this time, I finally get it. ... Next year, the largest Aug birthdays will become the oldest kids on the team, no matter what grade they are in. That's how it will go, because of the desire for a hard 12-month window. If they want to stay with their grade -- and it's a higher grade -- they need to have the ability to play up on THAT team, no matter the level (ECNL, GA, MLSN, NAL, USYS, rec, etc). This will cause misalignment issues BUT that's where the GY for showcases kicks in. Not perfect but where we are headed. |
Except this is an age rule, not a grade one. |